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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Goin’ Back To The Country
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
City life's too slow
I'm sick of that 120 BPM punk and disco
I'm doing a one-eighty
Break out the fiddle tunes
I'm still that fair folk lady howling up at the moons
And I'm gonna fly back to Wyoming
I'm gonna fly back to Laramie
Let Laramie take care of me till they bury me
I'm going back to the country
The big city's too small
I don't need more than one tree house but there's none at all
I'm hanging up the tire swing
A hammock in the yard
I'll hear an angel choir sing as I wing countryward
And I'm gonna find me a country boy
And have a couple country kids, Leanne and Leroy
And we're gonna wind down those country roads
And sing and play the dulcimer till this world explodes
The Magnetic Fields’ “Goin’ Back to the Country” is a song about a person leaving behind their life in the city for a simpler life in the country. The persona is tired of the fast-paced lifestyle of the big city and the music that comes with it. They mention that the city life's too slow, but it is unclear if this is an ironic twist or just a misnomer. They express their growing weariness with punk and disco music, symbolizing the contemporary metropolitan lifestyle. The persona mentions that they are doing a one-eighty and breaking out the fiddle tunes. This means they are turning their life around and listening to folk music that is more in line with the lifestyle they wish to lead.
The persona is headed back to Laramie or Wyoming, a place that is more in line with their values and aspirations. They have no intention of leaving the place again and will let the city take care of them till they are buried. The persona wishes to establish a simpler living as they are tired of the complexities of city life. They want to get back to nature and establish simpler living attitudes. This is why they mention that the city is too small and that they don't need multiple tree houses, but only one. They resolve to hang a tire swing and a hammock in the yard where they will hear an angel choir sing as they leave the city behind.
In summary, the lyrics of “Goin’ Back to the Country” describe a simple and peaceful lifestyle that the persona of the song desires. They are tired of the modern, fast-paced lifestyle and want to retreat into a simpler, quieter, and more genuine place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going back to the country
I want to leave the city and live in rural areas.
City life's too slow
The way of life in cities is monotonous for me.
I'm sick of that 120 BPM punk and disco
I'm tired of fast-paced, aggressive music genres like punk and disco.
I'm doing a one-eighty
I'm making a complete change from the way I was living before.
Break out the fiddle tunes
Get ready to listen to traditional country music.
I'm still that fair folk lady howling up at the moons
I'm still that person who loves to express my emotions through singing and howling at night.
And I'm gonna fly back to Wyoming
I will return to Wyoming by airplane.
And never more my friends I'll go a-roaming
I will not wander around like before and instead settle down in one place.
I'm gonna fly back to Laramie
I will return to Laramie by airplane.
Let Laramie take care of me till they bury me
I want to live in Laramie and spend the rest of my life there.
The big city's too small
I want to live in an open and spacious environment, which is not possible in the city.
I don't need more than one tree house but there's none at all
I want to live a simple life and need only one house, but it's not available in the city.
I'm hanging up the tire swing
I'm installing a tire swing in my new house.
A hammock in the yard
I'm taking some time to relax and spend time in the yard on a hammock.
I'll hear an angel choir sing as I wing countryward
I'll feel content and peaceful while moving toward the countryside.
And I'm gonna find me a country boy
I want to find a partner who shares my love for the rural lifestyle.
And have a couple country kids, Leanne and Leroy
I want to have two children and raise them in the countryside with country names.
And we're gonna wind down those country roads
We'll enjoy driving on the peaceful country roads.
And sing and play the dulcimer till this world explodes
We'll enjoy singing and playing our dulcimers until the end of the world.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEPHIN MERRITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lee Ann Stephenson
Amazingly we just heard this song this AM and it caught my ear as we live in the country in Wyoming and we are Lee Ann and Leroy! Going to me one of our new standards!
Nick Colannino
love it
Conrad Poos
Stephin is really the reincarnation of Cole Porter.
David Evans
Always confuses me: over 3000 people viewed this and but 11 people give an opinion via thumbs up or down. Weird, anyway kudos to the 10 who liked it: good taste and although I heartily disagree with the person who gave it a thumbs down, at least that person had an opinion and shared it! S. Merritt creates some of the best tunes and lyrics around and has done so for a lot of years, and although I don't know this album, I really like this song.