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.
We used to go out on the summer nights and dance in the neon rain
We used to hold hands at the movie show but we'll never hold hands again
Do do do do do come on come on
Do do do do do come on come on
(C): Those days are gone You and I were young those summer nights
You'll see the world diving for a girl you'll never find
And then we'll quietly grow old: the saddest story ever told.
Once upon a time we fell in love or at least that's what you said
You say I can find someone else but I just wish I was dead
Do do do do do come on come on
Do do do do do come on come on. (C)
We used to hold hands at the movie show but we'll never hold hands again
Do do do do do come on come on
Do do do do do come on come on
(C): Those days are gone You and I were young those summer nights
You'll see the world diving for a girl you'll never find
And then we'll quietly grow old: the saddest story ever told.
Once upon a time we fell in love or at least that's what you said
You say I can find someone else but I just wish I was dead
Do do do do do come on come on
Do do do do do come on come on. (C)
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
This is my story for today.
Stephen Merrit is a lyrical genius. It's such a simple, lovely song - it pulls no punches, it doesn't hold any deeper message. It's just a girl (or a boy, since Stephen wrote the lyrics) missing a boy. That's all. And that's enough.
I'm spechless... Such a simple upbeat song carrying such a "depressing" message. I love it, I truly do.
I Fucking Love This Sad Song! Period.
Who sings this? Claudia or the girl who left before?
I like how the summery upbeat pretty much clashes with the lyrics, in the same way moving on clashes with just about everything.
Susan Anway sang all of the female vocals on The Wayward Bus and Distant Plastic Trees
Who sings this? Claudia or the girl who left before?
I like how the summery upbeat pretty much clashes with the lyrics, in the same way moving on clashes with just about everything.
Susan Anway sings this.
The simplicity of this song makes it easy for anyone to relate to and sob over if they ever loved and lost. It says everything, and sounds wonderful. It's one of my favorites.
For me, this one's all about a nostalgic look back at love lost.
How has nobody commented on this? It's such a fucking fantastic song. Shame on you all.