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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Long Vermont Roads
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a tacky song on the radio
And your eyes are toothless young men
In Tennessee in the rain again
And fireflies never go to sleep
And country songs never help you sleep
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
After all those days on God-forsaken highways
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
Your eyes are the Mesa Verde
Big and brown and far away
And your eyes are Kansas City
In Kansas and in Missouri
After all those trains and all those breakdown lanes
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
After all those days on God-forsaken highways
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
After all this time and after all your crying
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
The roads are dark and long and all those country songs
Well, they don't love you and they still won't pretend to
The Magnetic Fields’ ‘Long Vermont Roads’ is an introspective ode to the solitary nature of long car trips. The lyrics paint a picture of the road as a vast, impersonal entity, indifferent to the emotions of the driver or the passengers. The song suggests that the road is a cruel mistress, one that promises to take you to new places, but ultimately leaves you feeling empty and alone.
The song opens with the line “Your eyes are long Vermont roads,” a metaphor suggesting that the singer’s companion has the same vast and lonely quality as the road. The next line introduces a “tacky song on the radio,” evoking the banality of the road trip experience. As the song progresses, the lyrics shift from describing the companion’s eyes to describing the road itself, and we begin to see the bleak and desolate beauty of the American landscape.
The repeated refrain – “The roads don’t love you and they still won’t pretend to” – emphasizes the cold and impersonal nature of the road, suggesting that no matter how far you travel, the road will remain indifferent to your existence. The song conveys a sense of alienation and loneliness, suggesting that the only comfort one can find on the road is through the shared experience of listening to country music.
Line by Line Meaning
Your eyes are long Vermont roads
The depth and complexity of your eyes is like a winding road in Vermont that leads to unknown destinations.
With a tacky song on the radio
The backdrop to the journey is mundane and ordinary, represented by a generic, unremarkable song played over the radio.
And your eyes are toothless young men
Your eyes are vulnerable and unguarded, like young men with nothing to protect themselves.
In Tennessee in the rain again
This imagery brings up a sense of repetition, of being trapped in a cycle of discomfort and discomforting memories.
And fireflies never go to sleep
These creatures represent eternal vitality and beauty despite the darkness around them.
And country songs never help you sleep
The supposed comfort of familiar things like country songs doesn't actually provide relief or rest in this journey.
After all those trains and all those breakdown lanes
Despite all the obstacles faced in the journey, the roads that have been traveled on don't suddenly become loving or supportive.
The roads don't love you and they still won't pretend to
No matter what happens, the roads remain apathetic and indifferent to the traveler's experiences on them.
Your eyes are the Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde, an ancient cliff-dwelling in Colorado, represents a timeless and awe-inspiring beauty that the artist sees within the other's eyes.
Big and brown and far away
The eyes are vast and distant, perhaps unreachable or mysterious.
And your eyes are Kansas City
Kansas City, located between Kansas and Missouri, represents an ambiguous state between two places, much like how the eyes exist between two worlds.
The roads are dark and long
The roads are bleak and endless, with no end in sight to the journey.
And all those country songs
Even the comfort of commonplace things like country songs don't serve as a relief for the difficulties of the journey.
Well, they don't love you and they still won't pretend to
No amount of familiarity or comfort will change the fact that the roads and the journey itself are indifferent to the traveler's experiences.
After all this time and after all your crying
Even with the passage of time and hardship, the traveler's experiences have still not changed the fact that the journey remains challenging and unsupportive.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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