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 hopped off the plane at LAX
With a dream and my cardigan
Welcome to the land of fame excess (whoa)
Am I gonna fit in?
Jumped in a cab
Here I am for the first time
Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign
This is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous
My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the taxi man turned on the radio
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Get to the club in my taxi cab
Everybody's looking at me now
Like, "who's that chick, that's rockin' kicks?
She's gotta be from out of town"
So hard with my girls not around me
Its definitely not a Nashville party
'Cause all I see are stilettos
I guess I never got the memo
My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the DJ dropped my favorite tune
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Feel like hoppin' on a flight (on a flight)
Back to my hometown tonight (town tonight)
Something stops me every time (every time)
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
With a dream and my cardigan
Welcome to the land of fame excess (whoa)
Am I gonna fit in?
Jumped in a cab
Here I am for the first time
Look to my right, and I see the Hollywood sign
This is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous
My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the taxi man turned on the radio
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on
And a Jay-Z song was on
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Get to the club in my taxi cab
Everybody's looking at me now
Like, "who's that chick, that's rockin' kicks?
She's gotta be from out of town"
So hard with my girls not around me
Its definitely not a Nashville party
'Cause all I see are stilettos
I guess I never got the memo
My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the DJ dropped my favorite tune
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
And a Britney song was on
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Feel like hoppin' on a flight (on a flight)
Back to my hometown tonight (town tonight)
Something stops me every time (every time)
The DJ plays my song and I feel alright
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
So I put my hands up
They're playing my song
The butterflies fly away
I'm noddin' my head like, yeah
Movin' my hips like, yeah
I got my hands up
They're playin' my song
They know I'm gonna be okay
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Yeah, it's a party in the USA
Lyrics submitted by hushie, edited by Mellow_Harsher
Party In The U.S.A. Lyrics as written by Claude Kelly Jessica Cornish
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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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.
Noddin' my head like hurr, Movin' my hips like durr. (: