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/
Kings
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Night-time: it was always night
The people on the street were made of meat
Black girl, trucks ran us down
Blue boy...
The people on the sidewalk were traced in chalk
Whale embryos filled your enormous room
Screech-owl kachinas built your spiritual room
We were kings, kings!
The lyrics to The Magnetic Fields's song "Kings" are incredibly enigmatic, with each line painting a surreal and disjointed image. The song seems to be exploring themes of mortality and the fleeting nature of existence, with a particular focus on how we construct meaning through our interactions with the world around us.
The first two lines suggest a sense of constant darkness, with the snow covering the singer and their companions throughout the entire day, and night always falling like a curtain. The people on the street being "made of meat" is a particularly chilling image, implying a sense of futility and impermanence to human life. The next two lines describe a violent encounter - a black girl being run down by trucks - which again speaks to the ephemeral nature of human existence.
The second stanza provides even more bizarre and surreal images, with the people on the sidewalk traced in chalk (perhaps implying that they have already passed on) and the singer's room filled with whale embryos (evoking a sense of both wonder and horror). The screech-owl kachinas mentioned in the next line are spiritual figures in Pueblo culture, suggesting that the singer is exploring different spiritual traditions in their search for meaning. The final lines of the song - "We were kings, kings! We were kings, kings!" - can be read in a few different ways, but perhaps suggest a sense of defiance in the face of a indifferent and chaotic universe.
Line by Line Meaning
All day snow covered us
We were constantly in a tough and harsh situation
Night-time: it was always night
In our darkest hour, we persisted and kept going
The people on the street were made of meat
The world around us lacked depth and emotion, and the people in it were mundane and uninteresting
Black girl, trucks ran us down Blue boy...
We faced discrimination and brutal treatment due to our race and skin color
The people on the sidewalk were traced in chalk
We were surrounded by death and the fragility of life
Whale embryos filled your enormous room
You were surrounded by loss and the remnants of what once was
Screech-owl kachinas built your spiritual room
Your spirituality was crafted and molded by elements of nature and ancient traditions
We were kings, kings!
Despite all of the setbacks and struggles we faced, we rose up and possessed a royal, powerful spirit
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAUGHERTY, KILBEY, KOPPES, WILSON-PIPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sergej Lovrekovic
i love some of their album covers!
chilling beautiful song!
john hatchell
All day snow covered us
Night-time: it was always night
The people on the street were made of meat
Black girl, trucks ran us down
Blue boy...
The people on the sidewalk were traced in chalk
Whale embryos filled your enormous room
Screech-owl kachinas built your spiritual room
We were kings, kings!
We were kings, kings!
L C
i wish everyone knew more magnetic fields songs so we could sing together ewww
TheGiorgiapolly
amazing