Vanilla Twilight by Owl City

Album: Ocean Eyes (2009)

Charted: 72

License This Song

lyrics

Songfacts®:

This is the follow-up single to synthpop act Owl City's chart-topper "Fireflies."
This touching ode to love lost is about Adam Young's (a.k.a. Owl City) high school girlfriend who moved away. In an interview with Buzzgrinder on August 20, 2009, Young explained: "I met the most charming girl imaginable when I was in high school and most of my 'cozy' songs are about her. She moved away to college for a few years and we kind of lost touch. She and I recently started talking to each other again and life has a way of reshaping sometimes. I'm absolutely crazy about her."
Young told The Sun February 12, 2010: "That song is probably the oldest on the album. I wrote it when I first started in 2007 and I kept on tweaking it. When I need a ballad for the album, I switched some words around and it fitted perfectly."

Comments: 8

Fizzo_24 from Dar Es SalaamOne of the best songs ever!! I love it
Ryan from San Jose, Ca@Ariana: This is what I think about the "pour me a heavy dose of atmosphere" line: The first line of this song is "The stars lean down to kiss you / And I lie awake and miss you," so in this song I think he's saying that the stars, sky, atmosphere, etc. provide some kind of closeness and intimacy to the speaker's lost love. In that sense, I believe the speaker, in his longing and loneliness, is wanting that same closeness and intimacy since his love is gone, so he wants someone to "pour me a heavy does of atmosphere." He wants that same comfort since he can't be with her. Maybe since the stars (atmosphere) do it for her, if they do it for him, it may provide some kind of connection to his lost love. He says right after, "'Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly," meaning the comfort from the "atmosphere" will help him to sleep, but of course he'll still "miss your arms around me." I think the line is the speaker's way of trying to find comfort, closeness, and intimacy so he can ease his loneliness and longing for his lost love.
Nichelle from Novi, MiI Love Him!
Devin from Santa Cruz, CaJohn that made me smile! That's the sweetest thing ever. I wish the best for you guys!
This song is absolutely amazing. My favorite line is "the silence isn't so bad, til I look at my hands and feel sad cuz the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly"
Ariana from Hooper, Neah! that is really sweet! i wish you guys the best to!
Ariana from Hooper, Newhat does "poor me a heavy dose of atmosphere mean?
Jessica from Gaithersburg, MdJohn..that is the sweeeeetest thing ever!! wish you and your highschool sweetheart the best!
John Slatton from Concord, Nhmy highschool girlfriend wanted to be a police officer,so she went to college, as i was in boot for the marine corps. i wrote her everyday, and she normally would write back... i gaduated boot, and went to visit her at her college in my Marine Dress Blues. Though it was the wrong, college, she graduated. I was deployed, stationed in afghanistan, and when i had got back, she was there with my family, in her police officer uniform. And man, did she look good?!?! She works for NCPD. We live together now, living and enjoying our lives. So, baby, if you read this, I'm in love with you Soooooo much. And I can honestly say... that I missed you in Afghanistan. I dedicate this song to you, hun. This is our wedding song!!

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Uncle John's BandGrateful Dead

There's a lot of Americana in "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead, including references to "Buckdancer's Choice" (an Appalachian folk song) and "Fire And Ice," a Robert Frost poem.

Yellow LedbetterPearl Jam

Eddie Vedder often changes the words when he sings "Yellow Ledbetter." The basic story is about a guy whose brother dies in the first Gulf War. Apparently, bad news in the army is delivered in yellow envelopes.

WomanKesha

Kesha's 2017 track "Woman" was the first song titled "Woman" sung by a woman to reach the Hot 100. The prior "Woman" singles to reach the chart were all recorded by male acts.

Detroit Rock CityKiss

Kiss sing about "movin' fast on 95" in "Detroit Rock City," but I-95 doesn't go through Detroit (I-75 does) so they published the lyric as "Movin' fast, doin' 95."

Rock of AgesDef Leppard

The "Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen" intro in Def Leppard's "Rock Of Ages" is something their producer Mutt Lange came up with when he got tired of counting them "1, 2, 3, 4..."

CruiseFlorida Georgia Line

Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" spent 24 weeks on top of the Country chart - the most ever until Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" was #1 for 34 weeks. The record was previously held by Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (1947-48), Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On" (1950-51) and Webb Pierce's "In the Jailhouse Now" (1955), which each led for 21 weeks.

Editor's Picks

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.