Andrew McMahon has been a busy force in alternative music since the early 2000โs. His high school band, Something Corporate, had a cult following before their breakup in 2004, when McMahon shifted focus to his most popular project, Jackโs Mannequin.
Recently, Andrew McMahon has abandoned the Jackโs Mannequin name to focus on his solo career under the moniker Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness. As McMahon gears up to hit the road with ะะฐะฝะธะบะฐ! ะะฐ ะะธัะบะพัะตะบะต ะธ Weezer this summer, itโs a good time to look back on some of the best tracks his career has to offer.
10. “The Mixed Tape” (Jack’s Mannequin- Everything in Transit)
โThe Mixed Tapeโ was the first single off of Jackโs Mannequinโs wildly popular Everything in Transit, and is one of the more popular tracks in Andrew McMahonโs catalog. Bitter and guitar-heavy, โThe Mixed Tapeโ spoke to every angsty teen that came of age in the late 2000โs.
9. “My Racing Thoughts” (Jack’s Mannequin- People and Things)
Each Jackโs Mannequin album revolves around a central theme from McMahonโs personal life. 2005โs Everything in Transit centered around a breakup, while 2008โs The Glass Passenger detailed McMahonโs battle with leukemia at age 23, and 2011โs People and Things discussed McMahonโs married life. Due to the major developments in McMahonโs life post-Transit, People and Things is far more matured, lyrically and sonically, when compared to his pre-2005 work. However, โMy Racing Thoughtsโ is a Springsteen-esque track that captures the youthfulness and excitement McMahon previously displayed on his early work.
8. “If U C Jordan” (Something Corporate- Audioboxer)
While this is the most juvenile song in McMahonโs catalog, โIf U C Jordanโ is the only reason Iโm able to write an article on McMahonโs career in the first place. โJordanโ was Something Corporateโs breakout single, and remains SoCoโs biggest hit to date. Though โJordanโ isnโt the most complex song, itโs one of those songs that beg to be screamed along to, especially if you have a Jordan in your own life. Plus the music video is so stereotypically 2000โs that itโs hilarious to watch.
7. “Holiday From Real” (Jack’s Mannequin- Everything in Transit)
Giddy and summery, โHoliday From Realโ is an ode to doing absolutely nothing productive. โHoliday From Realโ makes for a quality vacation anthem, but part of the songโs fun is hearing McMahon grow self-aware about how boring it is doing nothing all the time: โWe’d waste our weeks beneath the sun/We’d lie and tell our friends it’s so much fun/Out hereโ
6. “MFEO” (Jack’s Mannequin- Everything in Transit)
The penultimate track to Everything in Transit, MFEO is split into two parts. Part one is so bubbly and optimistic that itโs almost overwhelming. Part two acts as a step back into reality, allowing the listener some time to breathe (get it???).
5. “Konstantine” (Something Corporate- Songs for Silent Movies)
It would be impossible for me to write a top ten list about McMahon without including โKonstantineโ. โKonstantineโ is a universal favorite amongst McMahonโs fanbase, and rightfully so. The nearly ten-minute long epic is one of the most emotionally raw songs from any of McMahonโs projects. โKonstantineโ was a rarity off of a Japan-only Something Corporate release, but fans became so passionate about it that it was officially released on Something Corporateโs greatest hits compilation in 2006- itโs also the most-requested song at any McMahon concert. Itโs tough to listen past the four-minute mark without feeling like youโre thirteen again and life is so full of drama but Andrew McMahon just GETS you.
4. “Caves” (Jack’s Mannequin- The Glass Passenger)
Much of The Glass Passenger touches on the subject of McMahonโs cancer treatment and subsequent recovery, but no song is more explicit about it than โCavesโ. A haunting piano line plays under McMahonโs strained and vulnerable vocals, as lines such as โ‘We’re not gonna lie/Son, you just might die/Get you on that morphine drip, drip’โ give every listener a clear glimpse into what McMahon had to deal with.
3. “Miss California” (Jack’s Mannequin- The Glass Passenger)
By far my favorite Andrew McMahon song about murder (sorry, โMe And The Moonโ), โMiss Californiaโ has some of the most clever songwriting in McMahonโs career. Much like The Policeโs โEvery Breath You Takeโ, โMiss Californiaโ plays like a poppy love song until red flags start to come up: โYou’ll be missed, Miss California/We’ll be married in the rain/When they can’t find you I’m sure I’ll be the one they blame/But they can’t prove anything, Miss Californiaโ.
2. “High Dive” (Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness- Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness)
When I first got Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness I spent a decent portion of my day just listening to โHigh Diveโ on repeat. Thanks to some gorgeous lyrical imagery and an infectious piano-driven melody, โHigh Diveโ is arguably the most addictive song McMahon has ever written.
1. “Miss Delaney” (Jack’s Mannequin- Everything in Transit)
โMiss Delaneyโ will always have a special place in my heart. This is the song that kept me coming back for more when I started getting deep into Jackโs Mannequin. A breezy musical backdrop contrasts the songโs theme of unrequited love, but itโs hard to imagine โMiss Delaneyโ ever being a sad song. If I attempt to pick a favorite line out of this song Iโll end up quoting the whole thing, so Iโll leave that up to interpretation.
