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.
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
I wanna kiss you
But if I do then I might miss you, babe
It's complicated and stupid
Got my ass squeezed by sexy Cupid
Guess he wants to play, wants to play
A love game, a love game
Hold me and love me
Just wanna touch you for a minute
Baby three seconds isn't enough
For my heart to quit it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
I'm on a mission
And it involves some heavy touching, yeah
You've indicated your interest, I'm educated in sex, yes
And now I want it bad, want it bad
A love game, a love game
Hold me and love me
Just want touch you for a minute
Baby three seconds isn't enough
For my heart to quit it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
I can see you staring there from across the block
With a smile on your mouth and your hand on your huh!
The story of us, it always starts the same
With a boy and a girl and a huh and a game
And a game, and a game, and a game, a love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game? (Let's have some fun, this beat is sick)
Doin' the love game (I wanna take a ride on your disco stick)
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
(Don't think too much just bust that kick)
Doin' the love game (I wanna take a ride on your disco stick)
Doin' the love game
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
I wanna kiss you
But if I do then I might miss you, babe
It's complicated and stupid
Got my ass squeezed by sexy Cupid
Guess he wants to play, wants to play
A love game, a love game
Hold me and love me
Just wanna touch you for a minute
Baby three seconds isn't enough
For my heart to quit it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
I'm on a mission
And it involves some heavy touching, yeah
You've indicated your interest, I'm educated in sex, yes
And now I want it bad, want it bad
A love game, a love game
Hold me and love me
Just want touch you for a minute
Baby three seconds isn't enough
For my heart to quit it
Let's have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don't think too much just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
I can see you staring there from across the block
With a smile on your mouth and your hand on your huh!
The story of us, it always starts the same
With a boy and a girl and a huh and a game
And a game, and a game, and a game, a love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
Doin' the love game
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game? (Let's have some fun, this beat is sick)
Doin' the love game (I wanna take a ride on your disco stick)
Let's play a love game, play a love game
Do you want love or you want fame?
Are you in the game?
(Don't think too much just bust that kick)
Doin' the love game (I wanna take a ride on your disco stick)
Doin' the love game
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It's about sex...simply fun and casual