Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Mon… Read Full Bio ↴Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

Mazzy Star is best known for the song "Fade Into You", which brought the band some success in the mid-1990s and was the group's biggest mainstream hit, earning extensive exposure on MTV, VH1 and radio airplay. Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band's material until his passing in Los Angeles on February 24, 2020 due to metastatic cancer.

The band's most recent studio album, Seasons of Your Day, was released in 2013, followed by the EP Still in 2018.

Disappear
Mazzy Star Lyrics

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Just because
You call my name
I cannot hear
It's not the same
You close your eyes
And knock me back
All the things that I had to have

And now you choose the thorny cave
I can't believe what I had to say
All the things you never say
I'll never be what you want me to be

Now I can't disappear

Close your eyes and look at me
I can't believe what I cannot see
Everything is like you say
Change your mind and you'll have to forgive

And I can't disappear

Now I can't
Now I can't

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Mazzy Star's "Disappear" speak of a sense of disconnection and miscommunication between two people. The first two lines suggest that the singer cannot hear the person calling their name, not because of physical deafness, but because there is a fundamental lack of understanding between them. The person's efforts to connect with the singer are ineffectual; they're 'not the same,' which indicates a gulf between their respective worlds.

The lyrics then describe the impact of this breakdown of communication on the singer; they feel 'knocked back' and are now forced to confront the fact that they may never have their wants and needs met in this relationship. The following verse speaks to a sense of resignation and despair; the singer realizes that the person they are with is choosing something that will ultimately be hurtful and damaging in the metaphorical 'thorny cave.' The chorus' repetition of the idea that the singer 'can't disappear' emphasizes this sense of being trapped, unable to free themselves from this unhealthy dynamic.

The final verse addresses the idea of perspective; the person speaking recognizes that their worldview may be limited and that they cannot understand the inner thoughts and motivations of the person they are speaking to. However, despite this, they are unable to distance themselves from the situation; they cannot 'disappear' or escape the pain that comes with unrequited love.

Line by Line Meaning

Just because
Don't assume that just because you call my name, I can hear you.

You call my name
You're trying to get my attention, but I'm not responding.

I cannot hear
I'm not listening or responding to you.

It's not the same
Something is different now between us.

You close your eyes
You're avoiding me.

And knock me back
You're pushing me away or rejecting me.

All the things that I had to have
All the things that were important to me, I can't have with you anymore.

And now you choose the thorny cave
You're choosing a difficult or painful path and I can't understand why.

I can't believe what I had to say
I'm surprised at my own words or actions in this situation.

All the things you never say
You're not communicating with me, and it's causing problems in our relationship.

I'll never be what you want me to be
I can't be someone I'm not, even if you want me to change.