When Stephin Merritt started The Magnetic Fields in the late '80s, his tastes spanned everything from New Zealand indie rock to post-punk synth-pop. But soon, traces of ABBA and Dionne Warwick were appearing in his increasingly literate, tuneful songs. Long before the epic 69 Love Songs, Merritt's admiration of the Great American Songbook and classic pop and jazz performers permeated his work.