Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
Heartbreaker
Feelin' alright
Body over mind
It's slower
Reduction is addictive too
Personality overview
I can see what the cost will be
You know, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can see what it all means to me
Honey, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can't put you down
Hard drinker
Feelin' uptight
Your maker, mine
It's slower
Reduction is addictive too
Personality overview
I can see what the cost will be
You know, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can see what it all means to me
Honey, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Everything you buy is for the jingle
Every time you lie it's all the same
Ooh, and if you need a rhyme to kill the singer
Shoot me dead before I may be through
Feelin' alright
Body over mind
It's slower
Reduction is addictive too
Personality overview
I can see what the cost will be
You know, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can see what it all means to me
Honey, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can't put you down
Hard drinker
Feelin' uptight
Your maker, mine
It's slower
Reduction is addictive too
Personality overview
I can see what the cost will be
You know, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
I can see what it all means to me
Honey, I don't need you
I just can't put you down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Put you down, down, down, gonna put you down, down
Everything you buy is for the jingle
Every time you lie it's all the same
Ooh, and if you need a rhyme to kill the singer
Shoot me dead before I may be through
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
This was written by Jerry Cantrell. I think it has a double meaning.
First verse - Heartbreaker. Probably referring to a girl
Second verse - Hard drinker. Referring to alcohol, and possibly other drugs, not heroin though
Cantrell personifies the alcohol just like the girl, saying to both that he can't "put you down". This also points to the similarity between addictions. Love is an addiction too, after all.