Origins
Jeff Mangum was a member of The Olivia Tremor Control, along with his friend Will Cullen Hart and Bill Doss, appearing on their first release, the California Demise 7".
Prior to recording for friends under the NMH moniker, Mangum recorded at least one cassette under the name Milk: the only known tape was called Pygmie Barn in E Minor. This is the earliest known recordings that Mangum initiated and executed himself, on the cover there is "all songs: j.m '89. art: w. cullen hart". There is only an estimated dozen or so copies ever made of this tape, none of which have been made public. The tracklist etc. are also unknown.
Neutral Milk Hotel began life in Ruston, Louisiana, United States in the early 1990s, simply as a recording project for Mangum. He produced several demo cassettes, among them 1991's Invent Yourself a Shortcake, 1992's Beauty and 1993's Hype City Soundtrack, along with two more from this period, seemingly unnamed. Although easily found on the internet, these demos capture the project at a very embryonic state: songs are played in between various sound collages and tape experiments, and even, at one point, a six minute conversation between Mangum and Hart.
During this period, Mangum was wandering the country, staying in the closets of friends, and in a state of permanent unemployment. It was in these circumstances that the band's first formal releases took shape. Strictly speaking, however, the 'band' usually consisted of Mangum and whoever else was present at the time. This is obvious on Neutral Milk Hotel's first release, a 7" entitled Everything Is, recorded when Mangum was spending time in Seattle, Washington, released on Cher Doll Records in 1994.
On Avery Island
A full album, On Avery Island, followed, this time recorded mainly in Denver, Colorado, where Mangum was backed by Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo, Rick Benjamin of the Perry Weissman Three and Lisa Janssen of Secret Square. Merge Records released it in 1996. On On Avery Island, Mangum's unique vocal style and the band's quirky but playful arrangements create a carnival atmosphere of moods ranging from excitement, suspense, and melodrama.
After the release of On Avery Island, Neutral Milk Hotel became a fully-fledged band, as Julian Koster, Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes joined Mangum, the band now being based in New York. Soon after this, they moved to Athens, Georgia, where many of Mangum's friends had begun to settle, and the Elephant 6 recording company began, fully, to take shape. After this, the band went back to Denver, to record a proper follow up to On Avery Island.
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The band's second LP, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, released in 1998, is notable as a critically acclaimed work and a widely popular recording. It is a spiritually motivated work, conceptually based on the beauty to be found in the horrific fate of Anne Frank and similarly overwhelming tragedies. (Mangum has, during live performances, including the one released under the title "Live at Jittery Joe's", described some of the songs off this album as based on urgent, recurring dreams he had of a European family during the 1940s.) The album was highly praised by critics for its wildly inventive instrumentation and Mangum's provocative and impassioned lyrics. Although it met with scant response from the general public when it was released, the recording has continued to gain momentum in indie music circles and has become a cult classic, selling well over 100,000 copies according to Merge Records. However, the record along with the year of constant touring that succeeded it took its toll on Mangum. The band quite abruptly went on hiatus turning down all requests for shows, including a support slot for R.E.M.. All of a sudden, the band appeared to go silent and very little has been heard from Mangum since 1999.
Hiatus
Although all the members are still active with one another in other projects, it is unknown whether any more Neutral Milk Hotel albums will be released. There were plans to release a Neutral Milk Hotel rarities album on the Orange Twin label; however, after an announcement in 2005 on the Orange Twin website claiming that Jeff Mangum had in fact eventually decided against the project, it is unclear if this will ever happen.
There has been, however, some activity since In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. First, Orange Twin re-released Everything Is...., complete with extra bonus tracks, as well as Live at Jittery Joe's, a bootleg recording of a show Mangum played in a coffee house in Athens in 1997. The Major Organ and the Adding Machine album, a rather secretive project released by Orange Twin in 2001 and consisting mainly of experimental musical collage, features Mangum, along with Julian Koster, Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes, Elf Power's Andrew Reiger and the Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System's Will Cullen Hart and Eric Harris. There was also the release of Orange Twin Field Works, Vol. 1, Mangum's field recording of a Bulgarian folk festival, also on Orange Twin in 2001. Additionally, he plays drums on the first Circulatory System album.
Since the start of the hiatus Neutral Milk Hotel, Jeff Mangum has only played live properly again once, under the pseudonym 'World of Wild Beards, Inc.', at the Kings Arms pub in Auckland, New Zealand, at the request of the Tall Dwarfs' Chris Knox. He has also made appearances with Elf Power, and appeared onstage at the first of The Olivia Tremor Control's New York shows on their 2005 reunion tour, to sing briefly. Further releases from Neutral Milk Hotel, however, are indicated to be unlikely.
The other members are all still releasing or recording material: Julian Koster as The Music Tapes, Scott Spillane as The Gerbils and Jeremy Barnes as A Hawk & A Hacksaw, Bablicon and Marta Tennae.
In 2005, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea saw its re-release by Domino Records in the UK, in a sleeve featuring praise from, among others, Franz Ferdinand and The Arcade Fire, both very much influenced by the band. On Avery Island was re-released in the US in January of 2006 with live bonus tracks. Mangum has also been fairly busy creatively - following a charity auction on eBay of an acoustic guitar decorated by Mangum himself, more guitars hand-decorated by Mangum were sold via Orange Twin Records for $900 apiece. In addition, a number of Mangum's original drawings, this time costing only $10 each, were sold via Neutral Milk Hotel's website.
In 2013, made a reunion tour of the United States, Australia, Taiwan and Japan. The band subsequently played concerts sporadically until going on indefinite hiatus in mid-2015.
My Dreamgirl Don't Exist
Neutral Milk Hotel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And at the age of five she slit her wrists
She didn't know that i'de be hanging around
So her parents buried her in the ground
This day i can still hear the sound
Of a life in outer space
My dream girl don't exist
And this illness seems to feel so strange
Like a hench man that's about to hang
The moon, up like a ball and chain
And the weight is waiting off
Feel the world so real and strung
My dream girl don't exist
Just a photograph in a history book
And i beleive she had a voice and name
Three children on the coast of maine
Her life was in a hurricane
Of love and real embrace
My dream girl don't exist
And at the age of five she slit her wrists
She didn't know that i'de be hanging around
So one day she took a strole to town
And walked infront of a greyhound
Bound for new york central state
And the weight is waiting off
And the weight is waiting off
Fell the world so real and strung
She know, and knows she knows
She'll never be afraid
At the heart of Neutral Milk Hotel's "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist" are themes of loneliness and loss. The song tells the story of the singer's dream girl, who tragically ends her life at the young age of five, and how he copes with the loss. The first verse sets the scene with the vivid image of the dream girl's suicide by slitting her wrists at five years old. The singer's connection to her is described as her parents bury her in the ground, unaware of his presence.
The second verse is where the song's message really comes through. The singer is now alone with his thoughts and his TV, battling an illness that feels like the end is near. The metaphorical weight of the world is bearing down on him, and he feels like a "henchman about to hang" under the moon, which appears like a ball and chain. The weight of the world is something that we all feel from time to time, especially in moments of great loss or struggle, and this verse perfectly captures that feeling.
The third verse starts to delve into the dream girl's past, although it's unclear whether this is a true memory or just part of the singer's imagination. He sees her as a real person with a voice and a name, who had three children and lived in the midst of a hurricane of love and real emotion. Despite her suffering and eventual end, her legacy lives on in the photograph and history book where she is remembered.
Overall, "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist" is a hauntingly beautiful song that deals with themes of loss and loneliness in a very real and emotionally charged way. It showcases Jeff Mangum's gift for storytelling through vivid imagery and poetic lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
My dream girl don't exist
There is no perfect person for me out there
And at the age of five she slit her wrists
It is impossible for my dream girl to exist because she died too young
She didn't know that i'de be hanging around
She did not have the chance to know me
So her parents buried her in the ground
She was mourned and put to rest
This day i can still hear the sound
The memory of her still echoes in my mind
Of a life in outer space
The idea that she is in a different realm or dimension
It just you and i and this tv
All I have is the company of the person I am with and this electronic device
And this illness seems to feel so strange
The sickness that afflicts me is unusual and perplexing
Like a hench man that's about to hang
It feels like I am being executed by a cruel and heartless person
The moon, up like a ball and chain
The moon appears heavy and oppressive, like a burden or obstacle
Just a photograph in a history book
The only evidence of her existence is an old picture in a book
And i beleive she had a voice and name
I am confident that she was a real person with a unique identity
Three children on the coast of maine
She had three kids and lived in Maine
Her life was in a hurricane
Her existence was tumultuous and turbulent
Of love and real embrace
Despite the chaos, she experienced love and affection
So one day she took a strole to town
She went on a walk one day
And walked infront of a greyhound
She stepped in front of a bus
Bound for new york central state
The bus was heading to the state of New York
She know, and knows she knows
She had an understanding and awareness of her actions
She'll never be afraid
She will never experience fear again due to her tragic end
Contributed by Colton K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@damaraortiz
My dream girl don't exist
And at the age of five she slit her wrist
She didn't know that I'd be hanging around
So her parents buried her in the ground
And this day I can still hear the sound
Of a life in outer space
My dream girl don't exist
It just you and I and this TV
And this illness seems to feel so strange
Like a henchman that's about to hang
The moon up like a ball and chain
And set its sands ablaze
And the weight is waiting off
Feel the world so real and strong
My dream girl don't exist
Just a photograph in a history book
And I believe she had a voice and name
Three children on the coast of Maine
And her life was in a hurricane
Of love and real embrace
My dream girl don't exist
And at the age of five she slit her wrist
She didn't know that I'd be hanging around
So one day she took a stroll to town
And walked in front of a greyhound bound
For New York Central State
And the weight is waiting off
And the weight is waiting off
Feel the world so real and strong
She goes, and now she knows
She'll never be afraid
@lukemikel1747
[Verse 1]
My dream girl don't exist
At the age of five she slit her wrist
She didn't know that I'd be hanging around
So her parents buried her in the ground
And this day I can still hear the sound
Of a life in outer space
[Verse 2]
My dream girl don't exist
Just you and I and this TV
And this illness seems to feel so strange
Like a henchman that's about to hang
The moon up like a ball and chain
And set the sands ablaze
[Chorus]
And the weight is waiting on
Feel the world so real and strong
[Verse 3]
My dream girl don't exist
Took her photograph from a history book
I believe she had a voice and name
Three children on the coast of Maine
Her life was in a hurricane
Of love and real embrace
[Verse 4]
My dream girl don't exist
At the age of five she slit her wrist
She didn't know that I'd be hanging around
So one day she took a stroll to town
And walked in front of a Greyhound bound
For New York central state
[Chorus]
And the weight is waiting on
And the weight is waiting on
Feel the world so real and strong
She goes and now she knows she'll never be afraid
@eeeeeeevvvvvvrrrw
My dream girl is jeff mangum
@l0s72
same
@MultiYoutubuser
Basicaly
@Crapanomics
You speak it
@creativeamerican8811
coolest beans
:)
And yup, Jeff Mangum don’t exist.. he didn’t know that we’d be hanging around..
@neros12346
@@creativeamerican8811 he exists, alright...
@collinlopez
Possibly Jeff's best song lyrically IMO. It's such an interesting concept, having "the one" die and then being alone in this world forever. Makes me wonder if my "one" was buried in the ground.
@nightdriver
ever hear the song "ana ng"?
@daario4278
Very boring chord progression though
@Lowfe
@@daario4278 True, it's a very overused chord progression but I don't think it takes away from the song