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.
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
Fictitious styles of living
We've expected to work
But this is all your giving
Half of what your worth
Pigeon hold in battles
Overtones of snow in her clutch
Falling through lines
One more breath destroys
The best of you
The death of you
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
A precious gift embedded
Deep within your skin
But parasitic pleasures
Are closer than kin
Please expose your shadows
Such concerns are products of love
Falling in lies
One more fraud destroys
Our trust in you
Our love for you
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
As you kiss the abstract
And pray it's everything you'd hoped for
The smell of her, the thrill of her
The fruit of her, the use of her
Is killing everything that you've worked for
The smell of her, the thrill of her
The fruit of her, the use of her
Is killing everything that you've worked for
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
The smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Lucifer
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
Fictitious styles of living
We've expected to work
But this is all your giving
Half of what your worth
Pigeon hold in battles
Overtones of snow in her clutch
Falling through lines
One more breath destroys
The best of you
The death of you
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
A precious gift embedded
Deep within your skin
But parasitic pleasures
Are closer than kin
Please expose your shadows
Such concerns are products of love
Falling in lies
One more fraud destroys
Our trust in you
Our love for you
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
As you kiss the abstract
And pray it's everything you'd hoped for
The smell of her, the thrill of her
The fruit of her, the use of her
Is killing everything that you've worked for
The smell of her, the thrill of her
The fruit of her, the use of her
Is killing everything that you've worked for
Styling your shroud
Infecting the crowd
Steady letting the fruit of her thrill
Fool you so well
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
Smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Use of her
The smell of her
Thrill of her
Fruit of her
Lucifer
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Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
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?
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
"Half Life"
The time required for the activity of a substance taken into the body to lose one half its initial effectiveness. (This I believe is important in deciphering what the song is exactly about, I believe it is about a drug....Specifically cocaine.)
"Styling your shroud Infecting the crowd Steady letting the fruit of her thrill Fool you so well"
I think styling your shroud means concealing your internal pain by use of a drug, and possibly infecting the crowd means you're having an impact on those around you and in a negative way. "Her" I believe is the drug and not an actual person, and gradually you let in the effects of this drug but it's fooling you because it won;t last for long and will probably end up doing more harm to you eventually.
"Fictitious styles of living We've expected to work But this is all your giving Half of what your worth Pigeon hold in battles Overtones of snow in her clutch Falling through lines One more breath destroys the best of you The death of you"
You're not living in reality when on this drug, and are just fooling yourself in the process and doing it quite easily because of the need for the drug. And possibly the ending of this verse is describing an overdose.
"A precious gift embedded deep within your skin But parasitic pleasures are closer than kin Please expose your shadows Such concerns are products of love Falling in lies One more fraud destroys our trust in you Our love for you"
This describes the pleasure of the drug being more important to you than any people ever could be, including family. And if somebody were to address your habit, they would be doing it in an effort to help you. But you lie about your habit, and you're no longer trustworthy or an honest person as the drug has taken over you and you love the drug more than loved ones so they in return do not love you anymore.
"As you kiss the abstract And pray it's everything you'd hoped for The smell of her, the thrill of her The fruit of her, the use of her Is killing everything that you've worked for"
Distancing yourself further from reality, throwing your life away. it's also interesting that the very origin of the word "Half-Life" in 1864, meant unsatisfactory way of living.