After the breakup of
Trip Shakespeare, Dan Wilson and John Munson joined up with drummer Jacob "Jake" Slichter to form Semisonic in
1995. An EP,
Pleasure, was released that year on Boston indie label
CherryDisc, and the studio full-length
Great Divide in
1996 on
MCA.
Semisonic's breakthrough came two years later in
1998 when their second album,
Feeling Strangely Fine, reached the Top 50 chart on the strength of the hit single "
Closing Time", their biggest hit in the United States.
Their international career also blossomed when another song from the album, "
Secret Smile", quickly became a UK radio favorite in the summer of
1999, eventually peaking at #13 on the official
UK Singles Chart.
In early
2001, the band released its third album,
All About Chemistry. The single "Chemistry" was a mainstay overseas; however, the album didn't fare as well in the United States. Another song, "
Over My Head", was used in the 2001 teen flick
Summer Catch, and Semisonic rode the wave of various tours in and around the UK. In the fall of 2001, Semisonic contributed their
cover of the
Wings classic, "
Jet", for the
Paul McCartney tribute CD,
Listen to What the Man Said.
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