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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I Don't Believe in the Sun
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say there's a sun in the sky
But me, I can't imagine why
There might have been one
Before you were gone
But now all I see is the night, so
I don't believe in the sun
How could it shine down on everyone
And never shine on me
How could there be
Such cruelty.
The only sun I ever knew
Was the beautiful one that was you
Since you went away
It's nighttime all day
And it's usually raining too
The only stars there really are
Were shining in your eyes
There is no sun except the one
That never shone on other guys
The moon to whom the poets croon
Has given up and died
Astronomy will have to be revised
The Magnetic Fields’s song “I Don’t Believe in the Sun” is a melancholic reflection on the devastation of losing a loved one. The opening lyrics emphasize a repeated disbelief in the existence of the sun, “They say there’s a sun in the sky/But me, I can’t imagine why”. This disbelief, however, is not due to any actual doubt of its physical existence, but instead is a metaphorical representation of the loss of hope and joy that the singer feels since the departure of their loved one. The singer recognizes that, although the sun may still exist physically, they are unable to see it anymore due to the all-consuming nature of their grief.
The singer goes on to contemplate the unfairness of life, speculating on why the sun continues to shine on everyone else but not on them. They question how the universe can be so cruel, “How could there be/Such cruelty”. The only sun they ever knew was the brightness of their lover, but with them gone, the world becomes a “nighttime all day” and even the stars have lost their shine. The singer’s loss is so profound that it feels like even the moon, which traditionally holds romantic significance, has “given up and died”.
Overall, “I Don’t Believe in the Sun” is a poignant exploration of the overwhelming pain and confusion caused by the loss of a significant other. It captures the profound emptiness that often follows such a tragedy, as the singer searches for meaning in the lack of light and love in their world.
Line by Line Meaning
They say there's a sun in the sky
According to popular belief, there is a sun in the sky
But me, I can't imagine why
However, I cannot fathom why this would be true
There might have been one
Perhaps there was a sun before your departure
Before you were gone
Before you left me alone
But now all I see is the night, so
But all I witness nowadays is the darkness that consumes me
I don't believe in the sun
Therefore, I am skeptical about the existence of the sun
How could it shine down on everyone
How can the sun be capable of shining on everyone?
And never shine on me
However, it never seems to shine on me
How could there be
How is it possible
Such cruelty.
To be so harsh and unfair?
The only sun I ever knew
The only sun that has ever been real to me
Was the beautiful one that was you
Was you, my beautiful companion
Since you went away
Ever since you left me
It's nighttime all day
The day seems to be consumed by night
And it's usually raining too
Moreover, the weather is typically rainy
The only stars there really are
To me, the only stars that truly exist
Were shining in your eyes
Are the stars that I saw in your eyes
There is no sun except the one
For me, the only sun that exists
That never shone on other guys
Is the one that never shone on anyone else
The moon to whom the poets croon
The moon that poets often sing praises of
Has given up and died
Seems to have disappeared without a trace
Astronomy will have to be revised
The study of the stars and the planets will have to be altered
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Raymond Merritt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind