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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Asleep and Dreaming
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've seen you sadly weeping
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was you asleep and dreaming
Well you may not be beautiful
But it's not for me to judge
I don't know if you're beautiful
I've seen you laugh at nothing at all
I've seen you sadly weeping
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was you asleep and dreaming
I've seen you when your ship came in
And when your train was leaving
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was you asleep and dreaming
The Magnetic Fields's song Asleep and Dreaming is a heartfelt love song that speaks of the beauty in the imperfections of the one you love. In the first verse, the singer speaks of seeing his/her beloved laughing for no reason as well as crying in sadness. However, the singer believes that the most beautiful sight is that of his/her partner asleep and dreaming. This could be interpreted as the singer finding peace and comfort in simply watching his/her loved one rest and escape reality through their dreams.
The second verse speaks of the subject's physical appearance. The singer acknowledges that his/her partner may not be traditionally seen as beautiful, but that is not important because the love they share outweighs any superficial judgment. The final lines of the verse express that the singer cannot truly determine his/her partner's beauty because his/her love is so strong.
Overall, the song highlights the small moments of intimacy that can be so powerful in a relationship. The beauty in lying next to your partner, watching them sleep and dream, can be just as profound as the big events in life like arriving or departing from a trip.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen you laugh at nothing at all
I've observed you experiencing moments of pure joy with no apparent reason behind them.
I've seen you sadly weeping
I've witnessed you in moments of great sadness where tears flow freely.
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was you asleep and dreaming
The most endearing moment I have ever experienced with you was seeing you fast asleep, lost in a dream world of your own.
Well you may not be beautiful
But it's not for me to judge
Though you may not fit the conventional standards of physical beauty, it is not my place nor desire to evaluate you according to these standards.
I don't know if you're beautiful
Because I love you too much
I refrain from labeling you as beautiful or not because your worth to me transcends physical appearances.
I've seen you when your ship came in
And when your train was leaving
I have witnessed your successes and your failures, your moments of triumph and those of defeat.
The sweetest thing I ever saw
Was you asleep and dreaming
The most poignant and heartwarming moment I have ever experienced with you was seeing you fast asleep, lost in a world of your own design and imagination.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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