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.
I blame Delilah when I can't get to sleep
I blame Delilah when there's nothing on TV
I blame Delilah for every gray hair
I blame Delilah cause Delilah won't care
I blame Delilah for the blood in my coffee cup
I blame Delilah when enough is enough
But it's really not her fault
I blame Delilah when I can't stay awake
I blame Delilah when I can't catch a break
I blame Delilah for the cracks in the stair
I blame Delilah cause Delilah's not here
I blame Delilah when I can't come around
I blame Delilah when I tear myself down
But I know it's all my...
I blame Delilah for the hole in my mouth
I blame Delilah when I can't cut it out
I paid Delilah for a stroke and a smoker's cough
I hate her cause she won't miss me at all
But it's really not her fault
I blame Delilah when there's nothing on TV
I blame Delilah for every gray hair
I blame Delilah cause Delilah won't care
I blame Delilah for the blood in my coffee cup
I blame Delilah when enough is enough
But it's really not her fault
I blame Delilah when I can't stay awake
I blame Delilah when I can't catch a break
I blame Delilah for the cracks in the stair
I blame Delilah cause Delilah's not here
I blame Delilah when I can't come around
I blame Delilah when I tear myself down
But I know it's all my...
I blame Delilah for the hole in my mouth
I blame Delilah when I can't cut it out
I paid Delilah for a stroke and a smoker's cough
I hate her cause she won't miss me at all
But it's really not her fault
Lyrics submitted by JohnnyViola
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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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.
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