"I Should've Known" is a song by American singer-songwriter

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 ...

, which was released in 1993 as the lead single from her debut studio album ''

Whatever Whatever may refer to: Music Albums * ''Whatever'' (Adore Delano album), 2017 * ''Whatever'' (Aimee Mann album), 1993 * ''Whatever'' (Danny Thompson album), 1987 * ''Whatever'' (The Friends of Distinction album), 1970 * ''Whatever'' (Gre ...

''. The song was written by Mann and produced by

Jon Brion Jon Brion is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has ...

. "I Should've Known" reached No. 55 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and No. 16 in the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. In 1994, the single was reissued in the UK and Europe, and peaked at No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart.

Background

In the United States, "I Should've Known" received airplay on alternative radio, but failed to generate considerable sales. It saw more commercial success in the United Kingdom after being played frequently on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

. Mann told ''

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 1993: "When I asked Jonathan Russell BBC stafferwhy the BBC wanted to play it, he said, 'Just because it's a good song.' Hey, I didn't think that happened anymore."

Music video

The song's music video was shot in and around a vacant house near

Ithaca Ithaca most commonly refers to: *Homer's Ithaca, an island featured in Homer's ''Odyssey'' *Ithaca (island), an island in Greece, possibly Homer's Ithaca *Ithaca, New York, a city, and home of Cornell University and Ithaca College Ithaca, Ithaka ...

, New York in March 1993. It was directed by

Katherine Dieckmann Katherine Dieckmann is an American film and music video director known for her work with R.E.M. and the feature films ''Good Baby'' and ''Diggers''. Music video filmography *"Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M. *"Stand" by R.E.M. *"Your Ghost" by Kris ...

and produced by Sandra Tait for Cascando Studios. Dickermann and Mann had originally intended for the video to be shot "down south" with a "spring feeling" but owing to the

1993 Storm of the Century The 1993 Storm of the Century (also known as the 93 Superstorm, The No Name Storm, or the Great Blizzard of '93/1993) was a cyclonic storm that formed over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12, 1993. The cold weather, heavy snowfall, high winds and st ...

, which resulted in heavy snowfall, it was filmed near Ithaca instead. Dieckmann told ''Billboard'' in 1993: "It's unusual to see a woman in a video who isn't portrayed as a bimbo or as some 'tough chick'. Aimee wanted to break out of the whole

'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 ...

image of the heartbroken, lovesick girl raging about relationships. So we decided to treat this breakup with some black humor."

Critical reception

In a review of ''Whatever'', Mark Caro of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' described "I Should've Known" as the best of the album's "upbeat songs" and a "crunching guitar stomp freshened by a breeze of background vocals." Chuck Campbell of the

Scripps Howard News Service The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

considered it a "liberating song" which is "so well crafted with its thoroughly ingratiating hook, sumptuous backing vocals and intriguing decorations that listeners will be hard pressed to let the album advance to the second track". Parry Gettelman of ''

The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, ''Tribune Pu ...

'' wrote: "'I Should've Known' sounds like ''

Sgt. Pepper ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...

''-era

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

via

World Party World Party were a British musical group, which was essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving the Waterboys. Career After a stint as musical director of a West End pe ...

and

Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...

. There's a bit of

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

via

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

in Mann's vocal, and the coda is shot through with the riff from

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

's '

Something Something may refer to: Philosophy and language *Something (concept) *Something, an English indefinite pronoun Music Albums * ''Something'' (Chairlift album), 2012 * ''Something'' (Shirley Bassey album), 1970 * ''Something'' (Shirley Scott a ...

' kinda sideways and upside down." Sam Gnerre of ''The News-Pilot'' noted: "Mann breathes life into the often-complex songs with her warm, conversational vocal style, which gives mid-tempo songs such as "I Should've Known" a resonant fullness." In a review of the song's UK single release,

Taylor Parkes Taylor Parkes (born 30 April 1972) is a British journalist. He is best known for his music journalism which appeared in '' Melody Maker'' from 1993 to 1998. Parkes was a champion of Saint Etienne, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers and the Romo scen ...

of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' gave a mixed review, calling it "thick in both senses". He considered it "the fattest, most thunderous pop record of this or any other recent week", but also believed there is "more intelligence in a Linus manifesto than this happy, little rip-off" of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's 1973 song "

Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid''. Released as a single two months after the film's premiere, it became a worldwide hit, r ...

Track listing

1993 release

;7" single (UK release) #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:00 #"Jimmy Hoffa Jokes" – 2:29 ;CD single (European release) #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:00 #"Jimmy Hoffa Jokes" – 2:29 #"Jacob Marley's Chain" – 3:02 ;CD single (US release) #"I Should've Known" – 4:53 #"Take It Back" – 2:52 #"Baby Blue" – 3:50 ;CD single (US promo) #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:00 #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:11 #"I Should've Known" (LP Version) – 4:53

1994 re-issue

;7" and cassette single #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:00 #"Truth On My Side" (Demo Version) – 4:20 ;10" single #"I Should've Known" (Live) – 4:04 #"4th July" (Live) – 3:15 #"Stupid Thing" (Live) – 4:29 #"

The Other End (Of the Telescope) "The Other End (Of the Telescope)" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1988 on their third and final studio album '' Everything's Different Now''. The song was written by Aimee Mann and Elvis Costello. Costello recorde ...

" (Live) – 4:13 ;CD single #"I Should've Known" (Edit) – 4:00 #"Fifty Years After the Fair" (Demo Version) – 4:01 #"Truth On My Side" (Demo Version) – 4:20 #"Put On Some Speed" (Demo Version) – 4:01

Personnel

I Should've Known *

– vocals, electric guitar, bass, dixie cup *

– electric guitar, pump organ, mellotron, chamberlin, bass, drums, vocals * Todd Nelson – intro guitar * Buddy Judge – vocals Production * Jon Brion – producer of "I Should've Known", "Take It Back", "Baby Blue", "Jimmy Hoffa Jokes" and "Jacob Marley's Chain" *

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, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he has a very ...

– mixing on "I Should've Known", "Take It Back", "Baby Blue", "Jimmy Hoffa Jokes" and "Jacob Marley's Chain" * Michael Reiter – assistant mixer on "I Should've Known" *

Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...

– mastering Other *

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

– photography * Anonymous Design – 1994 reissue sleeve design

Charts

References

{{authority control 1993 songs 1993 singles 1994 singles Aimee Mann songs Songs written by Aimee Mann Songs written by Jon Brion Song recordings produced by Jon Brion Imago Records singles