The Toy Box: 'Til Tuesday

Jules Shear is a name known around the music industry but not often referred to among fans of his music. The reason being, he spent most of his time behind a pen, hammering out hits such as All Through The Night for Cyndi Lauper, and If She Knew What She Wants for the Bangles. At this point in time, 1988 to be specific, he was also the ex-boyfriend of 'Til Tuesday lead singer, Aimee Mann. Their breakup would shape the tracks written for what would become the bands final album, Everything's Different Now.

While previous albums, Voices Carry, and Welcome Home would peak on the Billboard 200 at nineteen and forty-nine, respectfully, as well as reach gold certification in the USA, their newest release would take a sudden nosedive. Everything's Different Now would underwhelm at number one hundred twenty-four on the charts, and produce only one minor single, (Believed You Were) Lucky, which peaked a ninety-five on the Billboard Hot 100.

Much like their previous release, the lackluster charts didn't reflect critics opinion, who praised the record. The Boston Globe would go as far to say it's, "the most confessional album since Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love." Others would say about it that it was, "a touching meditation on the ebb and flow of love," and a, "little masterpiece of melancholy."

When things started out, I thought maybe this one would be okay. The first three tracks, Everything's Different Now, Rip In Heaven, and Why Must I, were relatively okay. Nothing worth jumping up and down about, but decent. This, however, shifted with track four, and frankly never came back around.

The overall tempo of the album is slow, once again tapping into that soft rock sound that dominated the previous album. For me, it's just not what I want in my music.

If you told me I had to choose one more track from the album that stood out, I might select Crash And Burn. Though appropriately titled for the band's career, that's definitely not what the song is about.

Overall, 'Til Tuesday is a band I could be perfectly fine with just the one hit single, Voices Carry. I suppose that's pretty much what the majority of the world thought too.

Regardless, they'd stick it out until 1990 but then disband when Mann opted to pursue a solo career. While they wouldn't release any further studio albums, she released a total of ten albums between 1993 and 2021.

People do love a reunion though, and on May 17, 2025, original member Aimee Mann, Robert Holmes, Joey Pesce, and Michael Hausman did just that. They performed for the first time in thirty-three years at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena. However, there have been no announcements for any future performances together.

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It's been a bit since I first touched base with 'Til Tuesday. When I played through their debut, Voices Carry, I stated that while the album was pretty good, it was lacking commercial hits, beyond the title track.

The band was formed in 1982 by Aimee Mann, Robert Holmes, Joey Pesce, and Michael Hausman. Together, they found early notoriety by winning Boston's WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble in 1983. Soon thereafter, their single, Love Is A Vacuum began to see steady rotation on radio stations. This garnered the attention of Epic Records, who signed them.

While the single would be re-recorded for their 1985 debut, the title track, Voices Carry would become their breakthrough single, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video would become a staple on MTV, aiding in album sales. This was followed by the minor single, Looking Over My Shoulder, which reached number sixty-one. As a whole, the album would push enough units to gain gold certification in both Canada and the USA.

Their follow-up, 1986's Welcome Home, would also produce a couple hits, and reach gold certification in the USA. However, it's overall performance would fail to meet expectations. Lead single, What About Love, would peak at twenty-six, and the album's second single, Coming Up Close, at Fifty-Nine. Despite this, critical reaction was generally in favor of the record.

Playing through it, the band seems to have abandoned their prior rock / new wave sound, instead drifting into a more straightforward rock, if not soft rock album. The tracks are okay; they just don't pack any punch.

What About Love, Coming Up Close, and Lovers' Day, while standout tracks among the bunch, weren't what I'd call great, nor memorable. Frankly, I'm not surprised. I mean, respectfully, essentially the entire world moved on from 'Til Tuesday relatively quickly. Like I said in my previous post, most people consider them a one hit wonder.

Upon its release, Pesce would leave the band, and be replaced by Michael Montes. The band would come back with one final record, 1988's Everything's Different Now, an album heavily shaped by lead singer Mann's breakup with Jules Shear. We'll get into all of that tomorrow.

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