The Perfect Life (with Wayne Coyne)

The song has a definite connection with drugs and getting high, just like the first commentator aptly stated. I also think it has an overtone of falling in love (with a person) but leaves an ambiguity. I think there is an (unstated) duality in the song. At first it seems that it is a romantic song-this is based on the melody and song structure. Its played with major chords with a gospel feeling...very uplifting. Then the lyrics go off into the drug references-but the song still stays with a rising major chord sequences. Very interesting.

This song is all about drugs. The pleasure that it give and that makes the consumer "high", out of himself, or "sleeping" in this case: "it will sing you to sleep". And its side effects after the wakening ("it will hit you awake"). There are other signs like the "spoons and foil" (used to consume heroin), "some china" (china: slang for synthetic heroin), the lighter (this is obvious) and the "speed" (slang for amphetamine). Poor little Mike.

It's not necessarily about drugs. There is mention of it, but the song is generally about living in a world of joy, where you don't have to question the fact that you can only be truly happy once you have a perfect life. He's putting into perspective what makes his life perfect, this could be drugs, as suggested by WaxWings, it could be a lover, or the feeling of success, anything that makes you happy in life for certain is perfect in this case.

I interpreted the song as actually being about how everyone has their hopes and their dreams imagining

The song is about turning your back on, or giving up on life in favor of using heroin.

To me this song is about the fake happiness that drugs bring to your life. Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips Singer) & Moby both seen there fair share of friends and peers fall to " the perfect life" of substance abuse. When your high your life is perfect. All need is tin and foil, bed and china, lighter and speed doesn't sound like the perfect life, to me. Sounds like when locking the doors to keep the older wolves and away. Is two-fold; maybe it's older drug dealers pushing the drugs or maybe older person who been down that path and wants to help but the guy doesn't want the advice. Its one of my favorites by Moby.

In writing a song and putting music out into the world, I’m really open to the idea that people can interpret music however they so choose. I have my own interpretation of things but just ’cause I’m the person who wrote the song doesn’t mean my interpretation is the right one. That song “The Perfect Life” is, and I’m hesitant to say this because it sounds a bit more melodramatic than I mean it, sort of written as a very dysfunctional love song to illegal drug use. Not in a very specific literal way, because I’ve been sober now for a while, but I guess it’s like an homage to the behavior and thoughts that come around completely dysfunctional drug addiction\n\nFrom an interview with moby