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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In an Operetta
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hear in an operetta
Sing me the words I long
To hear out of Violetta
In an operetta
She will fast be outcast
From her castle, with nary a friend
There's hints of a prince
In the end
She'll enjoy some employ as a boy
With her name changed to Pip
Soon, by gum, she'll become
The brave captain of some
Pirate ship
Singing a thing fit for a king
In an operetta
In an operetta
It's the all-singing,all-dancing
Princess Violetta
Of the operetta
In an operetta
Within an operetta
The Magnetic Fields's song "In an Operetta" is a whimsical and theatrical song that revolves around the concept of an operetta within an operetta. The song itself is a request made by the singer to the singer, asking them to sing the kind of song that they would hear in an operetta. They long to hear the words that one would hear sung by the character Violetta in an operetta. The lyrics speak of how in an operetta, Violetta would be cast out from her castle without any friends. She is a princess, so there are hints of a prince that would come in and assist her. In the end, Violetta becomes a boy with the name changed to Pip and becomes the captain of a pirate ship. The song talks about the world of an operetta, where anything is possible and there is always a happy ending.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing me the kind of song
Requesting to hear a certain type of song
You hear in an operetta
Similar to the musical style of an operetta
Sing me the words I long
Asking to hear specific lyrics
To hear out of Violetta
Similar to the character in the operetta
In an operetta
Within a musical play
She will fast be outcast
The character will be quickly rejected
From her castle, with nary a friend
She will be left alone, without any allies
But, since she's a princess,
Despite her misfortune, she has royal blood
There's hints of a prince
A possible future companion
In the end
Ultimately
She'll enjoy some employ as a boy
She will disguise herself as a male and find work
With her name changed to Pip
She will have a new identity
Soon, by gum, she'll become
She will eventually transform
The brave captain of some
The leader of a group
Pirate ship
A ship used for illegal activity
Singing a thing fit for a king
Performing a song that is worthy of a royal audience
It's the all-singing,all-dancing
A type of musical that involves multiple songs and dances
Princess Violetta
The main character of the operetta
Of the operetta
The central figure in the story
Within an operetta
Contained in the larger musical production
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Raymond Merritt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
christy
When I said I wanted to listen to harpsichord music, this is exactly what I meant. For once, YouTube got it right. 💕
María Paz Greene F
I LOVE this song! Which instrument is the leading one? Mandolyn?
Matthew Colville
Harpsichord, I'm pretty sure.
stupidyutube9
Sing me the kind of song you hear...