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 want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
They've always been so kind
But now they've brought you away from here
I hope they didn't get your mind
Your heart is too strong anyway
We need to fetch back the time
They have stolen from us
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
Coldest winter for me
No sun is shining anymore
The only thing I feel is pain
Caused by absence of you
Suspense controlling my mind
I cannot find the way out of here
I want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
So that I never feel alone again
They've always been so kind
But now they've brought you away from here
I hope they didn't get your mind
Your heart is too strong anyway
We need to fetch back the time
They have stolen from us
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
Coldest winter for me
No sun is shining anymore
The only thing I feel is pain
Caused by absence of you
Suspense controlling my mind
I cannot find the way out of here
I want you by my side
So that I never feel alone again
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
And I want you
We can bring it on the floor
You've never danced like this before
We don't talk about it
Dancin' on do the boogie all night long
Stoned in paradise, shouldn't talk about it
Shouldn't talk about it
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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
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
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.
Actually, I think it's a bit of both. If it were JUST about his own addiction, then this part in the first verse :
"I hope they didn’t get your mind Your heart is too strong anyway"
wouldn't make sense, since the drugs don't feel and there is little that can be metaphorically called it's heart or mind. On the other hand, if it were JUST about his lover's addiction, this part in the second verse:
"The only thing I feel is pain Caused by absence of you Suspense is controlling my mind"
would make a lot less sense, given that it sounds like he's describing addiction. While it could be hyperbole saying he just misses her that much, I don't think so. Additionally, I think you're wrong about "they" being rehab people.
Here's my interpretation: they are both on drugs. When they dance, stoned in paradise, they're getting high together. "They" refers to the drugs, which used to be "kind" to him, in that they made him feel better, but now the drugs are driving them apart, so he feels lonely because they are metaphorically apart because of the drug high. They are also ruining his life, taking away his ability to feel anything but the pains of withdrawal.