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've seen it all
I have seen the trees
I have seen the willow leaves
Dancing in the breeze
I've seen a man killed
By his best friend,
And lives that were over
Before they were spent.
I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see
You haven't seen elephants
Kings or Peru
I'm happy to say
I had better to do
What about China?
Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great
If the roof doesn't fall
And the man you will marry
The home you will share
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]
You've never been
To Niagara Falls
I have seen water
It's water, that's all
The Eiffel Tower
The Empire State
My pulse was as high
On my very first date
And your grandson's hand
As he plays with your hair
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]
I've seen it all
I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness
In one little spark
I've seen what I chose
And I've seen what I need
And that is enough
To want more would be greed
I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see
You've seen it all
And all you have seen
You can always review on
Your own little screen
The light and the dark
The big and the small
Just keep in mind
You need no more at all
You've seen what you were
And know what you'll be
You've seen it all
There is no more to see
[gibberish]
I have seen the trees
I have seen the willow leaves
Dancing in the breeze
I've seen a man killed
By his best friend,
And lives that were over
Before they were spent.
I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see
You haven't seen elephants
Kings or Peru
I'm happy to say
I had better to do
What about China?
Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great
If the roof doesn't fall
And the man you will marry
The home you will share
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]
You've never been
To Niagara Falls
I have seen water
It's water, that's all
The Eiffel Tower
The Empire State
My pulse was as high
On my very first date
And your grandson's hand
As he plays with your hair
To be honest
I really don't care
[gibberish]
I've seen it all
I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness
In one little spark
I've seen what I chose
And I've seen what I need
And that is enough
To want more would be greed
I've seen what I was
And I know what I'll be
I've seen it all
There is no more to see
You've seen it all
And all you have seen
You can always review on
Your own little screen
The light and the dark
The big and the small
Just keep in mind
You need no more at all
You've seen what you were
And know what you'll be
You've seen it all
There is no more to see
[gibberish]
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I watched the movie this afternoon for the first time and i am happy to say its one of the best movies that ive seen in a long time.... at parts i just didnt stop crying... but i love this song and the one that she does with Thom from Radiohead just takes my breath away... i love both of them and i was so happy they did i song together!