The band was originally formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990 by friends Merritt and (percussionist/pianist/vocalist) Claudia Gonson. While 1991's Distant Plastic Trees and 1992's The Wayward Bus (now most easily available together as a compilation, The Wayward Bus / Distant Plastic Trees) are sung by Susan Anway (b. 1951 - d. 2021), all subsequent albums are principally sung by Merritt himself.
Longtime members include: Gonson, (cellist) Sam Davol, and (banjo player/guitarist) John Woo. Contributors include (but are not limited to) the singers Susan Anway, Dudley Klute, Shirley Simms, and LD Beghtol, and the accordionist/writer Daniel Handler (famous for writing the childrens' books A Series of Unfortunate Events under the alias Lemony Snicket).
Their most popular and best-selling album to date is 69 Love Songs issued on Merge Records as a triple album filled with many fairly short songs that are reminiscent of early Beatles productions.
The album is notable for its employment of many unorthodox musical arrangements and downright impressive quantity of material presented. Instruments used on this album include the ukulele, banjo, accordion, cello, mandolin, piano, flute, xylophone guitars, various percussion instruments, and a standard setup of synths and effects. It features several guest vocalists on several different tracks. The album is a three CD set, released in the US as three separate albums (also available as a boxed set) and in the UK as a triple album.
The album i (2004, Nonesuch Records) continues Merritt's fixation on the concept album, with each of the 14 songs beginning with the letter (and often the pronoun) "I".
The album Distortion, was released through Nonesuch on the 15th January 2008 and introduced noise pop to the array of styles utilized in their music. The album's release was followed by a sold-out U.S. tour starting in February. Additional albums followed in 2010, 2012, 2017, and 2020.
Stephin Merritt is involved in several other musical projects: The 6ths (featuring different guest performers on every track), The Gothic Archies (songs dealing humorously with dark themes) and Future Bible Heroes (with music written by Chris Ewen)
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100 000 Fireflies
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I play it all night long
It makes me want to kill myself
I also have a dobro
Made in some mountain range
Sounds like a mountain range in love
But when I turn up the tone on my electric guitar
I went out to the forest and caught
A hundred thousand fireflies
As they ricochet round the room
They remind me of your starry eyes.
Someone else's might not have made me so sad
But this is the worst night I ever had,
'Cause I'm afraid of the dark without you close to me
You won't be happy with me,
But give me one more chance
You won't be happy anyway
Why do we still live here
In this repulsive town?
All our friends are in New York
Why do we keep shrieking,
When we mean soft things?
We should be whispering all the time
The Magnetic Fields’ song “100’000 Fireflies” is a melancholic tune that explores themes of loneliness, alienation, and unrequited love. The opening lyrics reveal the singer’s musical instruments, a mandolin and a dobro. The mandolin is played all night long and has an almost therapeutic effect on the singer. However, the dobro is associated with melancholy and suicidal thoughts. The song suggests that music can either be a source of relief or a trigger for deep-seated feelings of despair.
The second verse presents a simile where the dobro sounds “like a mountain range in love.” The image conveys a message about both the beauty and the loneliness of the natural world. The electric guitar, on the other hand, has a more aggressive and sharper tone, suggesting that our emotions can be multifaceted and complex. The third verse sees the singer trying to overcome his fears of the dark by capturing fireflies in the forest. The fireflies remind him of his love interest’s “starry eyes”. However, the imagery also suggests that his love interest is something that he can never truly have or keep close to him.
The final verse expresses a sense of resignation and bitterness towards both oneself and others. The singer is aware that his love interest won’t be happy with him even if he’s given another chance. The repetition of “why do we still live here in this repulsive town?” and “why do we keep shrieking when we mean soft things?” suggests that we often settle for dissatisfaction and miscommunication rather than address our feelings honestly. The song ends with a final assertion that we should be whispering all the time, implying that we need to be more gentle, kind and understanding towards one another.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a mandolin
I possess a musical instrument called mandolin
I play it all night long
I play my mandolin throughout the night
It makes me want to kill myself
Playing mandolin leads me to feel very depressed
I also have a dobro
In addition to mandolin, I have a dobro
Made in some mountain range
The dobro I own was crafted within a mountain range
Sounds like a mountain range in love
As I play the dobro, it resonates a sound that resembles the feeling of the mountain range being in love
But when I turn up the tone on my electric guitar
When I increase the tone of my electric guitar
I'm afraid of the dark without you close to me
I have a fear of darkness when I'm not near you
I went out to the forest and caught
I ventured into the forest and caught a particular object
A hundred thousand fireflies
The object I caught was one-hundred-thousand fireflies
As they ricochet round the room
The fireflies move around the room by bouncing off the walls and other objects
They remind me of your starry eyes.
The fireflies evoke memories of your eyes which look like stars
Someone else's might not have made me so sad
If it was anyone else's fault, I might not feel so miserable
But this is the worst night I ever had
This is the worst night of my life
'Cause I'm afraid of the dark without you close to me
I am frightened by the darkness when you are not near me
You won't be happy with me,
You won't be pleased with me
But give me one more chance
However, please give me another opportunity
You won't be happy anyway
Even if you give me another chance, you still won't be satisfied
Why do we still live here
What is the reason we still reside in this location
In this repulsive town?
This town seems disgusting to me
All our friends are in New York
All of our friends exist in New York
Why do we keep shrieking,
Why do we continue to scream
When we mean soft things?
When what we desire to say is delicate and subtle?
We should be whispering all the time
Rather than screaming, we should speak softly at all times
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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