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.
Raise your glass,
We have incorporated.
Place your bets,
We're all so sick of waiting.
Queen takes Jack,
You got me this time,
But I'll get you back.
So pick a number.
To all the ones who tried the most;
Was I supposed to cheer your efforts?
Sorry that I chose so poorly.
Golly gee, am I the poster girl?
She's the kind of girl who looks for love in all the lonely places.
The kind who comes to poker, pockets stuffed with kings and aces.
She's the kind of girl who only asks you over when its raining,
Just to make you lie there catching water dripping from the ceiling.
Lift your hats
Off to the checkout girls with tattooed backs;
They'd make an angel's skin crawl.
If you ask them for assistance,
Theres an even chance
You'll get a number.
To all the girls at pearl, the surly boys who get to masticate them;
I've a prize for each and every one of you, so just be patient.
To all the ones that hated me the most; a toast.
You really had me going for a second, I was nervous.
Boy, am I the poster girl.
Shes the kind of girl who gets her slings and arrows from the dumpster.
The kind who tells you shes bipolar just to make you trust her.
Shes the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser,
Just to make you jealous of the men she fucked before you met her.
To all the ones that thought they knew me best; a test to prove your prowess.
Who was mine in '99? I want last names and current status.
To all the ones that hated me the most; a toast.
You really had me going for a second, I was nervous.
Boy am I the poster girl for some suburban sickness,
Better keep a healthy distance.
Now it's up to you,
Know what to do,
It's pretty dirty business.
We have incorporated.
Place your bets,
We're all so sick of waiting.
Queen takes Jack,
You got me this time,
But I'll get you back.
So pick a number.
To all the ones who tried the most;
Was I supposed to cheer your efforts?
Sorry that I chose so poorly.
Golly gee, am I the poster girl?
She's the kind of girl who looks for love in all the lonely places.
The kind who comes to poker, pockets stuffed with kings and aces.
She's the kind of girl who only asks you over when its raining,
Just to make you lie there catching water dripping from the ceiling.
Lift your hats
Off to the checkout girls with tattooed backs;
They'd make an angel's skin crawl.
If you ask them for assistance,
Theres an even chance
You'll get a number.
To all the girls at pearl, the surly boys who get to masticate them;
I've a prize for each and every one of you, so just be patient.
To all the ones that hated me the most; a toast.
You really had me going for a second, I was nervous.
Boy, am I the poster girl.
Shes the kind of girl who gets her slings and arrows from the dumpster.
The kind who tells you shes bipolar just to make you trust her.
Shes the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser,
Just to make you jealous of the men she fucked before you met her.
To all the ones that thought they knew me best; a test to prove your prowess.
Who was mine in '99? I want last names and current status.
To all the ones that hated me the most; a toast.
You really had me going for a second, I was nervous.
Boy am I the poster girl for some suburban sickness,
Better keep a healthy distance.
Now it's up to you,
Know what to do,
It's pretty dirty business.
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Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
for everyone wondering what she's yelling, from The Virginia Companion (and it's actually Brian!!):
"After several failed attempts on my part in the studio to shout anything random that sounded "good", it was Sean Slade who suggested that I shout "Mishima" in time with the music. This was of course a nod to Yukio Mishima, the acclaimed Japanese playwright and poet, who committed seppuku after giving a speech intended to start coup d'etat. However you may interject any historical figure or gibberish of your choice."
And in the sheet music the lyrics there are marked as "!!! !!!" .... so I wouldn't read too much into that, ha.
Also may be of interest from the Virginia Companion:
"This one lives, thematically, with "Backstabber," though it was written a few years earlier. I was filled with a weird brand of vitriol for a few years there and, with no recent breakup providing a handy target, I turned to whatever else was making me angry.
White Suburban Girl Guilt dies hard.
At the time, there was a collection of checkout girls at Pearl Art & Craft Supplies on Massachusetts Avenue. I wanted them to like me."
These words haven't given me any epiphanies yet.... anyone else?!
@smittenerest <br /> "I turned to whatever else was making me angry. White Suburban Girl Guilt dies hard. At the time, there was a collection of checkout girls at Pearl Art & Craft Supplies on Massachusetts Avenue. I wanted them to like me."<br /> <br /> I think what she is saying here is that during that time period, she looked at these girls, these girls with tattooed backs, these masochistic, uncaring, bored, non-committal, cold and self-destructive yet self-centered suburbanite girls, and she saw herself. I think we all know these girls. She wanted them to like her because she would fit in perfectly with the group - she was just like them at one time. In the song there's the Golly Gee line and she's basically saying, Good Lord, I should have been the poster girl for this group! She knows all about what kinds of girls these are, because hell, she was one once. But I think she has definitely moved past the ways and mentality of these girls. She definitely has matured, but harbors the "White Suburban Girl Guilt" still, because of how selfish and cold - it's a pretty dirty business being one of those kinds of girls.<br /> <br /> And the whole 'who was mine in 99' line - She's saying that she's been through so many men since then, if you really knew her well you would know the guy(s) she was with back then. She'll need a last name so that she can try to remember them [there were just so many], and she'll want their current status, single or otherwise, just in case she wants to get back with them again. Haa, I love it.
I seem to have taken away something very different from this song. From the first listen, this song seemed to be about a manipulative woman, who fishes around for "lonely" guys, uses her genuine problems to make them feel sorry for her, uses them, and tosses them when she's done. This could very well be because I had just been dumped by somebody exactly like that when I first heard this song, though I didn't realize what her "game" had been until it was all over.
If anything, I think this song highlights how art can, and should, mean different things to different people. I've had a hunch, given that several of their songs could have several interpretations, and they rarely seem to provide definitive meanings, that this has been the Dresden Dolls' intent with many, if not most, of their songs.
I agree! First, with your interpretation, and second, with your notion that lyrics can mean different things for different people. I studied psychology, so (as you may read above), I recognized some behavior that resembled attachment issues and interpreted the song as such. To me, this interpretation was somewhat obvious, but it's interesting to see that people can look at it from so many different perspectives!
i love the hamlet references
"nobody outcrazies ophelia!" -the simpsons
i love this sond i cant wait for the new album to drop i think this song is about the dresden dolls as a band like them and the whole brigade and the fans really i love the line "to the checkout girls with tattooed backs theyd make an angels skin crawl if you ask"
This is a great song !! :D
Ah! I fucking LOVE this song! Every time i hear the piano, i wish i could just play like that, but thats kind of impossible for me coz i never really properly learnt staff notes and all that jazz and just play random cords a lot... which isn't very good when you need to read piano notes :P I'm a little confussed in what this song could be about. Someone help me out here?
I love this song so much! No idea what it means though... maybe that's why I like it so much, it keeps me puzzling over it.
here's the lyrics to the version on their myspace:
Raise your glass We have incorporated Place your bets We're all so sick of waiting Queen takes jack You got me this time but i"ll get you back So pick a number
To all the ones who tried the most was I supposed to cheer your efforts Sorry that I chose so poorly Golly gee, am I the poster girl?
She's the kind of girl who looks for love in all the lonely places The kind who comes to poker pockets stuffed with kings and aces She's the kind of girl who only asked you over when its raining Just to make you lie there catching water dripping from the ceiling
Lift your hats Off to the checkout girls with tattooed backs They'd make an angels' skin crawl If you ask them for assistance There's an even chance You'll get a number
To all the girls at pearl the surly boys who get to masticate them I've a prize for each and every one of you so just be patient To all the ones that hated me the most a toast You really had me going for a second I was nervous boy, am I the poster girl?
She's the kind of girl who gets her slings and arrows from the dumpster The kind who tells you she's bipolar just to make you trust her She's the kind of girl who leaves out condoms on the bedroom dresser Just to make you jealous of the men she fucked before you met her
To all the ones who thought they knew me best a test to prove your prowess Who was mine in '99? I want last names and current status To all the ones that hated me the most a toast you really had me going for second I was nervous, boy am I the poster girl for some suburban sickness? Better keep a healthy distance Now its up to you know what to do its pretty Dirty business
Ive read 'the dresden dolls diary' on blogger and I remember a post where Amanda tells about a ten year highschool reunion.. and the part "Who was mine in '99? I want last names and current status" makes me think of that.
I love this song more and more each time I listen to it.
What's the Hamlet reference? In the CD lyrics it says "boys who get to masticate them." Were they made to censor it, or is chewing your girlfriend a new trend I didn't know about?
if you think less about chewing and more about it eating, it makes a lot more sense, lol.
Wow, I just got it, I think!