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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The One You Really Love
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You look at me like I'm a stranger You look at me like I'm not there
I gaze into your eyes of blue but their beauty is not for me You're
Thinking on someone who's gone You're dreaming of the one you really love
I made you mine, or so it seemed Though he is dead he haunts your dreams
I might as well be two ft. tall You never will love me at all
You're dreaming of the corpse you really love
The Magnetic Fields's song "The One You Really Love" talks about unrequited love and the pain and frustration that comes with it. The lyrics suggest that the singer's love interest is still pining over someone who has passed away, making it impossible for them to reciprocate the singer's love. The line "I might as well be loving air" illustrates the singer's feeling of being invisible and insignificant in their love interest's eyes. The singer's desperation is evident in lines like "I made you mine, or so it seemed" and "You never will love me at all." The final line of the song, "You're dreaming of the corpse you really love," is haunting and reinforces the idea that the person the singer loves is completely out of reach.
The song's melancholy lyrics are underscored by a sparse, lo-fi melody that creates a sense of distance and isolation. The song is characterized by an almost whimsical music box-like quality, which makes the lyrics sound even more poignant. The instrumentation consists of a simple acoustic guitar, a toy piano, and a glockenspiel, imparting the song with a childlike quality that belies the bittersweet theme of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I do believe our love's in danger
I think that our relationship is in a precarious position
I might as well be loving air
To you, my love may not even exist
You look at me like I'm a stranger
I feel like you don't even recognize me anymore
You look at me like I'm not there
It seems like you don't see me or care about me at all
I gaze into your eyes of blue but their beauty is not for me
Although I am looking at you, it feels like I am not the one you are looking at or admiring
You're thinking on someone who's gone
Your mind is preoccupied with someone who is no longer here
You're dreaming of the one you really love
You are fantasizing about the person who holds your true affections
I made you mine, or so it seemed
Although I thought we had a romantic connection, it may have been all in my head
Though he is dead he haunts your dreams
Your love for someone who has passed away lingers and affects your subconscious
I might as well be two ft. tall
To you, I am insignificant and unnoticeable
You never will love me at all
It is unlikely that you will ever feel any genuine affection for me
You're dreaming of the corpse you really love
Your thoughts are fixated on the lifeless body of the person who holds your heart
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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