Post by Fox in the Snow on Jun 19, 2024 2:52:02 GMT
"Fan video" made by Naomi Yang (Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi) for Neutral Milk Hotel's "Naomi", which was written about her
Your prettiness is seeping through
Out from the dress I took from you
So pretty (from you)
And my emptiness is swollen shut
Always a wretch - I have become
So empty
And please, please don't leave me
I'm watching Naomi, full bloom
I'm hoping she will soon explode
Into one billion tastes and tunes
One billion angels come and hold her down
They could hold her down until she shines
I'm tasting Naomi's perfume
It tastes like shit and I must say
She comes and goes most afternoons
One billion lovers wave and love her now
They could love her now and so could I
There is no Naomi in view
She walks through Cambridge stocks and strolls
And if she only really knew
One billion angels could come and save her soul
They could save her soul
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
So pretty
So pretty
So pretty
So pretty
And please, please don't leave me
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTU3NzQ2N2MtMjhhMC00MmU2LTg1MjAtYmI2ODhmOWJlZTAxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDYzNTc5ODM@._V1_.jpg)
Naomi Yang on “Naomi”
How do you direct a video for a song that was written about you?
The first member of Neutral Milk Hotel I met was saw player Julian Koster. Our bands were each playing the psychedelic Terrastock festival, and Julian approached me like a mischievous sprite, just as he appears onstage. “We want you to have our record,” he said. “The song ‘Naomi’ is about you.”
I was charmed by the album and by the band in all its raucous joy, but wasn’t sure about the namesake song. The lyrics seemed sweet but disquieting—a fan letter with a dark edge. Then, years later, in anticipation of a retrospective box set release, I made a music video for “Naomi” with the blessing of the band.
Neutral Milk Hotel had by then become enormously popular—and had probably received a fair amount of obsessive fan letters themselves. I thought about taking back ownership of a fan’s infatuation. I filmed myself lip syncing the song—inhabiting the very lyrics that had been written about me. I photographed personal objects that a fan of mine might recognize: my bass, a dress I had performed in, spiral earrings I had worn—actively creating my own iconography. And, as a subtle reply to the original “fan letter,” I included an object that references Jeff Mangum’s own fan idolatry: a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank.
Now it has been 26 years since I was handed that first LP, and 11 years since I made the “Naomi” video. I have come to know all the band members as especially lovely people, and I am no longer at all unsettled by the song “Naomi.” I am truly honored that it was written.
—Naomi Yang
January 2023
How do you direct a video for a song that was written about you?
The first member of Neutral Milk Hotel I met was saw player Julian Koster. Our bands were each playing the psychedelic Terrastock festival, and Julian approached me like a mischievous sprite, just as he appears onstage. “We want you to have our record,” he said. “The song ‘Naomi’ is about you.”
I was charmed by the album and by the band in all its raucous joy, but wasn’t sure about the namesake song. The lyrics seemed sweet but disquieting—a fan letter with a dark edge. Then, years later, in anticipation of a retrospective box set release, I made a music video for “Naomi” with the blessing of the band.
Neutral Milk Hotel had by then become enormously popular—and had probably received a fair amount of obsessive fan letters themselves. I thought about taking back ownership of a fan’s infatuation. I filmed myself lip syncing the song—inhabiting the very lyrics that had been written about me. I photographed personal objects that a fan of mine might recognize: my bass, a dress I had performed in, spiral earrings I had worn—actively creating my own iconography. And, as a subtle reply to the original “fan letter,” I included an object that references Jeff Mangum’s own fan idolatry: a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank.
Now it has been 26 years since I was handed that first LP, and 11 years since I made the “Naomi” video. I have come to know all the band members as especially lovely people, and I am no longer at all unsettled by the song “Naomi.” I am truly honored that it was written.
—Naomi Yang
January 2023
Your prettiness is seeping through
Out from the dress I took from you
So pretty (from you)
And my emptiness is swollen shut
Always a wretch - I have become
So empty
And please, please don't leave me
I'm watching Naomi, full bloom
I'm hoping she will soon explode
Into one billion tastes and tunes
One billion angels come and hold her down
They could hold her down until she shines
I'm tasting Naomi's perfume
It tastes like shit and I must say
She comes and goes most afternoons
One billion lovers wave and love her now
They could love her now and so could I
There is no Naomi in view
She walks through Cambridge stocks and strolls
And if she only really knew
One billion angels could come and save her soul
They could save her soul
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
Until she shines
So pretty
So pretty
So pretty
So pretty
And please, please don't leave me
![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTU3NzQ2N2MtMjhhMC00MmU2LTg1MjAtYmI2ODhmOWJlZTAxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDYzNTc5ODM@._V1_.jpg)