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.
Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move
Gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove
Ah-ah, child, way ya shake that thing
Gon' make you burn, gon' make you sting
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, can't keep away
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
I gotta roll, can't stand still
Got a flamin' heart, can't get my fill
With eyes that shine, burnin' red
Dreams of you all through my head
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah
Hey, baby, whoa, baby, my pretty baby
Darlin,' make 'em do it now
Hey baby, oh, my baby, my pretty baby
Move the way you're doin' now
Didn't take too long 'fore I found out
What people mean by down and out
Spent my money, took my car
Started tellin' her friends she gon' be a star
I don't know, but I been told
A big-legged woman ain't got no soul
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
All I ask for, all I pray
Steady rollin' woman gon' come my way
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
Won't tell me no lies, make me a happy man
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah
Gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove
Ah-ah, child, way ya shake that thing
Gon' make you burn, gon' make you sting
Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way
Watch your honey drip, can't keep away
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
I gotta roll, can't stand still
Got a flamin' heart, can't get my fill
With eyes that shine, burnin' red
Dreams of you all through my head
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah
Hey, baby, whoa, baby, my pretty baby
Darlin,' make 'em do it now
Hey baby, oh, my baby, my pretty baby
Move the way you're doin' now
Didn't take too long 'fore I found out
What people mean by down and out
Spent my money, took my car
Started tellin' her friends she gon' be a star
I don't know, but I been told
A big-legged woman ain't got no soul
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
All I ask for, all I pray
Steady rollin' woman gon' come my way
Need a woman gonna hold my hand
Won't tell me no lies, make me a happy man
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah
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Love in a Vacuum
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
you guys are crazy, this is just like most rock songs, it doesnt have a true meaning just about a how when a guy sees a hot chick and how he is feeling its not meant to have a deep meaning to it, and blackbird is right about how they got the name
@IMJM4371 in the American truck driving world, the drivers frequently reported seeing a "Blackdog" right before a catastrophic accident! That was my "handle" on the C. B. , I could never figure out why they would never respond back after they heard my handle!
Simple story about a girl, like a lot of their songs. This one he was really attracted to, then she shut him down. Where he says "down and out" is where he gets rejected. And yes, the name has nothing at all to do with the the song, just like a good half of their songs. Moby Dick anyone?
@gimpyx2k I don\'t think so, in the later part of the song he\'s singing bout how she took his money and shit, so she obviously at minimum got close to him.
To somebody who isn't familiar with Led Zep's history, interviews and other such things, the meaning of this song seems pretty obvious.
Verse 1: He meets a woman he's extremely turned on by.
Verse 2: He learns the hard way she's just using him (for money, fame, etc).
Verse 3: He says he wants a woman who will be a true companion to him and make him happy.
Many guys have dated a girl that they were crazy about physically only to end up heartbroken because she was psychotic and selfish (myself in included).
In this song, the guy is depressed about getting used by a hot chick for his money, car and fame. Now he wishes he had an honest woman who actually loved him and could make him happy (aka no longer depressed).
Hence the title "Black Dog", which is a well-known term in England: "The Black Dog has been used as a metaphor for depression from antiquity to the present day"
@sadchild I don\'t blame Women for using men this way, the only reason Men like "hot chicks" is for their looks, and once those are gone so are the Men.
"Big legged woman ain't got no soul" comes from an old blues tune called "Big Legged Woman." It was originally released by Brownie McGhee in 1946.
The first verse reads:
Big Legged woman now, where have you been? I ain't had no livin' now, since God knows when Aaah, big legged woman tell me where have you been? I ain't had no livin' yeah, since God knows when
Like many of Zeppelin's lyrics, it was stolen from an old blues song and no credit was given to the author.
IT'S TRUE - Check out the beginning intro of the song, before Plant starts singing. Page creates a "dog panting" sound with the guitar.. another reference to Plant relating to a 'Black Dog' in heat.
@last_falling <br /> i believe that page called it "The awakening of the guitar army" or something like that
Rap??? brokenrecall, you've got your time-line all messed up! This track pre-dates Rap by 25 years! The style is much more reminiscent of DELTA BLUES. Muddy Waters sometimes belted out lyrics one line at a time between riffs in the same manner. And just because Plant's lyrics rhyme... that doesn't make it Rap! It's Zeppelin Blues, and that's BLOOZ with a twist of lemon from those ultra-talented limey lemon-squeezers!!!
It is all about trying to get a hot woman with long legs and having sex with her.
In British culture, black dogs is kind of a mythical destructive being. What the song is talking about is a woman who was at first attractive, but took his money and car, just used him. So in this case, the woman would be the "black dog" or destructive force the song is named after.
@adtrav ,\r\nThe song is called black dog because of a black dog that was hanging around the studio where it was recorded. It has nothing to do with any mythical destructive being.
i wonder if there is any relation between the title and the black dog of British folklore explained here
pantheon.org/articles/b/black_dog.html
i
ve heard the thing about the title coming from the fact that there was a black dog on the grounds of the recording studio, and that is probably true, but i cant help but think that the mythological black dog is perhaps being referenced here in some way. in british folklore these creatures are highly destructive, perhaps a parallel between women who lie and the destructive Black Dog is being made.i think this song is great!! and i think that the title was inspired by the black dog running through the studio or whatever... and perhaps its in relation to a girl.. it makes sense to me... its a typical rock song..