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)
http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/
Epitaph for My Heart
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No user-serviceable parts inside Refer servicing to qualified
Service personnel"
Let this be the epitaph for my heart
Cupid put too much poison in the dart
This is the epitaph for my heart because it's gone, gone gone
And life goes on and on and on and death goes on, world without end
And you're not my friend
Who will mourn the passing of my heart
Will its little droppings climb the pop chart
Who'll take its ashes and,
Singing, fling them from the top of the Brill Building
And life goes on,
And dawn, and dawn and death goes on,
World without end and you're
Not my friend
The lyrics "Caution: to prevent electric shock do not remove cover, no user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel" is typically printed on the outside of electronic devices or appliances to warn users about the potential danger of electrocution if the device is opened for repair by a non-qualified person. In The Magnetic Fields' song "Epitaph for My Heart," the inclusion of this warning message serves as a metaphor for a warning sign on the singer's heart. The singer is warning others not to "remove cover" or get too close, as their heart has been "poisoned" by Cupid's arrow and is now lifeless and broken. The singer questions who will mourn the passing of their heart and wonders if its "little droppings" will make it to the pop charts. They then suggest that someone should take the ashes of their heart and fling them from the top of the Brill Building, a famous music publishing building in New York City, which could symbolize an ultimate release and a way of saying goodbye to the pain of lost love.
The song's title, "Epitaph for My Heart," is a play on words referring to a gravestone inscription, which serves as a marker of the deceased's life. The singer of the song is mourning the death of their heart, which has been broken by this lost love. The lyrics also suggest that the singer believes that life goes on and on despite love being gone, as well as death goes on, world without end.
The melancholic tone of the song is reinforced by its slow and somber melody. Moreover, the use of an electronic device warning in the lyrics emphasizes the singers' feeling of isolation and emotional numbness. Overall, the lyrics within "Epitaph for My Heart" suggest a deep sense of melancholy and heartbreak, being left to its insightful and poetic interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Let this be the epitaph for my heart
Let these words serve as the final statement for my broken heart
Cupid put too much poison in the dart
The one who claimed to love me made me feel so much pain that it was toxic
This is the epitaph for my heart because it's gone, gone gone
This is the final farewell to my heart because it has been lost, lost, lost
And life goes on and on and on and death goes on, world without end
Even though life continues onwards, the feeling of loss continues until the end of time
And you're not my friend
The one who hurt me is no longer considered a friend
Who will mourn the passing of my heart
Who will grieve for the loss of my heart
Will its little droppings climb the pop chart
Will there be a hit song made from the remains of my broken heart
Who'll take its ashes and, Singing, fling them from the top of the Brill Building
Who will scatter my heart's remains and make them famous through music
And life goes on, And dawn, and dawn and death goes on, World without end and you're Not my friend
Even though life moves forward, the feeling of loss persists, and the one who caused it is not welcome as a friend
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Merritt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind