Current members of Blue October include Justin Furstenfeld (lead vocals), Ryan Delahoussaye (violin/viola, mandolin, keyboards, and vocals), Jeremy Furstenfeld (drums, percussion), Matt Noveskey (bass guitar) and Will Knaak (guitar).
Popularized by their platinum-certified album Foiled (2006), which features the hit singles “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean,” the group has continued to evolve… shifting from a far more pensive sound to one that is more optimistic and reflective of lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Justin Furstenfeld’s transformation—which will also be the focus of his soon-to-be-released documentary film, I Want It.
Once known for their stormy dynamic and self-destructive tendencies, Blue October couldn’t be more distinct from the band it once was, which is why their latest studio album, I Hope You’re Happy, looks to push the envelope even further with a whole new approach. Justin Furstenfeld is quoted as saying "I think Blue October should never be limited to the instruments we have in the band. I’m always about bringing in whoever can play what’s best for the song in. I’m also a huge fan of Peter Gabriel, and if you were to him all you can have is a guitarist a bassist and a drummer, he’d go “what?!” That’s how I feel. We took all the tools we had gotten from working all these kinds of people over the twenty-year span and made a really good album and we’re super proud of it. It’s nice and colorful and positive and universally themed. It’s something you can really sink your teeth into and not get sick of. You can always discover little new secrets about it along the way."
Their latest album, I Hope You're Happy, was released on August 17, 2018 on the band's own Up/Down Records label and was produced by Justin Furstenfeld and engineer Eric Holtz.
Previous band members have included Liz Mulally, Brant Coulter, Dwayne Casey, Piper Dagnino, Julian Mandrake, CB Hudson and Matthew Ostrander.
Blue October has an official site www.blueoctober.com/.
For the British band, please see Blue October UK
Somebody
Blue October Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Held me by my feet and let me go
I fell between the seat, but nothing broke
I've yet to feel that brilliant afterglow
The one I knew of years ago
Now I'm twisted
Twisted from the waist and spun around
Promised only sky but given ground
The clown I knew of months ago
[Chorus]
I only wanted to be somebody
So fucking bad, I came unglued
I only wanted to be somebody
So here we are now, face to face
And I'm fucking you
So you caught me!
Wishing I were better than the rest
You hit me and left bruises on my chest
And when I wouldn't cheat
I spit upon your test
The test I tore up weeks ago
And now my fist is
My fist is for your face to cock the jaw
When I begin to rise, you start to fall
Now you know how it feels to drop the ball
The ball I threw back days ago
[Chorus]
So I'll just stand right here for now
I should have won, but how?
I break a smart ass grin
Who let the loser win?
Let's break a smart ass grin
Let's let the losers win!
In Blue October's "Somebody," the singer confronts a former lover who he felt didn't treat him well enough. The song seems to be about wanting to be seen as somebody important and meaningful, but being mistreated and humiliated instead. The first verse uses a metaphor of falling between the seats of a car to describe feeling overlooked and forgotten. The singer then mentions feeling "twisted" and disillusioned, realizing that promises made to him were not kept, and that everything was just an act or performance.
In the chorus, the singer explains that all he wanted was to be somebody, so badly that he came "unglued" or lost control, and ultimately feels like he failed. The second verse describes how the singer was physically abused and tested, but refused to give in, tearing up the test that was given to him. He then becomes aggressive, saying that he will punch his former lover in the face and that they will feel what it's like to "drop the ball" or fail. The song ends with the singer seeming to shrug off the situation, asking who let the loser win and suggesting that sometimes, it's better to just embrace being a smartass loser.
Line by Line Meaning
So you dropped me
You let me go, but held me by my feet. I fell between the seat, but nothing broke. I haven't felt the same way as before.
I've yet to feel that brilliant afterglow
I haven't felt that amazing feeling again that I used to feel years ago.
Now I'm twisted
I'm contorted from the waist and spun around. I was promised the sky but given the ground. I now understand that what I thought was real and true, wasn't.
The clown I knew of months ago
I used to act like a clown months ago, not realizing how fake I was being.
I only wanted to be somebody
I wanted to be someone important, so badly that I lost control.
So here we are now, face to face
Now we're facing each other, with nowhere to hide.
And I'm fucking you
I'm dominating you, taking what I want.
So you caught me!
You found out that I wished I were better than others. You hurt me and left bruises on my chest. When I didn't want to cheat, I spat on your test--the same one I tore up weeks ago.
The ball I threw back days ago
You now know how it feels to fail, just like how I felt when I failed to achieve what I wanted days ago.
So I'll just stand right here for now
I'm staying where I am for now.
I should have won, but how?
I thought I would win, but things didn't go as planned.
Who let the loser win?
Who allowed the loser (me) to win?
Let's break a smart ass grin
Let's smile and laugh without caring what others think.
Let's let the losers win!
Let's give the losers a chance to succeed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLIFTON GEORGE BAILEY, PAUL CROSSDALE, DONALD DENNIS, MELBOURNE GEORGE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BlizzardBeaches
on Congratulations
Spent many nights in 2006 crying myself to sleep listening to this song from Blue October's Foiled album. Although different than the interpreted mean, It helped me realize that often times a relationship is dead long before it's over.