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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Old Orchard Beach
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That, when they cut it off, grew back?
You were a little girl with starry eyes
Now you're a sad young man and no one knows why.
(C): When we go dancing underneath the city in the catacombs
When we go dancing the strobe lights and the disco will bring us home.
I know Old Orchard Beach is where you belong
You can go back, but, baby, that won't make you young
The stars come out or they don't
The world goes round or we get thrown into the stars. (C)
The lyrics of the Magnetic Fields' song Old Orchard Beach seem to be about an individual who seems to have lost their way in life, and struggles to find a way back to their former self. The opening lines seem to suggest that this person had some sort of distinguishing physical characteristic such as a tail or a hunchback. And even though it may have been removed, it still seemed to come back, almost as if to suggest that some things are just a part of that person's essence, and cannot be removed.
The subsequent lines then contrast this notion of the person's physicality with the fact that they were once a little girl with "starry eyes", which is a poetic way of describing a sense of childlike wonder and innocence. However, this person has since become a "sad young man" and no one seems to know why. One interpretation could be that this person may have experienced significant struggles and setbacks in their life, which has led to their current state of sadness and confusion.
The chorus seems to offer a sense of escape and release from this emotional burden, almost as if the act of dancing and being submerged in the lights of the disco can provide an opportunity to forget about one's troubles, if only for a little while. The final lines of the song seem to suggest that the world is unpredictable and sometimes cruel, but in spite of that, life still goes on, and sometimes we just have to accept that fact.
Line by Line Meaning
Was there some part of you - tail, or hunchback;
Did you used to have a distinguishing feature, like a tail or hunchback?
That, when they cut it off, grew back?
And if it was removed, would it grow back?
You were a little girl with starry eyes
You used to be an innocent, optimistic little girl.
Now you're a sad young man and no one knows why.
But now you've grown up into a depressed young man, and nobody knows why.
When we go dancing underneath the city in the catacombs
When we go clubbing in the underground tunnels of the city.
When we go dancing the strobe lights and the disco will bring us home.
The flashing lights and music of the disco will provide us with a sense of belonging and comfort.
I know Old Orchard Beach is where you belong
I understand that your true home is in Old Orchard Beach.
You can go back, but, baby, that won't make you young
But returning won't turn back time and make you young again.
The wind will blow or it won't
Sometimes things will happen and sometimes they won't.
The stars come out or they don't
Similarly, sometimes the stars will appear and sometimes they won't.
The world goes round or we get thrown into the stars.
Life continues to move forward whether or not we're ready for it. Sometimes we're lifted up, and sometimes we're thrown off course.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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