Aimee Mann - Queens Of The Summer Hotel

Even tough this album came out late last year, I’m just now giving it a full beginning-to-end listen now that it has finally been released on vinyl. I noted that the lyric sheet has each song titled as a scene complete with scene descriptions & directions. The two sides of the album are even titled Act I/Act II. So I turned to Wikipedia. Per Wikipedia;

“Mann started working on the album in 2018, when she began writing songs for a stage adaptation of Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir Girl, Interrupted, about Kaysen's time at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. The album title was inspired by an Anne Sexton poem.”

I find this fascinating. I’ve long considered Mann to be a great lyricist. Wondering how far into the development process this got before Mann decided to release it as a standalone solo album. This might be my favorite Aimee Mann album in quite awhile. I can see how the songs might have a somber sameness to them that might make them challenging in the context of a stage musical though.

Wondering if anyone else has listened to the album or heard any rumblings about the stage adaptation. Thoughts?

I admit I love the movie (and the book) and was obsessed with Anne Sexton in my early thirties. So I’m probably more interested than most.

Jordan Catalano said: "If you know “Girl, Interrupted” well, would this album make sense as a “cast recording”?"

I think so? It has been awhile since I’ve seen the movie or read the book. Maybe similar to the studio album that preceded the version of Hadestown that made it to Broadway. There are scene descriptions for each song.

I’m a big fan of her music. Her last album Mental Illness is one of my favorites. I’ve listened to the new album and couldn’t get into it. The lyrics didn’t seem as sharp as many of her songs. Many of her hardcore fans aren’t big fans of the album saying it is a departure. Her typical songwriting style probably would not be linear enough for a musical, so I’m sure it is a departure.


I did not know the music was for a musical. Knowing that I will buy a hard copy, probably vinyl and re-explore after reading the liner notes.