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.
People, if they choose you, then they want you to decide
But you'd rather relax, kick back, enjoy the ride
There's a category if you're straight or gay
You're a wild card gambler and you like it both ways
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Looking at the girls and eyeing all the guys
Everybody loves you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
My lover told me, well, that she's bi
I wanted to scream, there were tears in my eyes
She said baby, baby, don't you cry
'Cause the one I am with, you've been seeing on the side
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Eating with the girls and laughing with the guys
Everybody loves you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Feeling all the girls and touching all the guys
Well, everybody loves you when you're bi
Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me
Everybody's messed up with their sexuality
Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me
I need a closet big enough to live in
A closet for the whole world to live in
I want a closet big enough to live in
A closet for the whole world to live in
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Loving all the girls and loving all the guys
Everybody needs you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
Everybody wants you
That's right
Everybody needs you
Um-hum
Everybody likes you
I'll bet
Everybody loves you
Everybody, yeah
Everybody
Everybody, come on now
Everybody, not me
Everybody, who
Everybody, yeah
Everybody, come on now
Everybody
Well everybody loves you
Bi
Licking all the girls
Licking all the guys
Everybody's fucked up with their sexuality
You like it both ways
Like it both ways
Bi
But you'd rather relax, kick back, enjoy the ride
There's a category if you're straight or gay
You're a wild card gambler and you like it both ways
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Looking at the girls and eyeing all the guys
Everybody loves you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
My lover told me, well, that she's bi
I wanted to scream, there were tears in my eyes
She said baby, baby, don't you cry
'Cause the one I am with, you've been seeing on the side
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Eating with the girls and laughing with the guys
Everybody loves you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Feeling all the girls and touching all the guys
Well, everybody loves you when you're bi
Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me
Everybody's messed up with their sexuality
Well a friend of a friend of a friend told me
I need a closet big enough to live in
A closet for the whole world to live in
I want a closet big enough to live in
A closet for the whole world to live in
Everybody wants you when you're bi
Loving all the girls and loving all the guys
Everybody needs you when you're bi
But the tension and the passion's double amplified
Everybody wants you
That's right
Everybody needs you
Um-hum
Everybody likes you
I'll bet
Everybody loves you
Everybody, yeah
Everybody
Everybody, come on now
Everybody, not me
Everybody, who
Everybody, yeah
Everybody, come on now
Everybody
Well everybody loves you
Bi
Licking all the girls
Licking all the guys
Everybody's fucked up with their sexuality
You like it both ways
Like it both ways
Bi
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
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.
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Interesting song, but I don't believe people are "bi." And that's not a judgment. Orientation is set at birth. Just because one chooses to sleep with whomever doesn't mean they are oriented both ways. They may like the excitement of going against the norm; they may be sexually confused due to abuse; they may simply be drunk at the time; they may be extremely lonely; or they may be trying to get back at someone (just examples). I have met many people over the decades who classified themselves as "bi," and not one (not one) was without a rough past...emotional, sexual, physical abuse, alcoholism on the part of the parent, abandonment by a parent, etc. To me, that says plenty about those who sleep with both genders. Want to know which sex a man or woman is oriented to? Just watch her/his eyes.
Again, not a judgment. Who somoene sleeps with is none of my business. It's between that person and God (for those who believe in God).
Your anecdotal evidence means nothing and no one cares whether or not you think bisexuality exists. You have no authority to tell someone their own sexual orientation, and the fact that you think you do is bothersome. And if you were to go into your (totally uninvited) opinion on the existence of bisexuality to a real bisexual, it would be incredibly hurtful.
@freetobeme Um. You don't simply sleep with someone because your drunk. You dont' turn gay drunk or sober. You are born how you are and you've hid it behind social anxiety and the drunkness makes you feel better about it and not care.