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.
Saw you walking on your velvet lawn
Is it lonely on the moon?
You took a dive and swallowed all you could
Did you drink too much too soon?
Nothing left for you to fight about
And no one wants to see you try
The nearest neighbours are a mile away
Does the ocean hear you cry?
Punching at the sky
They say the King is losin´ his grip again
They said you´re bullet proof, they said you feel no pain
It seems the hero is misunderstood again
Is it love or is it surgery
Makes her seem so ill at ease
As she´s begging you to please calm down
In her silk Armani on her knees
Did you carry out those threats I heard
Or were you only playing macho?
And the stains on her Versace scarf
Were they really just Gazpacho?
They say the King is watching his back again
They say the King is losing his grip again
Raging like a bull to an empty ring
D´you think they will forgive a hero anything?
Now the ring is just a band of gold
And your wife needs police protection
While you´re sparring with the journalists
You´re trying to win back her affection
Is this what it means to be a man
Boxing up all your emotion
So now she´s gone and you´re alone at last
You can tell it to the ocean
They say the King is losing his grip again
They say the King is countin´ his numbered days
You never lost a fight in your whole life
You never had no trouble sleepin´ through the night
The bottle and the doctor get you through the day
The boys who run the house´ll make it all okay
You think they will forgive a hero anything
Maybe Hollywood
But maybe then again
Now the ring is just a band of gold
Drive the road
Is it lonely on the moon?
You took a dive and swallowed all you could
Did you drink too much too soon?
Nothing left for you to fight about
And no one wants to see you try
The nearest neighbours are a mile away
Does the ocean hear you cry?
Punching at the sky
They say the King is losin´ his grip again
They said you´re bullet proof, they said you feel no pain
It seems the hero is misunderstood again
Is it love or is it surgery
Makes her seem so ill at ease
As she´s begging you to please calm down
In her silk Armani on her knees
Did you carry out those threats I heard
Or were you only playing macho?
And the stains on her Versace scarf
Were they really just Gazpacho?
They say the King is watching his back again
They say the King is losing his grip again
Raging like a bull to an empty ring
D´you think they will forgive a hero anything?
Now the ring is just a band of gold
And your wife needs police protection
While you´re sparring with the journalists
You´re trying to win back her affection
Is this what it means to be a man
Boxing up all your emotion
So now she´s gone and you´re alone at last
You can tell it to the ocean
They say the King is losing his grip again
They say the King is countin´ his numbered days
You never lost a fight in your whole life
You never had no trouble sleepin´ through the night
The bottle and the doctor get you through the day
The boys who run the house´ll make it all okay
You think they will forgive a hero anything
Maybe Hollywood
But maybe then again
Now the ring is just a band of gold
Drive the road
Lyrics submitted by BitterBosh
Gazpacho Lyrics as written by Mark Kelly Steven Thomas Rothery
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
This is one of my favorite songs on "AoS".
"Gazpacho" is a cold soup. While I agree that this song is about powerful men who abuse women, I think the title and track makes specific reference to the O.J. Simpson murders. The title refers to the quote "revenge is a dish best served cold", since Gazpacho is also a "cold" soup, this makes sense. I also agree that since Gazpacho is generally reddish brown in color, references that others have made also makes sense as an excuse for stains on clothing (in a general sense for woman who are abused). O.J.'s revenge on his former wife and boyfriend, was certainly "cold". Other references give hint to this, "Drive the road", "you think they will forgive a hero anything".