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.
I love it when they try to get intimate
Even though they know I really ain't into it
(You're not into it?) I'm not into it
I already know the game and I've been through it
See I buy my own bags, my boots, my jeans
Wear LaRok with my Rebel Yell underneath
You wanna step to me? (Said you got a long way to go)
Rock with me now
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me
(Uh, I'ma tell you why you can't)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back (uh, better fall back)
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (uh)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close
Ease up 'cause you got a long way
I love it when they try to get scandalous
Even though they know they really can't handle it
(They can't handle it?) They can't handle it
Tryna take me out to dinner, I'll cancel it
If you really wanna know me first of all
You should never try to get too personal
'Cause I meant it when I said
(That you got a long way to go)
Yeah, uh
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me
(Uh, I'ma tell you why you can't)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back (uh)
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (uh)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close
Ease up 'cause you got a long way
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me (uh, yeah)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (ooh, you got a long way)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close (I'ma bad girl)
Ease up 'cause you got a long way to go
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go
Don't know how to act, better fall back
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go
It's not that deep, take it easy (ooh, you got a long way)
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (yeah)
Said you got a long way to go
Rock with me now
Got a long way to go, uh
Yeah, uh
Better fall back
Said you got a long way to go
Even though they know I really ain't into it
(You're not into it?) I'm not into it
I already know the game and I've been through it
See I buy my own bags, my boots, my jeans
Wear LaRok with my Rebel Yell underneath
You wanna step to me? (Said you got a long way to go)
Rock with me now
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me
(Uh, I'ma tell you why you can't)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back (uh, better fall back)
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (uh)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close
Ease up 'cause you got a long way
I love it when they try to get scandalous
Even though they know they really can't handle it
(They can't handle it?) They can't handle it
Tryna take me out to dinner, I'll cancel it
If you really wanna know me first of all
You should never try to get too personal
'Cause I meant it when I said
(That you got a long way to go)
Yeah, uh
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me
(Uh, I'ma tell you why you can't)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back (uh)
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (uh)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (got a long way to go)
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close
Ease up 'cause you got a long way
You claim that you're so hot
And you say you got skills in the bedroom
You try to front when you're so not
Had a chance you still never come through
You say you wanna come see me
'Cause you know your girlfriend wanna be me (uh, yeah)
Said you got a long way to go
(Say you wanna love me?)
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go (way to go)
Don't know how to act, better fall back
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go (ooh, you got a long way)
It's not that deep, take it easy
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go
I'ma bad girl, you wanna get close (I'ma bad girl)
Ease up 'cause you got a long way to go
Wanna love me, wanna touch me
Think twice 'cause you got a long way to go
Don't know how to act, better fall back
It's like that 'cause you got a long way to go
It's not that deep, take it easy (ooh, you got a long way)
You wanna please me? You got a long way to go (yeah)
Said you got a long way to go
Rock with me now
Got a long way to go, uh
Yeah, uh
Better fall back
Said you got a long way to go
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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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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I love this song its awesome the film clips aiight 2!!! but i dnt lyk the song me and u only the beat