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.
"It's time to go, this is goodbye"
She said "does it ever get easier to live like this"
And kiss the cheek
Well I can't kiss you anymore
And I, I would honestly love you now
But I would lovingly let you down
Oh I have the hardest time resisting you
And oh if you
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know
We can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
I could put my trust in giving up the heart
It makes the difference
And how can you afford to settle down
When I, I would promise to love you now
But I would lovingly let you down
Oh I have the hardest time resisting you
And oh if you
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know, we can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
(it's better than silence, give me one good reason)
It's better than silence
Give me one good reason
To leave this in silence
No you don't have a good reason
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know, we can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
It's better than silence
It's better than silence
She said "does it ever get easier to live like this"
And kiss the cheek
Well I can't kiss you anymore
And I, I would honestly love you now
But I would lovingly let you down
Oh I have the hardest time resisting you
And oh if you
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know
We can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
I could put my trust in giving up the heart
It makes the difference
And how can you afford to settle down
When I, I would promise to love you now
But I would lovingly let you down
Oh I have the hardest time resisting you
And oh if you
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know, we can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
(it's better than silence, give me one good reason)
It's better than silence
Give me one good reason
To leave this in silence
No you don't have a good reason
If you feel the same way then how can we be friends
He's right you know, we can't go on like this
And oh I try to give you everything
And if I fail well then I failed
But at least I gave you something
It's better than silence
It's better than silence
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Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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I agree with most of you that this is about two friends that obviously like each other.
Time to go, this is goodbye she said, does it ever get easier to live like this? And to kiss the cheek, i can't kiss you anymore, and I, I would honestly love you now, but i would lovingly let you down...
-The girl is too afraid to make a move, despite her feelings, so she's trying to escape them by escaping him. She's probably going out with another guy to forget her feelings. The guy is hurting inside because of how awkward it is between the two since they are probably both aware of their feelings for each other. However, the guy is understanding enough to respect any decision that the two decide about where to go next. ( I would honestly love you now, but i would lovingly let you down...)
Oh, i have the hardest time resisting you, and, oh, if you... If you feel the same way, then how can we be friends? He's right you know, we can't go on like this. And I try to give you everything and if I fail, well then I fail, but at least I gave you something...
-So the two both like each other, and since they do, it's difficult to maintain a normal friendship. "Then how can we be friends?" => It's like, "If we like each other so much, why are we only friends? Why don't we take it a step further?" The "he" is probably either the girl's boyfriend or simply a friend that knows both the girl and main guy. That "he" is also aware of the two's feelings, and if he is the guy that the girl is going out with, then he is also aware that the girl is using him (to deny her feelings for the main guy). And he tells both of them that their friendship won't last at this rate.
-And guy is deciding to risk his friendship w/ the girl by making a move. I guess that the two have not actually admitted to each other about how they feel, so the guy is planning to spill his guts out to her. And he says that if he fail, at least he gave her an opportunity, i guess? Of a happy ending? I can't explain it, but i understand.
I can put my trust in giving up the heart that makes the difference, and how can you afford to settle down? When I, I would promise to love you now, but I will lovingly let you down...
-He is willing to make any decision that is right for the two of them. He will make the move, but whatever the girl wants, he will respect it if he thinks that it's right for the two of them. But he is asking the girl, "How can you be satisfied of not settling this? I could be the best for you." (how can you afford to settle down?) This is before his confession. As i said before, the girl is avoiding her feelings.
It's better than silence, give me one good reason. To leave this in silence, you don't have a good reason.
-It's better to put these feelings out and settle them rather to let them fester inside both of them with a bunch of "If only"s and "What if"s. He is telling the girl that he HAS to make a move. And if there was a single good reason that he should restrain himself, she should tell him, or forever hold her peace.