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.
Walking 'round the room singing Stormy Weather
At Fifty Seven Mount Pleasant Street
Well, it's the same room, but everything's different
You can fight the sleep, but not the dream
Things ain't cookin' in my kitchen
Strange affliction wash over me
Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire
Couldn't conquer the blue sky
Well, there's a small boat made of china
It's going nowhere on the mantelpiece
Well, do I lie like a lounge-room lizard
Or do I sing like a bird released?
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, always take the weather, the weather with you
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
You take the weather, the weather with you
(Everywhere you go)
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Take the weather, the weather with you
At Fifty Seven Mount Pleasant Street
Well, it's the same room, but everything's different
You can fight the sleep, but not the dream
Things ain't cookin' in my kitchen
Strange affliction wash over me
Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire
Couldn't conquer the blue sky
Well, there's a small boat made of china
It's going nowhere on the mantelpiece
Well, do I lie like a lounge-room lizard
Or do I sing like a bird released?
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, always take the weather, the weather with you
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
You take the weather, the weather with you
(Everywhere you go)
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you
Everywhere you go, you always take the weather
Take the weather, the weather with you
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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.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Simply stated, that you can't escape your problems.
I love this song so much!
'Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire Couldn't conquer the blue sky' is one of my favourite lines of all times!!!
To me, the song is about having a positive attitude, I find this song so uplifting.
@Maike I must say me too!This line gives me courage.
@Maike I hear the song as it\'s not where you are, who you\'re with it\'s how you feel. That line turns the idea on its head and shows you can instead bring brightness to whatever chaos is around you.
The song is about how you make your own weather. Is it sunny weather? Are you happy? Or is it stormy weather? Is your life a mess? Your life is what you make of it. You always take the weather with you. Simple as that...
Walking 'round the room singing
Stormy Weather Being in a bad mood
At fifty seven Mt. Pleasant St.
Now it's the same room but everything's different Your mood colors everything in the present
You can fight the sleep but not the dream
Things ain't cooking in my kitchen
Strange affliction wash over me Things aren't happy "in my kitchen".
Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire
Couldn't conquer the blue sky It's hard to get out of a funk
There's a small boat made of china
Going nowhere on the mantelpiece Being too fragile to live life
Do I lie like a lounge room lizard
Or do I sing like a bird released Do I choose to be gloomy or do I choose to be enthusiastic about life?
I really like this song, always have. The first half is kind of slow, feels like the period right before the rain comes. Then the song goes into more of a feel good groove remaniscent of the period right after a storm. I could be wrong, That's how it felt when I was younger.
I cant beleive that so little people have commented about this song. This is one of my alltime favourite songs. To me the song is about a sad lover that says evrytime his woman leaves him she takes the away his happiness with her. Maybe he refers to taking the weather as when shes with him theres sun shine (Happiness), when she leaves theres rain (Pain). How's that for an interpretation
Yeah great song, so few comments, i'm surprised too.
The song says something about the frailty of humanity to me with the weather being so awesome and out of human control with the small boat made of china being similar to the human race out in the middle of a dangerous nowhere and getting nowhere.
I think taking the weather with you has something to do with relaxing, letting the world take its course, don't panic, ultimately its all really out of control and i'm so glad it is.
The Finns had a sister who lived in Mount Pleasant Street in Te Awamutu (it wasn't number 57, but that sounded better so they used that).
This is an ace song. I've always looked upon it as the "weather" being memories but thats just me.
This song pumps me up and makes me feel alive. The instrumentation is brilliant.
Simply stated, that you can't escape your problems.