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/
Suddenly There Is a Tidal Wave
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till I couldn't breathe anymore
Then you held me like a baby
Television, like wine; and cigarettes, like grains of sand;
And raspberry schnapps, like a thousand sunsets.
(C): The boys talk like they own the world
The women keep their stupid diaries
But suddenly there's a tidal wave
There were probably birds
Outside our little room
I don't remember anything but you
We must have been the butt
Of all the jokes in the world
For trying to live like Pippi Longstocking. (C) (C)
The Magnetic Fields's song Suddenly There Is a Tidal Wave is a complex and enigmatic composition that leaves much room for interpretation. On the surface, the lyrics seem to describe a tumultuous relationship that involves dominating and controlling behavior. The opening lines, "You held me upside-down till I couldn't breathe anymore, then you held me like a baby," suggest a power dynamic in which one person has the other completely at their mercy. The use of the television, wine, cigarettes, and raspberry schnapps to describe the relationship creates an unsettling sense of addiction and dependency.
The chorus, "The boys talk like they own the world, the women keep their stupid diaries, but suddenly there's a tidal wave, and everything is sucked out to sea," adds a layer of social commentary. The reference to gender roles and the sudden and destructive force of the tidal wave suggest that the relationship is not just about two individuals but reflects larger cultural patterns and power structures.
The final verse, "We must have been the butt of all the jokes in the world for trying to live like Pippi Longstocking," is perhaps the most puzzling. Pippi Longstocking is a fictional character known for her joyous and carefree spirit; it is not clear how the singer is trying to live like her or why this would be a source of ridicule.
Line by Line Meaning
You held me upside-down
You turned my world upside-down
Till I couldn't breathe anymore
Until I was suffocating under your control
Then you held me like a baby
You comforted me only to manipulate me again
Television, like wine; and cigarettes, like grains of sand;
The things we used to indulge in together are now mundane and insignificant
And raspberry schnapps, like a thousand sunsets.
Even the things we used to find joy in are now dull and unsatisfying
(C): The boys talk like they own the world
Men are arrogant and entitled
The women keep their stupid diaries
Women are judged for expressing their thoughts and emotions
But suddenly there's a tidal wave
A catastrophic event changes everything
And everything is sucked out to sea.
Everything is taken away in the aftermath of the disaster
There were probably birds
There was beauty in the world, but we were too consumed with each other to notice
Outside our little room
Beyond our relationship, there was a world we neglected
I don't remember anything but you
Our toxic relationship consumed and erased all other memories
We must have been the butt
We were the subject of ridicule and mockery
Of all the jokes in the world
Our attempt to live freely and unconventionally was seen as foolishness
For trying to live like Pippi Longstocking. (C) (C)
Our refusal to conform to societal norms and stereotypes led to our downfall
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mental Set
I have been looking for this on YouTube for ages. Thank you so much for uploading!
duplica123
my boyfriend's favorite song, thanks for uploading!
TheZebulonPike
This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard. Up there with some from Debussey and Cat Stevens
prayerchum
Perfect
candycore
god... literally every song is so cynical...
so basically everything is futile. We get caught up in our role in life and it doesn't matter because history wont remember us.
Lozza Jozza
well yeah basically. can't really deny it though eh?
frostingfloss
not necessarily cynical... it's possible to find comfort in insignificance. everything that everyone does might be screaming into the void, but isn't that kind of romantic? everyone knows that theyre going to die and be forgotten, but we write songs anyway. not because we're pretend it isnt going to happen, but because it isn't about being remembered. its about being alive and bringing light into other people's lives right NOW!! you can do that right NOW. death and being forgotten aren't something to be feared.. idk i just think existence's inevitable annihilation in the face of the passage of time makes everything more beautiful. it makes all of our actions / "our role in life" MORE important and sort of desperate in a romantic way. not silly or meaningless. after the heat death of the universe there will be NOTHING. not a trace. no long, confused, homogenous eternity of history to be a part of. no history at all. just nothing. it'll effectively be the same as if we'd never existed. life on earth could have never existed and the outcome would still have been the same. we're all walking around like we aren't ghosts, but we are. and that's just all the more beautiful. because we DO exist right now. in a fleeting moment, a flash of some bizarre beautiful dream where a bunch of ghosts love each other and kill each other and write songs. idk i just dont think its all that bad. i find this song really comforting
Almost Everything You Need To Know
@frostingfloss great comment, i hope you're doing okay
frostingfloss
@Almost Everything You Need To Know thank you, i am!! i was trying really hard to hold onto myself when i wrote that comment (which i wrote because the song was helping me a lot at the time) and now my mental health is a lot better and i'm grateful to be alive. i hope you're doing well too
Almost Everything You Need To Know
@frostingfloss glad to hear that, im doing alright and thanks for asking :)