"Trouble Me" is a song by the American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

group

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

and the first single from their 1989

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Blind Man's Zoo ''Blind Man's Zoo'' is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. It was released on May 4, 1989, by Elektra Records. The album contains songs addressing social issues and current events, which occurred during and ...

''. The single was co-written by the band's then-lead singer,

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first seven albums before ...

, as dedication to her father, Anthony Merchant. "Trouble Me" charted in both the United States and the United Kingdom, becoming a hit for the band. It peaked at number 44 on the Billboard

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart. A live version with lead vocalist Mary Ramsey was also included on their 2016 album '' Playing Favorites''.

Background and production

"Trouble Me", composed by

Dennis Drew Dennis Arnold Drew (born August 8, 1957) is the keyboardist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. He has been with the band since its inception in 1981 and is one of three founding members along with Steve Gustafson and John Lo ...

with lyrics by

, was the first released single from the album. The song was written for Merchant's father, Anthony, who was hospitalized at the time.''Contemporary Musicians: Profiles of the People in Music''
edited by Michael LaBlanc. Vol. 3. Gospel singer

Jevetta Steele Jevetta Steele (born November 14, 1962) is an American R&B jazz, and gospel music singer. Early years Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Steele eventually moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to become a criminal lawyer. Steele later embarked upon a s ...

provided the background vocals for the song. Merchant said in the late 1980s, "The most uplifting song is 'Trouble Me', which seems like the antidote for all the rest of 'Blind Man's Zoo''"

Music video

A music video for "Trouble Me" was produced, containing outdoor scenes. Merchant caught a

common cold The common cold, or the cold, is a virus, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the Respiratory epithelium, respiratory mucosa of the human nose, nose, throat, Paranasal sinuses, sinuses, and larynx. ...

during the filming. It is included in the VHS release ''10,000 Maniacs: Time Capsule, Filmed 1982–1990'', later re-released on DVD as ''10,000 Maniacs: Time Capsule, Filmed 1982–1993''. In the music video, while she performs the song in various scenes, Merchant takes an elderly woman on the bicycle to the place where the elderly woman's friends surprise her and then do activities. In the end, Merchant and the elderly woman ride on the bicycle to a shoreline.

Reception

Music critic

Anthony DeCurtis Anthony DeCurtis (born June 25, 1951) is an American author and music critic, who has written for ''Rolling Stone,'' ''The New York Times'', '' Relix'' and many other publications. Career DeCurtis is a contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', ...

wrote, "''Blind Man's Zoo'', hich includes the song is a starkly pessimistic statement." Chris Willman of ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' reviewed the band's song performance at the 1989

Santa Barbara Bowl The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. The amphitheater is open for concerts from approximately April through approximately October with an average of about 27 concerts per season. Booked exclu ...

concert, calling it "honey in the soothing." Joseph Pryweller of Virginia's '' Daily Press'' reviewed the band's song performance at a 1989

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...

concert, saying that the performance resembled songs from the band's previous album, ''

In My Tribe ''In My Tribe'' is the third studio album from the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Released on July 27, 1987, by Elektra Records, it was their second major-label album and their first to achieve large-scale success. John Lombardo, ...

'', and "lacked special character."

Charts

In the ''Billboard'' charts, "Trouble Me" reached number 20 in the

Mainstream Rock chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" fo ...

on the week ending July 8, 1989; number three in the

Modern Rock Tracks chart Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

on the week ending June 10; number 44 in the Hot 100 chart on the week ending August 12; and number seven in the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

on the week ending August 19, 1989. "Trouble Me" reached number 77 in the UK Singles Chart for the week ending June 17, 1989.

In popular culture

The song is featured in the '' Dead of Summer'' episode, "Barney Rubble Eyes" (season 1, episode 2). ''Billboard'' reviewer Chuck Taylor said that the " dtempo pacing" of

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...

's song "

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

" would resemble 10,000 Maniacs' song.

References

{{Authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs 10,000 Maniacs songs Songs written by Natalie Merchant Songs written by Dennis Drew Song recordings produced by Peter Asher Elektra Records singles