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/
The Book of Love
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing
But I, I love it when you read to me
And you, you can read me anything
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
But I, I love it when you sing to me
And you, you can sing me anything
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
I, I love it when you give me things
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
"The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields has a simple yet poetic title that draws in the audience. The first verse begins with a description of the title object; it is long and boring and cannot be lifted by anyone. It is filled with charts, facts, and instructions for dancing.
However, the song takes a sudden turn in the chorus. The singer says, "But I, I love it when you read to me, and you, you can read me anything." Here, the book of love symbolizes the stories that the person singing the song is sharing with the listener, illustrating that love can be found in even the most boring and mundane of activities.
The second verse takes a different angle, discussing how the book of love contains music, and that transcendental and dumb music comes from it. However, once again, the singer expresses his love for when the person singing the song sings to him. The song then concludes with a final refrain, expressing how the book of love is full of heart-shaped boxes and flowers, and how it is written in the past, including things the singer is too young to know. The singer's ultimate desire is for marriage, represented by the line, "you ought to give me wedding rings."
Line by Line Meaning
The book of love is long and boring
The book that represents love is extensive and tiring
No one can lift the damn thing
It is so heavy that no one can possibly bear to carry it
It's full of charts and facts and figures
It contains a lot of statistics, data, and diagrams
And instructions for dancing
It even includes guides for how to dance
But I, I love it when you read to me
However, I find it enjoyable when you read it aloud to me
And you, you can read me anything
I trust that you can pick any section and read it to me
The book of love has music in it
Love itself is accompanied by music
In fact that's where music comes from
In fact, music stems from love
Some of it is just transcendental
Some love music is so profound that it transcends everyday understanding
Some of it is just really dumb
Some love music is simply idiotic
But I, I love it when you sing to me
Regardless, I enjoy it when you serenade me with love tunes
And you, you can sing me anything
I am open-minded about the love songs you choose to sing
The book of love is long and boring
Once again, the love book is a taxing read
And written very long ago
It was authored a great deal of time in the past
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
It includes illustrations of blooms and heart-shaped containers
And things we're all too young to know
It also has content that is beyond our youthful understanding
But I, I love it when you give me things
Nonetheless, I cherish your expression of love through gifts
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
In my opinion, you should symbolize our love through wedding bands
I, I love it when you give me things
Once more, I appreciate when you grant me tokens of your affection
And you, you ought to give me wedding rings
I believe that marriage is the ultimate expression of our love
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Stephin Raymond Merritt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind