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.
Supporting Caste
When the credits finally roll for this, the worst story ever told,
don’t bother sifting through the names for yours or anyone you know.
Unless they were by chance a shepherd king, a virgin birth,
a resurrection, a messianic prince or some such childish thing.
You can storm the edit suite or move to block its theatrical release,
but I think we can safely guarantee
that there will be no revisions
to the script made on behalf of a supporting cast(e).
Because history exalts only the pornography of force–that of murderers
and psychopaths (the rest of us, of course,
stricken from the narrative wholesale: a back drop to the tale)
as we, the two-bits, are ushered on and swiftly off
this stage with the jawbones of asses.
No stirring curtain call for the masses.
No floral bouquet.
No breaking of legs.
No recurring role.
No artistic control.
And so in these days, in this terminal phase,
it’s all left to chance.
A piece of advice: if you’re cast on thin ice,
you may as well dance.
Do what you feel you must,
but as for me I was not put upon this earth to subjugate or serve.
When the credits finally roll for this, the worst story ever told,
don’t bother sifting through the names for yours or anyone you know.
Unless they were by chance a shepherd king, a virgin birth,
a resurrection, a messianic prince or some such childish thing.
You can storm the edit suite or move to block its theatrical release,
but I think we can safely guarantee
that there will be no revisions
to the script made on behalf of a supporting cast(e).
Because history exalts only the pornography of force–that of murderers
and psychopaths (the rest of us, of course,
stricken from the narrative wholesale: a back drop to the tale)
as we, the two-bits, are ushered on and swiftly off
this stage with the jawbones of asses.
No stirring curtain call for the masses.
No floral bouquet.
No breaking of legs.
No recurring role.
No artistic control.
And so in these days, in this terminal phase,
it’s all left to chance.
A piece of advice: if you’re cast on thin ice,
you may as well dance.
Do what you feel you must,
but as for me I was not put upon this earth to subjugate or serve.
Lyrics submitted by Xremo
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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.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Not sure I agree sandihume re: these lyrics not being to the point
this song is basically suggesting that as the human 'story' draws to a close, and stating that for the most part ordinary people will never receive recognition for their contibutions unless they are "a shepherd king, a virgin birth, etc" (i.e. someone like Jesus) - which is a another way of pointing out that there was nothing more (or less) remarkable about Jesus compared to anyone else who has ever lived and yet billions worldwide follow his life. This point is later emphasised with the line "as we, the two-bits, are ushered on and swiftly off the stage"
the line "Because history exalts only the pornography of force..." is referring to the fact that history is written by the victors (aka "murderers and psychopaths"), with the people who are effected by their actions ignored and forgotten. this is why there is no point in "[storming] the edit suite" as we are merely the "supporting cast(e)", and therefore there is nothing we can do to change how history has been recorded and passed on
I love the closing lines of the song "A piece of advice: if you're cast on thin ice, you may as well dance" - if the 'powers that be' decide that you're of no significance, you might as well just enjoy yourself - "Do what you feel you must, but as for me I was not put on this earth to subjugate or serve" - basically, do what you feel necessary to make yourself/your life comfortable but don't do 'Them' any favours, because they aren't going to do you any favours anytime soon
Fantastic song
this is what i was thinking. good explanation.