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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Zebra
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So what?
We circled the Earth in a hot air balloon
So what?
And the rest of our lives
Is one long honeymoon
Well, that doesn't mean we're in love
If you really loved me
But you've already bought me
All of the pearls in the world
So there's one thing I crave
When my days become ho-hum and blah
I want a zebra
We've got so many tchotchkes
We've pratically emptied the Louvre
In most of our palaces
There's hardly room to manoeuvre
I shan't go to Balie today
I must stay home and Hoovre
Up the gold dust
That doesn't mean we're in love
If you really loved me
You'd buy me the Great Pyramid
Oh, I'm so forgetful, you already did
But there's one think I need
If you won't think I'm greedy, my deah
Another zebra
Zelda looks lonely, I want a zebra
The Magnetic Fields' song Zebra is a satirical critique of excess and materialism. The song's lyrics tell the story of a couple who has everything they could ever want, having already traveled around the world and collected all of the pearls and art they could afford. However, the singer in the song has a particular desire for a zebra, a seemingly random desire amid their lavish lives.
The lyrics suggest that the couple's extravagant lifestyle doesn't necessarily equate to love, as the line "that doesn't mean we're in love" is repeated throughout the song. The singer's continual request for a zebra, despite everything they already have, emphasizes the theme of "wanting what you can't have" and the ultimate emptiness of attaining material things.
The song's lighthearted tone and whimsical imagery serve as a playful commentary on society's obsession with consumerism and the never-ending desire for more. The repeated chorus of "I want a zebra" emphasizes the absurdity of our materialistic desires and serves as a reminder to focus on the things that truly matter in life.
Line by Line Meaning
So we got married in Venice in June
Getting married in Venice in June was nothing special to us.
So what?
It was just another place where we got married.
We circled the Earth in a hot air balloon
We did something unique and adventurous by circling the Earth in a hot air balloon.
So what?
But now that it's over, it's just another thing we did.
And the rest of our lives
From that point on, our lives were one big honeymoon.
Is one long honeymoon
But that doesn't mean we're still in love.
Well, that doesn't mean we're in love
We're happy together, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're still in love.
If you really loved me
If you truly loved me, you'd do what I ask.
You'd buy me a beautiful pearl
You would purchase me something that I value.
But you've already bought me
But you've already given me everything.
All of the pearls in the world
You've bought me everything I could ever desire.
So there's one thing I crave
But there is still one thing I want.
When my days become ho-hum and blah
When my life becomes mundane.
I want a zebra
I desire a zebra.
We've got so many tchotchkes
We have many trivial items.
We've practically emptied the Louvre
We have so much art that it would appear we've emptied the Louvre.
In most of our palaces
In many of our homes.
There's hardly room to manoeuvre
There isn't much space to move around.
I shan't go to Bali today
I will not go to Bali today.
I must stay home and hoover up the gold dust
I need to clean up the gold dust in our home.
That doesn't mean we're in love
Even though we have a luxurious lifestyle, it doesn't necessarily mean we're still in love.
If you really loved me
If you truly loved me, you would give me anything.
You'd buy me the Great Pyramid
You would buy me anything I ask for.
Oh, I'm so forgetful, you already did
Oh, I'm forgetful, you already purchased the Great Pyramid for me.
But there's one thing I need
But there is still one thing I want.
If you won't think I'm greedy, my dear
If you don't think I'm selfish.
Another zebra
I want another zebra.
Zelda looks lonely, I want a zebra
I want a zebra for Zelda, who seems sad and lonely.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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