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
Weaknesses
Blue October Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their ugly faces
On a day to day basis
Stay calm and try to see this
I'm always sensitive relaxing
Always delicately asking
But I can't seem to fly away
Felling tall, small, sick of it all
Felling tall, small, sick of it all
And all I want to do is say
How to cook up pride?
Well if you live in your behavior
It will slide a different flavor
And how to change my mind?
Well if you break up all the candy
Gently slip it within my brandy
But I can't seem to fly away
Felling tall, small, sick of it all
And all I want do is cry and fly away
Feeling tall, small, sick of it all
And all I want to do is fly away
Feeling tall, small, sick of it all
And all I want, and all I want
And all I want, and all I want
And all I want, and all I want is you
Hold your candle high
Well if they jeopardize your meaning
You must strike upon their ceiling
If I'm right then who am I?
Well I'm simply just that candy
You slipped within my brandy
Well I can't seem to fly
I can't seem to fly
I can't seem to fly away
Feeling tall, small, sick of it all
And if he says then it's my calling
I fly away
Felling dull, small, sick of it all
And all I want to do is say
The lyrics of Blue October’s song Weaknesses bear the theme of the singer’s emotional vulnerability, as he tries to cope with his weaknesses on a daily basis. The lines “My weaknesses with their ugly faces” portrays how the singer sees his weaknesses as grotesque features, while the line “Stay calm and try to see this” indicates that he is trying to deal with them in a calm and rational manner. However, the lyrics reveal that it's difficult for him to hide his emotional sensitivity, and he is always seeking to relax himself. He feels small, sick, and tired of everything around him and wants to escape, captured in the line “All I want to do is fly away.”
The line “How to cook up pride?” questioning how to boost self-esteem implies the singer's struggle to find the confidence within himself. He suggests that external effort needs to be made in the line “If you break up all the candy gently slip it within my brandy,” as if it were a metaphor for sweetening up someone’s spirit. The idea that 'holding your candle high' is essential to protect oneself from those who mean to harm can be seen in the line “Well if they jeopardize your meaning you must strike upon their ceiling”. The singer realizes that he cannot run away from his problems and must confront them, as depicted in “If I'm right then who am I? Well, I'm merely just that candy you slipped into my brandy.”
Line by Line Meaning
My weaknesses
The things that make me vulnerable and exposed
With their ugly faces
They are unattractive and hard to look at
On a day to day basis
Every single day and in every aspect of my life
Stay calm and try to see this
I need to remain composed and take a step back to analyze the situation
I'm always sensitive relaxing
I am always easily affected by things and I need to calm down
Always delicately asking
I approach situations with tact and care
But I can't seem to fly away
I am stuck and can't seem to get away from my problems
Felling tall, small, sick of it all
I feel both confident and small and I am tired of everything
And all I want do is cry, fly away
I want to break down and escape from everything
How to cook up pride?
How do I build confidence?
Well if you live in your behavior
If I act in a certain way and make it my regular behavior
It will slide a different flavor
It will become a new and unique way of doing things
And how to change my mind?
How do I shift my perspective?
Well if you break up all the candy
If you break down the problem into smaller parts
Gently slip it within my brandy
Slowly introduce the new perspective into my way of thinking
Hold your candle high
Stand up for what you believe in and don't back down
Well if they jeopardize your meaning
If someone threatens your values and beliefs
You must strike upon their ceiling
You need to push back and assert yourself
If I'm right then who am I?
If my beliefs are correct, then who am I without them?
Well I'm simply just that candy
I am just the sum of my beliefs and values
Feeling dull, small, sick of it all
I feel bored, insignificant, and tired of everything
And if he says then it's my calling
If someone tells me what to do, then it must be my destiny
And all I want to do is say
All I want to do is speak up and be heard
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JUSTIN FURSTENFELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sluggish_unkindled
Aboslutley hands down my favorite blue october song! I know its wishful thinking but one day I hope they try and re capture this sound from the earlier albums. A sad punkish folkish mashup of beautiful poetry.
Sean Murphy
I'd love him to do an acoustic version of this