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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Queen of the Savages
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She don't know the modern world
And its ravages
Instead of money she's
Got yams and cabbages
She lives in a dome
I don't care if I never get home
My girl is the queen of the jungle folk
We see when we smoke
We think all of life is a funny joke
She's sharp as a tack
I don't care if I never get back
My girl is the queen of ten villages
We live on the fruits
Of her pillages
She eats other queens,
She's very religious
She doesn't use a fork
I don't think I'll go back to New York
The lyrics to The Magnetic Fields's song "Queen of the Savages" portray a vivid and fantastical world that takes the listener far away from modern civilization. The singer describes his love interest as the "queen of the savages," suggesting that she is a powerful and revered figure in this alternate universe. She is disconnected from the modern world and its "ravages," instead living off the land and surviving on yams and cabbages. The two of them live in a dome, far from the rest of civilization, and seem content to never leave.
The song continues to describe the singer's love interest as the queen of the "jungle folk," and suggests that they often smoke together, experiencing the world in a whimsical and humorous way. The queen is referred to as "sharp as a tack," and is apparently the ruler of ten different villages, living off the fruits of her pillaging of other queens. The song ends with the singer stating that he doesn't think he'll ever return to New York.
Overall, the lyrics of "Queen of the Savages" paint a picture of a world very different from our own - one where traditional societal norms and technology have been abandoned in favor of a simple, wild existence. The queen of the savages is a fascinating and complex figure, at once powerful and whimsical, and the singer seems content to stay with her in this alternate reality forever.
Line by Line Meaning
My girl is the queen of the savages
My significant other is the leader of a primitive tribe who lives in a simple way far from civilization.
She don't know the modern world
And its ravages
She is unaware of the current times and the damage it is causing to the environment and society.
Instead of money she's
Got yams and cabbages
She doesn't have the concept of currency and sustains herself with the crops she grows.
She lives in a dome
I don't care if I never get home
She resides in a protective structure, and I am happy to stay there for as long as possible.
My girl is the queen of the jungle folk
You should see the things
We see when we smoke
We think all of life is a funny joke
She is the ruler of the wild people, and when we consume certain substances, we perceive the world as a comical illusion.
She's sharp as a tack
I don't care if I never get back
She is intelligent and quick-witted, and I am not concerned with returning home anytime soon.
My girl is the queen of ten villages
We live on the fruits
Of her pillages
She eats other queens
She's very religious
She reigns over ten rural settlements, and we subsist on the resources she acquires from her raids. She feasts on the other leaders of her kind, and she holds her beliefs in high regard.
She doesn't use a fork
I don't think I'll go back to New York
She eats food with her hands and does not conform to the customary norms. I have no desire to return to my previous lifestyle in New York City.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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