The BoDeans worked with T-Bone Burnett on their debut album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, which appeared in 1986 to warm reviews. They recruited another big-name producer, Talking Head Jerry Harrison, to helm 1987's Outside Looking In, which found the band reduced to a trio after the departure of Hoffman. Outside Looking In broke into the Billboard Top 100, and the BoDeans grew their audience by touring alongside U2, appearing on Robbie Robertson's self-titled solo album, and receiving the honor of Best New Band by Rolling Stone magazine. By the time they released their third album, Home, in 1989, keyboardist Michael Ramos and drummer Danny Gayol had joined. This lineup stayed intact for the release of 1991's Black and White, but the BoDeans went without a drummer once again on their next recording, Go Slow Down.
Following the release of a double-disc live album, Joe Dirt Car, the band returned in 1996 with Blend. Around the time of Blend's release, "Closer to Free" -- a song that had originally appeared on 1993's Go Slow Down -- became a hit, due in large part to its exposure as the theme song for the TV show Party of Five. "Closer to Free" eventually cracked the Top 20, becoming the most successful single of the band's career. The BoDeans were arguably more popular than ever, but the band took a break during the late '90s, with both frontmen devoting time to their solo careers.
By 2004, the band had reconvened and signed with a new label, Zoe. Resolution was released that year, followed in 2005 by Homebrewed: Live from the Pabst. Griffin left the group in 2006 and was replaced by Eric Holden, who appeared on 2008's Still. By this point, the bandmates had found a new home on 429 Records, and they remained with that label for the release of Mr. Sad Clown in 2010 and Indigo Dreams in 2011. That same year saw the departure of Llanas, citing "differences of opinion." The band's 11th studio album, American Made, arrived the following year on the band's own Free & Alive label, and was the first with Neumann as sole leader. The BoDeans toured extensively in support of the release, and in 2014 began work on their next studio project. Released in 2015, I Cant Stop featured a new BoDeans lineup anchored by Neumann, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Sam Hawksley, bassist Eric Holden, and drummer Kenny Aronoff, the latter a well-respected journeyman musician who had played on several BoDeans recording sessions in the '90s. In June 2016, the BoDeans brought out a single, "My Hometown," with the release benefiting the Milwaukee County Historical Society. The single was a preview of the group's next album; titled Thirteen, the 11-song set was released in April 2017.
Hearing
BoDeans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have each night
I try to run
My feet hold tight
So I dig my hands
Into the ground
Call your name
But you're not hearing
You're not hearing
You're not hearing
What I say
Hey hey hey
Not a word I say
Hey hey hey
Not a word I say
It's like the streets
Of New York City
A million people
Moving through me
I see you there
You're in Times Square
I call down Broadway
But you don't turn my way
But you're not hearing
You're not hearing
You're not hearing
What I say
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Not a word I say
If I could climb
The highest mountain
If I could scream
Your name out loud
You think the sound
Could make the distance
To where your heart
Is living now?
But you're not hearing
You're not hearing
You're not hearing
What I say
But you're not hearing
You're not hearing
You're not hearing
What I say
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Not a word I say
But you're not hearing
You're not hearing
You're not hearing
What I say
The song "Hearing" by BoDeans is about trying to communicate with someone who is not listening. The lyrics use metaphors of a dream, the streets of New York City, and climbing a mountain to illustrate the feeling of attempting to reach out to someone who is unresponsive. The first verse states that the singer has a recurring dream where they are trying to escape or run from something, but their feet won't move. In this dream, the singer calls out to the person they are trying to escape with, but they are not listening. The second verse uses the bustling, crowded streets of New York City as a metaphor for the feeling of being surrounded by people but still feeling alone. The singer sees the person they want to communicate with in Times Square, but calling out to them on Broadway doesn't get their attention. The final verse introduces the idea of climbing a mountain and screaming the person's name, but even then, they are not hearing what the singer has to say.
Overall, the song explores the universal theme of trying to connect with others and the frustration that can come from feeling unheard. The lyrics suggest a feeling of isolation and helplessness in the face of communication breakdowns.
Line by Line Meaning
It's like the dream
The feeling is similar to my recurring dream every night
I have each night
Which I experience on a daily basis
I try to run
I attempt to escape
My feet hold tight
But my feet won't move me away
So I dig my hands
Therefore, I dig my fingers
Into the ground
Into the mud beneath me
Call your name
And shout your name
Turn around
Twirl around and look for you
But you're not hearing
However, you're not paying attention
What I say
No matter what I say
Hey hey hey
Repeated for emphasis
Not a word I say
You don't listen to anything I say
It's like the streets
It's similar to the bustling streets
Of New York City
Of a crowded city like New York
A million people
Teeming crowds of humanity
Moving through me
Pressing against me in motion
I see you there
I catch a glimpse of you
You're in Times Square
In the middle of Times Square
I call down Broadway
I shout down Broadway
But you don't turn my way
But you don't seem to notice me
If I could climb
If I could ascend to the top
The highest mountain
Of the highest peak the world has known
If I could scream
If I could release the biggest scream
Your name out loud
Your name from the depths of my soul
You think the sound
Perhaps the sound of my voice
Could make the distance
Could travel the distance
To where your heart
To where your emotions
Is living now?
Reside right now?
But you're not hearing
Still, you're not listening
What I say
Regardless of what I say
Hey hey hey
Repeated for emphasis
Hey hey hey
Emphasized by repetition
Not a word I say
You don't hear a thing that I say
But you're not hearing
Nevertheless, you're not attentive
You're not hearing
You are not critical enough
You're not hearing
You are oblivious to what I am saying
What I say
Even though I'm putting my heart into my words
Contributed by Camilla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.