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.
Frankie, didn't I tell you
You got the world in the palm of your hand?
Frankie, didn't I tell you
They're running at your command?
You know the tricks
As if they're your invention
It wasn't your intention Frankie
To fall in the trap you made
Ohh it's a crying shame, mmh
You left a trail of destruction
Heartbreaker you know now
They really did care 'cause it's your first affair
Frankie, didn't I tell you
The lion would come in for the kill?
Frankie, didn't I say
He had power over your sweet skill?
So where is the laughter
You spat right in their faces?
Didn't I tell you Frankie
That you might run out of races?
Ohh it's a crying shame, mmh
You couldn't win the game
Heartbreaker this time (this time)
It's your first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair (it's your turn to cry heartbreaker)
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
It's your turn to cry
It's a crying shame
Heartbreaker
You know now they really did care
'Cause it's your first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
(It's your turn to cry, it's your turn to cry
(It's your turn to cry, it's your turn to cry)
Don't you realize
They really, really, really did care?
The party's over, now you discover
It's your turn to cry
And don't you realize
Ooh, it's the toughest game
Yes it is, yes it is
The party's over, it's your turn to cry
Wha da an dee da do, wha da an dee da do
Mmh
Wha da an dee da do, wha da an dee da do
It's your first affair
You got the world in the palm of your hand?
Frankie, didn't I tell you
They're running at your command?
You know the tricks
As if they're your invention
It wasn't your intention Frankie
To fall in the trap you made
Ohh it's a crying shame, mmh
You left a trail of destruction
Heartbreaker you know now
They really did care 'cause it's your first affair
Frankie, didn't I tell you
The lion would come in for the kill?
Frankie, didn't I say
He had power over your sweet skill?
So where is the laughter
You spat right in their faces?
Didn't I tell you Frankie
That you might run out of races?
Ohh it's a crying shame, mmh
You couldn't win the game
Heartbreaker this time (this time)
It's your first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair (it's your turn to cry heartbreaker)
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
It's your turn to cry
It's a crying shame
Heartbreaker
You know now they really did care
'Cause it's your first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
Frankie, Frankie's first affair
(It's your turn to cry, it's your turn to cry
(It's your turn to cry, it's your turn to cry)
Don't you realize
They really, really, really did care?
The party's over, now you discover
It's your turn to cry
And don't you realize
Ooh, it's the toughest game
Yes it is, yes it is
The party's over, it's your turn to cry
Wha da an dee da do, wha da an dee da do
Mmh
Wha da an dee da do, wha da an dee da do
It's your first affair
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
Battle Royale
Word Alive, The
Word Alive, The
This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
This is my favorite Sade song! It's so atmospheric. The imagery her lyrics convey are so vivid and intense like some classic noir film. The line "It's your turn to cry" is just killer. Frankie was a playboy and broke many hearts but this time he was stopped by some other force and it's his turn to cry.
@hungrylicious Exactly. I like to think of it as a sequel to Smooth Operator.
Frankie is a woman who has been cheated on in the past multiple times. Now she is in a relationship, possibly married, and cheating. She's crying because she feels bad and realizes that cheating doesn't mean that you don't love your partner. She's having an epiphany. The lyrics are kind of taunting her in a way: "Heart breaker you know now they (her exes) really did care 'cause it's your first affair."