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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Either You Don’t Love Me or I Don’t Love You
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the children drowned and there's no one around to blame.
Lost roads and towns left to wilder in seed and snow.
As the sun goes down that's where I'd like to go.
***
Every time you feel wonderful, baby, I feel bad.
Either you don't love me or I don't love you, oh yeah.
Either you don't love me or I don't love you, oh yeah.
***
You and me in the waiting room of a disused railroad station,
Scavenging for a few antiques,
We'll make a fortune just have patience.
If we find an old signal box you can write your dissertation.
***
The lyrics to The Magnetic Fields' song Either You Don't Love Me or I Don't Love You is an intriguing combination of mystifying imagery and emotional confusion. The opening verse presents a picture of lost and deserted towns that nobody knows, with no one around to blame for the tragedies that have occurred there. This may symbolize a feeling of isolation and abandonment, suggesting that the singer feels lost and forgotten in their love life.
The chorus echoes the same notion of confusion in a relationship, where the singer questions whether their partner loves them or not, or if they have lost their love for them. It's a classic case of mixed signals, where they feel happy when their partner is content, but then feel sad when reminded of the good times they had together. This repetition of either/or in the chorus emphasizes the dilemma at hand - whether they are in love or not.
The final verse is a departure from the earlier imagery of lost towns and is instead an amusing scene of the singer and their partner exploring an old railroad station in hopes of finding antiques to make a fortune. The mention of a dissertation adds an academic element to the song, suggesting that the singer may be trying to distract themselves from their emotional confusion by immersing themselves in intellectual pursuits.
Overall, the song depicts the complexity of love and the confusion that can arise when partners don't communicate their feelings clearly, and feelings are left ambiguous and muddled.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost roads and towns of which nobody's found the name.
We are in a desolate, abandoned area where everything has been forgotten and left to decay, and the names of the places have been lost to history.
All the children drowned and there's no one around to blame.
It is a devastating tragedy where innocent children have lost their lives, and no one can be held responsible for this tragedy.
Lost roads and towns left to wilder in seed and snow.
The once vibrant and bustling towns have been abandoned and left to deteriorate in the face of the ever-growing snow and the wild flora and fauna that has overtaken the area.
As the sun goes down that's where I'd like to go.
The abandoned and forgotten areas that were once lively and full of life appeal to me, especially as the sun sets and the last remnants of light fade away into darkness.
Every time you feel wonderful, baby, I feel bad.
When you are happy and content, it brings me down and makes me feel terrible.
Either you don't love me or I don't love you, oh yeah.
There seems to be a disconnect in our relationship where one of us is not fully invested or in love with the other.
When you remind me of all the good times I feel sad.
The happy memories we share only serve to make me feel more depressed about the present state of our relationship.
You and me in the waiting room of a disused railroad station, Scavenging for a few antiques, We'll make a fortune just have patience. If we find an old signal box you can write your dissertation.
We are in the midst of exploring an abandoned railroad station, looking for valuable antiques that we hope to sell for a profit. If we happen to come across an antiquated signal box, it could become the perfect subject for your academic thesis.
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