This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Midnight at the glamour show on a Sunday night
Everybody drink a lotta whiskey and wine
We dance like no tomorrow, we're on burlesque time
But everybody's gotta work tomorrow at nine
Touch me, t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me, l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
V-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-vanity
V-vanity
V-v-v-v-vanity
Nothing wrong with being just a little bit vain
We need a little pretty 'cause this country's insane
So go ahead and label me whatever you like
But nothing's quite as sexy as a woman this fine
Touch me, t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me, l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
Look at me (watcha lookin' at)
Look at me (watcha starin' at)
(2x)
(O-o-oh)
I'm comin' around, I'm sippin' on andre, it's time (o-o-oh)
I heard the cutie's in the back startin' the p-party line (o-o-oh)
Let's dance, quick round, we're in the vanity house
We'll cover the sequents, diamonds
We're happy 'cause we're shining
Touch me t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
(2x)
Everybody drink a lotta whiskey and wine
We dance like no tomorrow, we're on burlesque time
But everybody's gotta work tomorrow at nine
Touch me, t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me, l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
V-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-vanity
V-vanity
V-v-v-v-vanity
Nothing wrong with being just a little bit vain
We need a little pretty 'cause this country's insane
So go ahead and label me whatever you like
But nothing's quite as sexy as a woman this fine
Touch me, t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me, l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
Look at me (watcha lookin' at)
Look at me (watcha starin' at)
(2x)
(O-o-oh)
I'm comin' around, I'm sippin' on andre, it's time (o-o-oh)
I heard the cutie's in the back startin' the p-party line (o-o-oh)
Let's dance, quick round, we're in the vanity house
We'll cover the sequents, diamonds
We're happy 'cause we're shining
Touch me t-touch me baby
But don't mess up my hair (o-o-o-o-oh)
Love me l-love me crazy
But don't get too attached
This is a brief affair
Vanity (o-o-oh)
Pictures in magazines, movie screens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
There is a camera, so many beauty queens
Vanity (o-o-oh)
It's so good to be populous and glamorous
We love ourselves and no one else
(2x)
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
I also think it's "mirrors and cameras, so many beauty queens," no "there is a camera, so many beauty queens."