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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13 in my car
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you've gone away but we're apart
But I've got a special machine to take me where
Things turned out differently and you still care
I'm in my car I'm in my car I'm taking a ride to somewhere inside
Where you never left and I never cried at the speed of light in my car.
Never comin' back to the world
So I've got fuzzy dice to bring me luck
Roll me to a better place where we can rock
The Magnetic Fields' song "In My Car" depicts the singer's longing to be reunited with an ex-lover who had previously caused them heartbreak. The lyrics suggest that the singer has found a way to transport themselves through time and space to a different reality in which their relationship with the former lover was still intact. The repeated chorus, "I'm in my car, I'm in my car," represents the physical vehicle in which the singer is traveling, as well as a metaphor for the journey the singer is taking to revisit the past.
The lines "Where you never left and I never cried at the speed of light in my car" emphasize the idea that the singer is traveling to a parallel universe in which their heartbreak never occurred. The phrase "never comin' back to the world" suggests that the singer may have given up on reality altogether and is instead choosing to live in their own alternate universe. The lyrics "So I've got fuzzy dice to bring me luck / Roll me to a better place where we can rock" represent the singer's determination to create a new reality in which things are better with the former lover.
Overall, the song captures the pain of heartbreak and the desperation to revisit a past relationship. The metaphorical representation of the car as a vehicle for time travel adds an element of fantasy to the lyrics and creates a sense of escapism from the singer's current reality.
Line by Line Meaning
You were mean to me and broke my heart
You treated me poorly and caused my heart to break
Now you've gone away but we're apart
You left me alone and we are now separated
But I've got a special machine to take me where
Fortunately, I have a special device that can transport me to a different location
Things turned out differently and you still care
In this alternate reality, things played out differently and you still have feelings for me
I'm in my car I'm in my car I'm taking a ride to somewhere inside
I am inside my car and taking a journey to an interior place
Where you never left and I never cried at the speed of light in my car.
This place is where you never left my side and I never had to shed a tear, and we are traveling at the speed of light in my car
Never comin' back to the world
I am never returning to the mundane reality of the world
I know where I belong where I'm your girl
I am aware of my rightful place where I am yours
So I've got fuzzy dice to bring me luck
To ensure good fortune, I have fuzzy dice hanging in my car
Roll me to a better place where we can rock
Let the dice guide me to a better place where we can enjoy good music and have fun
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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