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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Not That Crazy
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I took a pen in my own hand and wrote you a hundred tunes.
Now I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
I pretended you were Jesus you were just dying to save me.
I stood beneath your window with my ukulele.
I made a yard a playground just in case we had a baby.
I treated you like radium.
I treated you like God.
You were my glass menagerie
Did you not find that odd.
I dwelt within and went without and broke my virgin flesh.
I performed acts of devotion as if you were Ganesh,
But now I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
The Magnetic Fields' song "Not That Crazy" is an unrequited love song with a humorous twist. The singer built a ship with their own hands to take them and their love interest to the moon and wrote 100 love songs for them. They even pretended their love interest was Jesus who was dying to save them. They went to extreme lengths like making a playground in their yard in case they had a baby. The singer treated their love interest like a deity, comparing them to Radium and God, even as their love went unrequited.
The lyrics are a commentary on the singer's unhealthy attachment to their love interest. The line "I'm crazy for you but not that crazy" suggests that the singer is aware of their actions being unreasonable. The reference to Ganesh, a Hindu deity, furthers the idea that the singer may be crossing boundaries in their love devotion. Overall, the song is a satirical take on the lengths some people go to in the pursuit of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I built a ship with my own hands to take us to the moon,
I put all my effort into creating something that would take us to great heights.
I took a pen in my own hand and wrote you a hundred tunes.
I poured my heart out on paper and made something beautiful just for you.
Now I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
I'm infatuated with you, but not to the point where I'll do anything irrational.
I pretended you were Jesus you were just dying to save me.
I idolized you, but you were not the savior I thought you were.
I stood beneath your window with my ukulele.
I tried to serenade you, hoping you'd notice me and my affection.
I made a yard a playground just in case we had a baby.
I prepared for a future with you, creating a space for our potential family.
I treated you like radium.
I saw you as something dangerous, but also valuable and rare.
I treated you like God.
I worshipped you and held you in the highest regard.
You were my glass menagerie,
You were something fragile and beautiful, like a collection of glass figurines.
Did you not find that odd.
Looking back, I realized that my behavior towards you was unusual and maybe even unsettling.
I dwelt within and went without and broke my virgin flesh.
I gave you everything, physically and emotionally, despite the pain and suffering it caused me.
I performed acts of devotion as if you were Ganesh,
I saw you as a deity and went to great lengths to show my devotion.
But now I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
Even though I still have feelings for you, I won't be blinded by them and lose sight of reality.
I'm crazy for you but not that crazy.
I still care for you deeply, but I won't let my emotions consume me completely.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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