"(Believed You Were) Lucky" is a song by American band

'Til Tuesday Til Tuesday (often stylized as til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann (lead vocals, bass), Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Haus ...

, which was released in 1988 as the lead single from their third and final studio album '' Everything's Different Now''. The song was written by

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

(music, lyrics) and

Jules Shear Jules Mark Shear (born March 7, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit single " All Through the Night" and The Bangles' hit "If She Knew What She Wants", and charted a hit as a performer with "Stead ...

(music), and produced by

Rhett Davies Rhett Davies (born 1949 in London) is an English record producer and engineer. Davies' father was trumpet player Ray Davies (no relation to Ray Davies of The Kinks). Davies became a studio engineer at Island Records studios in the early 1970s, a ...

. "(Believed You Were) Lucky" peaked at No. 95 on the US '' Billboard'' Hot 100. The single version of the song, which is also used on the video, is different to the album version, replacing the final profane chorus with a non-profane version.

Background

"(Believed You Were) Lucky" was one of a number of songs on ''Everything's Different Now'' which was inspired by Mann and Shear's failed relationship. Mann told Steve Morse of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' in 1988, "It was a really amazing relationship. I thought it was very healthy to stay together, but Jules just couldn't make up his mind."

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Peter Wallach and produced by Michael Faerman and Wallach. In a 2018 interview with '' Stereogum'', Mann criticized the video for being "super dumb". She added, "It was supposed to look like the Twilight Zone opening. I think that was the concept."

Critical reception

On its release, '' Billboard'' described the song as a "spirited pop number" which is "delivered with conviction" and "shouldn't be overlooked". '' Cash Box'' listed the single as one of their "feature picks" during October 1988. They felt the song "fits into the quasi-sixties bag" and noted the "tight vocal harmonies". During February 1989, '' Music & Media'' selected the song as their "Single of the Week" and wrote, "This is well produced, atmospheric folk/rock complete with attractive, intriguing melodies supported by a semi-acoustic sound." They also noted Mann's "fanciful vocals" as being "one of the most attractive things about this band".

David Cavanagh David Cavanagh was an Irish writer and music journalist, best known for his the critically acclaimed 2000 book ''My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry for the Prize'', which detailed the rise and fall of Creation Records, and for his editorship of '' Select'' ...

of ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' described it as "piping, tuneful stuff, but necessarily wistful" and "a twist on the dreaded Dear John scenario" as Mann "curtail all amorous proceedings because her man lacks self-belief". In a retrospective review of ''Everything's Different Now'', Alex Henderson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

picked the song as one of the album's "introspective and personal gems" which shows Mann "coming from the heart".

Track listing

;7" and cassette single #"(Believed You Were) Lucky" - 3:37 #"Limits to Love" - 3:35 ;7" single (US promo) #"(Believed You Were) Lucky" - 3:37 #"(Believed You Were) Lucky" - 3:37 ;12" and CD single (UK release) #"(Believed You Were) Lucky" - 3:37 #"Limits to Love" - 3:35 #" Voices Carry" - 4:22 #"

What About Love "What About Love" is a song originally recorded by Canadian rock group Toronto, re-released in 1985 by the American rock group Heart. The song was Heart's "comeback" single. It was the first Heart track to reach the top 40 in three years, and ...

" - 4:01 ;CD single (US promo) #"(Believed You Were) Lucky" - 3:37

Personnel

'Til Tuesday *

– vocals, bass, acoustic guitar, arranger * Robert Holmes – guitar * Michael Montes – keyboards *

Michael Hausman Michael Hausman is an American musician and talent manager, known for his collaboration with former-girlfriend and bandmate Aimee Mann. Hausman attended Berklee College of Music and played with a Boston band called The Dark before becoming the ...

– drums, percussion, programming, arranger Production *

– producer (all tracks except "Voices Carry") *

Mike Thorne Mike Thorne (born 25 January 1948) is an English record producer, arranger, composer, engineer, and musician. He started playing the piano at the age of 10. After studying physics at Hertford College, Oxford, in the late 1960s he worked as a ta ...

– producer of "Voices Carry" *

Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto (band), Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he ...

– mixing on "Voices Carry"

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Believed You Were Lucky 1988 songs 1988 singles 'Til Tuesday songs Epic Records singles Songs written by Aimee Mann Songs written by Jules Shear Song recordings produced by Rhett Davies