From the ashes of a band called Synthetic Flying Machine, Olivia Tremor Control was born, with an original line-up of Will and Bill on guitar and bass and Jeff on drums. Around 1995 Jeff decided to leave the group to focus on his own songs. A year of intensive songwriting (some of it accomplished, according to Jeff, while he was living in a haunted closet!) in Denver, Colorado with Rob Schneider at his Pet Sounds studio resulted in his debut album, On Avery Island, released in 1996, which was mostly Rob and Jeff playing Jeff's songs with a few helpful friends. Jeff eventually expanded the line up of Neutral Milk Hotel and in 1998 released what many consider the band's (and indeed, the Elephant Six Collective's) defining album, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.
The relative success of the album in addition to the pressures of being suddenly thrust into the spotlight took its toll on Mangum, who disbanded Neutral Milk Hotel in 1998 after a tour in support of their latest album. Jeff has kept out of the public eye since then (although not without rabid fans speculating on his whereabouts), rarely if ever playing acoustic sets and concentrating more on his recorded sound and music collages. Most recently he released a compilation of field recordings of Bulgarian folk music called Orange Twin Field Works Vol. 1 in the summer of 2000, followed by a live album on the Orange Twin label, Live at Jittery Joe's. The set was recorded in 1997 and was put out to squash the exhorbitant sums that Neutral Milk Hotel live albums were selling for on eBay. The cd features a Quicktime movie of the concert performance, but Mangum is backlit and cannot be seen throughout the video.
On August 2nd, 2005, Jeff Mangum joined Olivia Tremor Control onstage at New York's Bowery Ballroom to sing lead vocals on their songs I Have Been Floated and Shaving Spiders. Accounts say that he was wiping back tears; afterwards, he was pulled to the floor by OTC member Julian Koster and then dogpiled by the rest of the band. He was wearing a baseball cap and a blue button down shirt.
On November 17th, 2005, Jeff Mangum joined Elf Power, another former Elephant Six band, onstage at New York's Knitting Factory for the final chorus of only one song, The Arrow Flies Close, leaving the stage immediately afterwards.
I Love How You Love Me
Jeff Mangum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when I'm away from you, I love how you miss me
I love the way your kiss is always heavenly
But, darling, most of all I love how you love me
I love how your heart beats whenever I hold you
I love how you think of me without being told to
I love the way your touch is always heavenly
I love how your eyes close each time that you kiss me
And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me
I love the way your kiss is always heavenly
But, darling, most of all I love how you love me
The lyrics to Jeff Mangum's song "I Love How You Love Me" illustrate the intense feelings of love that the singer has for their partner. The first two lines reveal the physical connection that they have when they kiss, and the desire they feel to be with their partner whenever they are apart. The next two lines express the spiritual connection they share- a sense of heartbeats in unison and an understanding that does not need to be expressed. The lyrics reveal the admiration that the singer has for their partner, conveying that they find their partner's touch, kiss and heart heavenly. The last line of each stanza provides a contrast to the rest of the lyrics, emphasizing that the most striking aspect of their relationship is how much their partner loves them.
The song is reminiscent of classic love pop songs, with simple and direct lyrics that express a strong emotion. The style of the song evokes the simplicity and innocence of the early days of rock n roll. The singer expresses their emotions in an uncomplicated and uncompromising way, simply listing the things they love about their partner. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes just how deep their love for their partner is.
Line by Line Meaning
I love how your eyes close whenever you kiss me
I love how you completely let go and give yourself to me when we kiss.
And when I'm away from you, I love how you miss me
I love how much you long for me when we're apart, and that you feel incomplete without me.
I love the way your kiss is always heavenly
I love the way you kiss, it's like a piece of heaven.
But, darling, most of all I love how you love me
But above all else, I love the way you show affection towards me and make me feel so loved.
I love how your heart beats whenever I hold you
I love the way your heart beats when we're close and that you feel safe and secure in my arms.
I love how you think of me without being told to
I love how you have me on your mind and that you think about me naturally without anyone telling you to do so.
I love the way your touch is always heavenly
I love the way you touch me, it always feels like I'm being caressed by an angel.
But, darling, most of all I love how you love me
But above all else, I love the way you show affection towards me and make me feel so loved.
I love how your eyes close each time that you kiss me
I love how you close your eyes and fully embrace the moment when we kiss.
And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me
I love how you feel incomplete and yearn for me when we're not together.
I love the way your kiss is always heavenly
I love the way you kiss, it's like a piece of heaven.
But, darling, most of all I love how you love me
But above all else, I love the way you show affection towards me and make me feel so loved.
Writer(s): Larry Kolber, Barry Mann
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.