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/
Your Girlfriend's Face
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have hired a hitman to do what they do
He will do his best to do his worst
After he's messed up your girlfriend first
I said he'll do his worst
To your girlfriend first
For stealing my lover and making me blue
He'll have to hose off your twisting place
After he blows off your girlfriend's face
I want the whole bloody place
Wet with your girlfriend's face
So I've taken a contract out on y'all
For make me feel infinitely small
In the evenings I devise your death
Being buried alive on crystal meth
Baby, I'd give you death
By, by, by crystal meth
The Magnetic Fields's song "Your Girlfriend's Face" is a dark and twisted tale of revenge. The lyrics describe a protagonist who has taken out a contract on their lover and their lover's girlfriend. The singer has hired a hitman to do the job, but they also reveal that they have hired someone to take revenge on the lover's girlfriend by blowing her face off. The singer seems to take sadistic pleasure in imagining the worst possible scenarios for their enemies.
The lyrics reveal the intense emotional pain that the singer is going through, caused by their lover and their lover's betrayal. The singer is so hurt and angry that they are willing to go to extreme lengths to get revenge. The use of violent and graphic imagery adds to the weight of the emotions being expressed. The song highlights the dangerous nature of jealousy and how it can lead people to take actions they might otherwise regret.
Line by Line Meaning
So I've taken a contract out on you
I have hired someone to kill you
I have hired a hitman to do what they do
I've contracted a killer to take you out
He will do his best to do his worst
He will try hard to make your death as bad as possible
After he's messed up your girlfriend first
Before he kills you, he'll torture and kill your girlfriend
I said he'll do his worst
I repeated that he will make your death as bad as possible
To your girlfriend first
He will torture and kill your girlfriend before he kills you
'Cause I've hired the fixer for her too
I have also hired someone to deal with your girlfriend
For stealing my lover and making me blue
She stole my lover and made me really sad
He'll have to hose off your twisting place
He'll have to hose down the area where your girlfriend was killed
After he blows off your girlfriend's face
After he kills your girlfriend in a gruesome way
I want the whole bloody place
I want the entire area where you and your girlfriend were killed
Wet with your girlfriend's face
To be covered in the aftermath of your girlfriend's brutal death
So I've taken a contract out on y'all
I have hired someone to kill both you and your girlfriend
For make me feel infinitely small
Because you made me feel really insignificant
In the evenings I devise your death
I spend my evenings planning how you will die
Being buried alive on crystal meth
I want you to die a slow, painful death by being buried alive on crystal meth
Baby, I'd give you death
I want you to die
By, by, by crystal meth
Slowly and painfully, by being buried on crystal meth
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Max Takai
just heard a muzak version of this song while on hold with medicare. I don't know how I feel about it.
Clayplays96
and I can't stop repeating this song...
Clayplays96
weird weird song came on the radio I was just like...what?!
angistification
i got this from my friend by e-mail so i dont know wtf this is
Chrissy C
Maybe I shouldn't be laughing...nar, it's funny as all get out and I would roll around in fits but my floor hasn't seen a broom in weeks, so I should probably refrain.
Hakim
:)
theplanetzod
Laptedooma