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.
Crownless again shall be the queen
Trophy on her grave still remains unseen
A boat on the river confessing the sins
The Riddler revealing the deep hidden things
Crownless again shall be the king
A gull covered in oil with a broken wing
A hitcher on a road alone and lost
Iron sharpens iron - a truth that once was
Mine is the Earth and the sword in the stone
Mine is the throne for the idol
One fleeting moment and it is all gone
Crownless again
Will I fall?
Roaming on razor-sharp castles
Ruling all but myself
(Now my night is laid to sleep)
One fragrant rose worth ten times what I am
A crippled begging a coin braver than I ever was
Reflection from me, Devil dressed in white
Chasten the being
Become what I once was
Mine is the Earth
Trophy on her grave still remains unseen
A boat on the river confessing the sins
The Riddler revealing the deep hidden things
Crownless again shall be the king
A gull covered in oil with a broken wing
A hitcher on a road alone and lost
Iron sharpens iron - a truth that once was
Mine is the Earth and the sword in the stone
Mine is the throne for the idol
One fleeting moment and it is all gone
Crownless again
Will I fall?
Roaming on razor-sharp castles
Ruling all but myself
(Now my night is laid to sleep)
One fragrant rose worth ten times what I am
A crippled begging a coin braver than I ever was
Reflection from me, Devil dressed in white
Chasten the being
Become what I once was
Mine is the Earth
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Love in a Vacuum
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Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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?
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
I think the chorus has been overlooked in this thread.
"Mine is the earth and the sword in the stone/ Mine is the throne for the idol/ one fleeting moment and it's all gone/ crownless again/ Will I fall?"
This seems to be ironic. The earth is mine because I was chosen by something beautifully magic. But I'm just an idol. Everything will come crashing down. I will lose my crown. I will fall.
I think this song is about how you need to actually do something and put forth effort if you want anything good to last.
I think the riddler is life.