The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
2025-03-18
These really are love songs and there are exactly 69 of them. And they are all brilliant. It is an insanely ambitious project but they pull it off perfectly.
Even now, some 26-ish years after it was released, I still find new lyrical and musical gems in there. Stephin Merritt’s writing on the topic of love is completely unparalleled to this day. He has this humorous, hopeless, naive yet insightful and self-reflecting style that makes his lyrics simultaneously hilarious and way too close for comfort. I could list hundreds of examples but it should really be experienced.
Musically the album is incredibly diverse too ranging from odd, faux-improvized “jazz” over medieval-style folk and to indie/synth-pop. Weirdly enough the multitude of genres does not make the album seem incoherent or disjointed, quite the opposite. Every song feels like it belongs exactly where it is. And while Stephin Merritt’s chops as a lyricist are often the main focus when people are singing his praises, his skills as a songwriter are rock solid as well.
Listen
- Underwear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofkNRcAV0jk
- I Don’t Believe in the Sun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu6hEcJM4WY
- Acoustic Guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD6JbtugKDY