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.
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
Just another night, another vision of love
You feel joy, you feel pain, 'cause nothing will be the same
Just another night, is all that it takes
To understand, the difference between lovers and fakes
So baby, I talk talk, I talk to you
In the night, in your dream, of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you
In the night, in your dream, of love so true
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
Just another night, another dream, another vision
Of love, with me
I'm here to set you free, I am your lover, your brother
Hey sister, let me cover, your body with my love is with my lovin' just another
Vision of love, that seems to be true, what do we do? All the things that only lovers do
Vision of love, that seems to be true, what do we do? All the things that only lovers do
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you in the night
In your dream, of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you, in the night
In your dream, of love so true
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
Just another night, another vision of love
You feel joy, you feel pain, 'cause nothing will be the same
Just another night, is all that it takes
To understand, the difference between lovers and fakes
So baby, I talk talk, I talk to you
In the night, in your dream, of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you
In the night, in your dream, of love so true
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
Just another night, another dream, another vision
Of love, with me
I'm here to set you free, I am your lover, your brother
Hey sister, let me cover, your body with my love is with my lovin' just another
Vision of love, that seems to be true, what do we do? All the things that only lovers do
Vision of love, that seems to be true, what do we do? All the things that only lovers do
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you in the night
In your dream, of love so true
I talk talk, I talk to you, in the night
In your dream, of love so true
In the night, in my dreams
I'm in love with you, 'cause you talk to me like lovers do
I feel joy, I feel pain, 'cause it's still the same
When the night is gone, I'll be alone
Another night, another dream, but always you
It's like a vision of love that seems to be true
Another night, another dream, but always you
In the night, I dream of love so true
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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?
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