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.
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe?
It feels so different being here
I was so used to being next to you
Life for me is not the same
There's no one to talk to
Don't know why I let it go too far
Starting over is so hard
Seems like everywhere I try to go
I keep thinking of you
I just had a wake up call
Wishing that I never let you fall
Baby, you were not the blame at all
When I'm the one that pushed you away
Baby, if you knew I care
You wouldn't have never went nowhere (nowhere)
Girl, I should've been right there
How do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe?
Girl, I'm losing my mind
Yes, I've made a mistake
I thought that you would be mine
Guess the joke was on me
I miss you so bad, I can't sleep
I wish I knew where you could be
Another dude is replacing me
God, this can't be happening
I just had a wake up call
Wishing that I never let you fall
Baby, you were not the blame at all
When I'm the one that pushed you away
Baby, if you knew I care
You wouldn't have never went nowhere (nowhere)
Girl, I should've been right there
And now I wonder
How do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me (I say)
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe?
I should've brought my love home, girl
And baby, I ain't perfect, you know
The grind has got a tight hold
Girl, come back to me
'Cause girl, you made it hard to breathe
When you're not with me
Tell me, how do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe? (How do I breathe?)
Without you here by my side
How will I see? (How will I see you?)
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go? (Where do I go?)
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me (you're not with me)
How do I breathe? (How do I breathe?)
How do I breathe? (yeah)
How do I breathe?
It feels so different being here
I was so used to being next to you
Life for me is not the same
There's no one to talk to
Don't know why I let it go too far
Starting over is so hard
Seems like everywhere I try to go
I keep thinking of you
I just had a wake up call
Wishing that I never let you fall
Baby, you were not the blame at all
When I'm the one that pushed you away
Baby, if you knew I care
You wouldn't have never went nowhere (nowhere)
Girl, I should've been right there
How do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe?
Girl, I'm losing my mind
Yes, I've made a mistake
I thought that you would be mine
Guess the joke was on me
I miss you so bad, I can't sleep
I wish I knew where you could be
Another dude is replacing me
God, this can't be happening
I just had a wake up call
Wishing that I never let you fall
Baby, you were not the blame at all
When I'm the one that pushed you away
Baby, if you knew I care
You wouldn't have never went nowhere (nowhere)
Girl, I should've been right there
And now I wonder
How do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me (I say)
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe?
I should've brought my love home, girl
And baby, I ain't perfect, you know
The grind has got a tight hold
Girl, come back to me
'Cause girl, you made it hard to breathe
When you're not with me
Tell me, how do I breathe?
Without you here by my side
How will I see?
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go?
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me
How do I breathe?
How do I breathe? (How do I breathe?)
Without you here by my side
How will I see? (How will I see you?)
When your love brought me to the light
Where do I go? (Where do I go?)
When your heart's where I lay my head
When you're not with me (you're not with me)
How do I breathe? (How do I breathe?)
How do I breathe? (yeah)
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Wow, this song just hits home.
love this song
Its funny that this song is on SongMeanings but not on Itunes. But anway, Good song.
he didnt care about the relationship and didnt express his feelings to her, so she left him, and now he cant breathe coz he misses her . love the song
Feels so different being here I'm so used to being next to you Life for me is not the same There's no one to talk to Don't know why i let it go too far Starting over is so hard Seems like everywhere i try to go I keep thinking of you
so sad, its the gap left after, all he can think about is her.
this song is a killa for me, dont think theres been any other song to make me feel so down :(
this song reminds me of when i met the guy of my life he walked out of my life..:(