So this has been.my favorite song of OTEP's since it came out in 2004, and I always thought it was a song about a child's narrative of suffering in an abusive Christian home. But now that I am revisiting the lyrics, I am seeing something totally new.
This song could be gospel of John but from the perspective of Jesus.
Jesus was NOT having a good time up to and during the crucifixion. Everyone in the known world at the time looked to him with fear, admiration or disgust and he was constantly being asked questions. He spoke in "verses, prophesies and curses". He had made an enemy of the state, and believed the world was increasingly wicked and fallen from grace, or that he was in the "mouth of madness".
The spine of atlas is the structure that allows the titan to hold the world up. Jesus challenged the state and in doing so became a celebrated resistance figure. It also made him public enemy #1.
All of this happened simply because he was doing his thing, not because of any agenda he had or strategy.
And then he gets scourged (storm of thorns)
There are some plot holes here but I think it's an interesting interpretation.
LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE
Everywhere I go all the places that Iíve been
Every smile is a new horizon on a land Iíve never seen
There are people around the world - different faces different names
But there's one true emotion that reminds me we're the same...
Let's talk about love
From the laughter of a child to the tears of a grown man
There's a thread that runs right through us all and helps us understand
As subtle as a breeze - that fans a flicker to a flame
From the very first sweet melody to the very last refrain...
Let's talk about love
Let's talk about us
Let's talk about life
Let's talk about trust
Let's talk about love
It's the king of all who live and the queen of good hearts
It's the ace you may keep up your sleeve - till the name is all but lost
As deep as any sea - with the rage of any storm
But as gentle as a falling leave on any autumn morn...
Let's talk about love - it's all we're needin'
Let's talk about us - it's the air we're breathin'
Let's talk about life - I wanna know you
Let's talk about trust - and I wanna show you
Let's talk about love
Track Time: 5:12
Written By: BRYAN ADAMS, Elliott Kennedy, and Jean-Jacques Goldman
Published By: Sony Music Publishing UK Ltd., admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI), Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada, Badams Music Limited (ASCAP), admin. by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP)
Everywhere I go all the places that Iíve been
Every smile is a new horizon on a land Iíve never seen
There are people around the world - different faces different names
But there's one true emotion that reminds me we're the same...
Let's talk about love
From the laughter of a child to the tears of a grown man
There's a thread that runs right through us all and helps us understand
As subtle as a breeze - that fans a flicker to a flame
From the very first sweet melody to the very last refrain...
Let's talk about love
Let's talk about us
Let's talk about life
Let's talk about trust
Let's talk about love
It's the king of all who live and the queen of good hearts
It's the ace you may keep up your sleeve - till the name is all but lost
As deep as any sea - with the rage of any storm
But as gentle as a falling leave on any autumn morn...
Let's talk about love - it's all we're needin'
Let's talk about us - it's the air we're breathin'
Let's talk about life - I wanna know you
Let's talk about trust - and I wanna show you
Let's talk about love
Track Time: 5:12
Written By: BRYAN ADAMS, Elliott Kennedy, and Jean-Jacques Goldman
Published By: Sony Music Publishing UK Ltd., admin. by Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI), Sony/ATV Music Publishing Canada, Badams Music Limited (ASCAP), admin. by Sony/ATV Tunes LLC (ASCAP)
Lyrics submitted by pink_pigeon
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Ave Grave
Thee More Shallows
Thee More Shallows
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
THAT SONG'S REALLY GREAT. I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD LISTEN TO IT. I'M SURE, YOU'LL LOVE IT!
PS. Celine Dion's singing it.