Nadler studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she began her performing career after writing songs for many years.
The foundation of her sound is her haunting mezzo-soprano, and a delicate 6-string acoustic guitar, often accompanied by a variety of instruments, including electric guitar, theremin, and piano. Nadler writes strange, yet classic, melancholy songs. Her voice is often bathed in a wash of reverb and space echo and creates a ghostly, atmospheric feeling to the music.
She has American Gothic leanings; her songs often take place in an imagined, idealistic time with a cast of characters of her own creation.
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marissa-Nadler/300932499775
Bandcamp: http://marissanadler.bandcamp.com/
In a Magazine
Marissa Nadler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw you breaking down
I saw you breaking down
and I recognized your face
you looked like someone I used to know
my hands are tied
and the rain falls
and the rain falls
you look like someone that I used to know
you looked like someone that i used know
underneath the stairs
remember all those worlds
we waves the sky to white
as the light rays flickered in
but the time it drained the color from your skin
my hands are tied and the rain falls
my hands are tied and the rain falls
you look like someone that I used to know
you look like someone that I used to know
in a magazine
i saw you breaking down
and i recognized your face
you looked like someone that i used know
you looked like someone that i used know
you looked like someone that i used know
you looked like someone that i used know
The lyrics to Marissa Nadler's song "In a Magazine" tell a story of recognition and loss. The singer sees someone breaking down in a magazine, and recognizes their face as someone they used to know. They are unable to help because their hands are tied, both literally and figuratively, as rain falls around them. The second verse adds another layer to the story, as the singer remembers a shared experience of looking up at the sky and waving as the light flickers. But time has drained the color from the other person's skin, suggesting that something has changed or been lost between them. The repetition of the phrase "you looked like someone I used to know" emphasizes the mournful sense of recognition and distance between the singer and the person in the magazine.
The song's lyrics are full of vivid imagery, both in the immediate scene of the rain falling and the remembered moment under the stairs. The use of the magazine as a metaphor for distance and detachment is interesting, as it suggests that the person the singer sees is not only physically far away, but also filtered through another medium. The repeated line about someone looking like someone they used to know is also poignant, as it hints at a sense of nostalgia and longing for a past that may be gone forever. Ultimately, the song leaves more questions than answers, but it is a haunting and beautifully crafted exploration of memory and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
In a magazine
The singer saw something in a magazine.
I saw you breaking down
The singer saw someone in the magazine appearing to be emotional and upset.
I saw you breaking down
The singer emphasizes the emotional state of the person in the magazine.
and I recognized your face
The person in the magazine is familiar to the artist.
you looked like someone I used to know
The person in the magazine resembles someone from the artist's past.
my hands are tied
The singer is unable to do anything about the situation.
and the rain falls
It is raining, which adds to the melancholy atmosphere of the situation.
my hands are tied
The artist repeats their powerlessness in the situation.
and the rain falls
Again, the artist emphasizes the weather as a symbol of the sadness of the situation.
you look like someone that I used to know
The artist repeats their observation of the person's resemblance to someone from their past.
you looked like someone that i used know
The singer repeats the line to emphasize and remember the similarity to someone from their past.
underneath the stairs
The setting shifts to below some stairs, suggesting a hidden or secret location.
remember all those worlds
The singer remembers past conversations or experiences they shared with the person.
we waves the sky to white
The singer and the person created a memory or experience of changing the color of the sky to white.
as the light rays flickered in
The memory is highlighted through the imagery of flickering light.
but the time it drained the color from your skin
Over time, the happiness and vibrancy of the person have faded away.
you look like someone that I used to know
The artist repeats the observation of the person's resemblance to someone from their past as they remember the past experience.
you look like someone that I used to know
The line is repeated again to emphasize the significance of the memory and the feeling of nostalgia.
in a magazine
The singer ends the song with the reminder of the present and that the memory is just that, a memory.
i saw you breaking down
The artist repeats the opening line to bring full circle the idea that they saw someone in a magazine who seemed upset.
and i recognized your face
The artist repeats the line to imply that recognizing the person's face in the magazine brought back past memories.
you looked like someone that i used know
The artist ends the song with the nostalgia of the past.
you looked like someone that i used know
The line is repeated once more to conclude the song with the significance of reminiscence and the passing of time.
Contributed by Riley M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.