This is a great song. It's about two people who are both jaded. She's got a good job and makes a lot of money ("a rich girl"), and she works long hours in a high rise office building. She probably lives in a high rise condo as well. She goes up and down 30, 40 or 50 floors to and from work and home, and probably drives from underground lot to underground lot or takes a subway train between the buildings. Imagine the commute between these two places, both small, orderly, clean and cold, with windows looking out on the city lights.
In North America, the downtown office buildings are all lit up at night, and people sometimes work very late. The lit up high rises and the views out the windows of the city are the "nuclear show." "My office glows all night long, it's a nuclear show and the stars are gone." I love that line. You can't see the stars from downtown because of all the lights in the buildings. Of course, the electric lights run off of a mostly nuclear-powered grid.
In a big city, you're always surrounded by people, but it can be hard to connect. You want to hang on to someone, but it just makes things messy. You have your work, which you're deeply involved in, and your apartment, which is a place to eat and sleep. And it's all kind of tidy and beautiful and in control, even if you feel very lonely. So, you crave love, but you also can't deal with the drama and the attachments. I think that both of the people in the song are more or less in that place.
My husband just commented on the differences between the characters. I've always thought that she was a corporate lawyer or something and he's - I don't know - an artist or musician who's temping at her company? She further up the hierarchy than he is and makes more money, but she keeps herself mostly inaccessible. She sort of wants a relationship but is also deeply wary of it. He's hot for her but too insecure to aim for anything more than a one night stand. She thinks she wants more, but doesn't necessarily - maybe...
My husband just commented on the differences between the characters. I've always thought that she was a corporate lawyer or something and he's - I don't know - an artist or musician who's temping at her company? She further up the hierarchy than he is and makes more money, but she keeps herself mostly inaccessible. She sort of wants a relationship but is also deeply wary of it. He's hot for her but too insecure to aim for anything more than a one night stand. She thinks she wants more, but doesn't necessarily - maybe just an occasional, intense weekend and then she'll pull back. He's kind of aware of that and so tries not to invest anything, emotionally. Not sure he's succeeding, though.
That's what I think. My husband just thinks she's looking for love and he's a manipulative bastard.
This is a great song. It's about two people who are both jaded. She's got a good job and makes a lot of money ("a rich girl"), and she works long hours in a high rise office building. She probably lives in a high rise condo as well. She goes up and down 30, 40 or 50 floors to and from work and home, and probably drives from underground lot to underground lot or takes a subway train between the buildings. Imagine the commute between these two places, both small, orderly, clean and cold, with windows looking out on the city lights.
In North America, the downtown office buildings are all lit up at night, and people sometimes work very late. The lit up high rises and the views out the windows of the city are the "nuclear show." "My office glows all night long, it's a nuclear show and the stars are gone." I love that line. You can't see the stars from downtown because of all the lights in the buildings. Of course, the electric lights run off of a mostly nuclear-powered grid.
In a big city, you're always surrounded by people, but it can be hard to connect. You want to hang on to someone, but it just makes things messy. You have your work, which you're deeply involved in, and your apartment, which is a place to eat and sleep. And it's all kind of tidy and beautiful and in control, even if you feel very lonely. So, you crave love, but you also can't deal with the drama and the attachments. I think that both of the people in the song are more or less in that place.
My husband just commented on the differences between the characters. I've always thought that she was a corporate lawyer or something and he's - I don't know - an artist or musician who's temping at her company? She further up the hierarchy than he is and makes more money, but she keeps herself mostly inaccessible. She sort of wants a relationship but is also deeply wary of it. He's hot for her but too insecure to aim for anything more than a one night stand. She thinks she wants more, but doesn't necessarily - maybe...
My husband just commented on the differences between the characters. I've always thought that she was a corporate lawyer or something and he's - I don't know - an artist or musician who's temping at her company? She further up the hierarchy than he is and makes more money, but she keeps herself mostly inaccessible. She sort of wants a relationship but is also deeply wary of it. He's hot for her but too insecure to aim for anything more than a one night stand. She thinks she wants more, but doesn't necessarily - maybe just an occasional, intense weekend and then she'll pull back. He's kind of aware of that and so tries not to invest anything, emotionally. Not sure he's succeeding, though.
That's what I think. My husband just thinks she's looking for love and he's a manipulative bastard.