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/
I Don’t Believe You
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because...
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic
You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you
So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
The song “I Don’t Believe You” by The Magnetic Fields is a song that features a character who is not willing to believe the words of her lover. The singer of the song says that her lover tries to convince her that he loves her, but she doesn’t believe him. The first verse starts by saying “So you quote love unquote me, well, stranger things have come to be, but let's agree to disagree, cause I don't believe you.” The singer believes that there are stranger things that have happened and that her lover’s love for her is one of them. She then goes on to say that her partner doesn’t have a strong suit when it comes to honesty, and she doesn’t believe anything he says. The chorus repeats “I don't believe you,” emphasizing the fact that she doesn't trust what he says.
The second verse talks about how the singer's partner tells her she is not cute, but she doesn't believe it because she knows he's not honest. He talks about Buzz, Butch, and Buck and how they're different from her. But the singer once again says that she doesn't believe him. The third verse talks about a dream where the singer's lover was in love with her, and she knew it wasn't realistic. She then talks about how her lover sings "They Were You," and she cries halfway through, but nothing he says is true, and she doesn't believe him. The last verse talks about how her lover tells her she is brilliant, gorgeous, and delightful, but she doesn't believe him because he says the same thing to everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
So you quote love unquote me
You claim that you love me, but the sincerity of your statement is questionable.
Well, stranger things have come to be
Unusual and unexpected situations have happened before, but that doesn't mean I automatically believe your words.
But let's agree to disagree
We can acknowledge that we have differing opinions on this matter, but I am not going to change my mind.
Cause I don't believe you
Your words are not convincing or trustworthy.
You tell me I'm not not cute
You claim that I am not attractive, but whether that is true or not is irrelevant.
Its truth or falsity is moot
Whether it is true or false is not important or relevant to the situation at hand.
Cause honesty's not your strong suit
Being truthful and sincere is not one of your strengths.
And I don't believe you
I do not trust your words or your intentions.
You tell me of what once was
You talk about things that happened in the past.
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
You mention these particular names, possibly as a way to compare them to me.
How they were not like me because...
You explain why these other people were different from me, possibly in a negative way.
But I don't believe you
I do not trust your words or your intentions.
I had a dream and you were in it
I had a dream where you appeared.
The blue of your eyes was infinite
Your eyes in my dream were a never-ending shade of blue.
You seemed to be
In my dream, you appeared to be.
In love with me
You appeared to have romantic feelings towards me in my dream.
Which isn't very realistic
However, dreams are not always realistic or true to life.
You may sing me "They Were You"
You may perform this song for me.
And I start crying halfway through
At a certain point in the song, I become emotional and start to cry.
But nothing else you say is true
Despite this song being moving, I do not believe any of your other words.
So I don't believe you
I do not trust your words or your intentions.
You may set your charm on stun
You may use your charisma and charm to try and win me over.
And say I'm delightful and fun
You may compliment me on my personality traits.
But you say that to everyone
However, you use the same flattering words and compliments on everyone you meet.
Well, I don't believe you
I do not trust your words or your intentions.
So you're brilliant gorgeous and
You have many admirable qualities such as intelligence and physical attractiveness.
Ampersand after ampersand
You use the symbol '&' repeatedly in your description of yourself.
You think I just don't understand
You believe that I do not fully appreciate your qualities and who you are as a person.
But I don't believe you
I do not trust your words or your intentions.
I don't believe you
Overall, I do not find your words or actions trustworthy or sincere.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHIN MERRITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
October Grae
So you quote love unquote me
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
Cause honesty's not your strong suit
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because...
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic
You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you
So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
M Hug
This is their best song. Great tune, great lyrics, so real. I literally start crying halfway through.
October Grae
So you quote love unquote me
Well, stranger things have come to be
But let's agree to disagree
Cause I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me I'm not not cute
Its truth or falsity is moot
Cause honesty's not your strong suit
And I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You tell me of what once was
And all about Buck, Butch, and Buzz
How they were not like me because...
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I had a dream and you were in it
The blue of your eyes was infinite
You seemed to be
In love with me
Which isn't very realistic
You may sing me "They Were You"
And I start crying halfway through
But nothing else you say is true
So I don't believe you
I don't believe you
You may set your charm on stun
And say I'm delightful and fun
But you say that to everyone
Well, I don't believe you
I don't believe you
So you're brilliant gorgeous and
Ampersand after ampersand
You think I just don't understand
But I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
I don't believe you
Jeff Norman
Last verse would work better as "ampersand and ampersand." First, it scans better. Second, there's the sonic interplay between AND and ampersAND. And, of course, "and" and "ampersand" mean the same thing.
Yes, I am daring to quibble with the greatest living lyricist.
Amaya
Thank you! ♡
Coyote Johenson
Not all heroes wear capes. Some get drunk and post lyrics in their underwear.
Jonathan Gatson
@Jeff Norman Do those two phrasings mean the same thing? Stephen's lyrics indicate a laundry list of desirable qualities that are somehow not worth mentioning. Etcetera in too many words. Ampersand and ampersand is just... two additional things? Let's agree to disagree 😜
papaniko58
@Jonathan Gatson Well, I don't think there's really much gained from "after" vs. "and" in that phrase: in context, "after" refers only to coming after an earlier item if you're reading or speaking...which, given that any reading or speaking takes place in time anyway, "and" already implies.
My main issue, though, is the phrasing: there's an extra syllable there, and I can't make it "mean" anything to have an extra syllable. So it feels like a flaw...one readily not only corrected by "and" instead, but with the added benefit of greater euphony.
But, you know, stranger things have come to be...
Jeremymc6
The banjo in the chorus makes this song so good.
deprofundis
Agreed!!
Natalie 82
Every part of this song makes it so good :)