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.
Skeleton, you are my friend
But you are made of bone
And you have got no flesh and blood
Running through you to help protect the bone
Skeleton, we have been friends for years
And you have seen me through some trials
And tribulations and some tears
But everybody thinks I'm weird
And I should have known that it wouldn't be long
Until you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
Skeleton, we are so close
But you have got no body
So, why do you insist on wearing clothes?
Skeleton, when we were young, it was easy
Even though the other kids, they would tease me
I was only seven, I had you but now I'm twenty-two
And now it's different when I take you out
And you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
And sometimes at night
I dream of the most terrible things
I take, take a hammer and I creep out of bed
And I raise it high and I smash your head
Fibula and tibula and ribs and cages, too
In fact, while I'm here, I'll smash the whole of you
But skeleton, you are my friend
And I could never bring your life to an end
Yes, skeleton, you are, you are my friend
And I'll be there for you until the end
And even though when I take you out
You've got me, you've got me
Standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
I could, I could never let you go
And that is all I know
And that is all I know
And that is all I, that is all I know
And that is all I know, know
But you are made of bone
And you have got no flesh and blood
Running through you to help protect the bone
Skeleton, we have been friends for years
And you have seen me through some trials
And tribulations and some tears
But everybody thinks I'm weird
And I should have known that it wouldn't be long
Until you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
Skeleton, we are so close
But you have got no body
So, why do you insist on wearing clothes?
Skeleton, when we were young, it was easy
Even though the other kids, they would tease me
I was only seven, I had you but now I'm twenty-two
And now it's different when I take you out
And you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
And sometimes at night
I dream of the most terrible things
I take, take a hammer and I creep out of bed
And I raise it high and I smash your head
Fibula and tibula and ribs and cages, too
In fact, while I'm here, I'll smash the whole of you
But skeleton, you are my friend
And I could never bring your life to an end
Yes, skeleton, you are, you are my friend
And I'll be there for you until the end
And even though when I take you out
You've got me, you've got me
Standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
I could, I could never let you go
And that is all I know
And that is all I know
And that is all I, that is all I know
And that is all I know, know
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The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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Hayalperest
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This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
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Silent Planet
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First, let me apologise because I didn't read everyone's postings.
To me, this song is clearly about growing into a woman. When she's talking to her skeleton, she's literally talking to her skeleton -- which is why it's seen her through so many things, why' they've been 'friends' for so long, and why they're so 'close.' However, I think she makes fun of herself for talking to her skeleton (the 'why do you wear clothes' bit).
The real importance of this song is in the "you've got me standing in an awkward position." Where she used to be comfortable with herself and her body, now she feels awkward. Maybe it's a puberty experience, maybe it's just discovering who she really is. Either way, there's a battle between what she wants to be, and what her skeleton wants her to be.
Also, keep in mind, with this interpretation, she's talking about killing herself. If you look at it this way, although there's a light timbre, it's really quite a dark song.