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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Zombie Boy
The Magnetic Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I prayed hard for you in Haiti at night
Your skin has turned blue and your hair has turned white
Must be the voodoo of this Haitian moonlight
We can't take day trips, but we will have are strolls
Dressed up in silk slips, our ears and mink stoles
You swerve on your hips as I work the controls
Zombie boy
Zombie boy
You seem to have died of some form of the pox
They left you inside your tiny black box
I heard when you cried, and I answered your knocks
Let's make you a bride with another two cocks
You look pretty good for so long in the ground
You smell like a sewer, but you don't make a sound
I feed you odor make you oopsy, spellbound
I like to be sure you're be sticking around
Zombie boy
Zombie boy
The lyrics of "Zombie Boy" explore themes of death, love and voodoo in a dark and macabre tone. The song is sung from the perspective of someone who has killed two roosters in Haiti to perform a voodoo ritual in hopes of bringing a loved one back to life. This loved one, referred to as "Zombie Boy," has turned blue and white due to the voodoo magic which has brought them back to life. The singer seems to be obsessed with Zombie Boy, referring to them as a bride and making a disturbing reference to introducing them to two more roosters. There is also a hint of control and possessiveness as they describe themselves as "working the controls" while Zombie Boy swerves their hips.
The song is metaphorical and deals with the idea of clinging on to a love that has died, even when the person is no longer the same. The undead Zombie Boy symbolizes the singer's refusal to let go of a dead relationship, as they try to reanimate it with the help of voodoo magic. The lines "I heard when you cried, and I answered your knocks" suggest that the singer had perhaps ignored the signs of the relationship falling apart and is now trying to make amends by bringing them back to life. The chorus "Zombie Boy" is simple and repetitive, highlighting the obsession and fixation on this character.
Line by Line Meaning
Two roosters I slew, and with all of my heart
I sacrificed two roosters with all my heart in a voodoo ritual to pray for you.
I prayed hard for you in Haiti at night
I fervently prayed for you at night in Haiti, hoping the voodoo ritual would work.
Your skin has turned blue and your hair has turned white
After the ritual, your skin turned blue and hair turned white, which must be due to the Haitian voodoo magic.
Must be the voodoo of this Haitian moonlight
I attribute your transformation to the magical power of the Haitian moonlight and voodoo.
We can't take day trips, but we will have are strolls
We can't go out during the day since you're a zombie, but we can still have romantic walks at night.
Dressed up in silk slips, our ears and mink stoles
We dress up in fancy clothes, silk slips, and mink stoles, to go on our walks.
You swerve on your hips as I work the controls
You move seductively as I control your movements since you're a zombie under my command.
No blood and no drips while I rot in your roles
There's no blood or any leakage from you, despite rotting away, while I manipulate you like a puppeteer.
Zombie boy
I refer to you as my zombie boy.
You seem to have died of some form of the pox
You appear to have died from some sort of infectious disease or pox.
They left you inside your tiny black box
They left you buried in a small, black coffin after you died.
I heard when you cried, and I answered your knocks
I heard your cries and knocks from inside the coffin, and brought you back from the dead using voodoo magic.
Let's make you a bride with another two cocks
I suggest making you a bride by sacrificing two more roosters in voodoo rituals to bring you back as my partner.
You look pretty good for so long in the ground
Considered your time spent underground, you still look good as a zombie.
You smell like a sewer, but you don't make a sound
You have an unpleasant odor like sewage, but since you're undead, you don't make any noise.
I feed you odor make you oopsy, spellbound
I feed you strange things to enhance your smell or potency, making you more potent and spellbinding.
I like to be sure you're be sticking around
I like to ensure that you stay with me forever as a zombie, hence the extra care in feeding you and maintaining your appearance.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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