Formed in 1984 by high-school friends Sammy Llanas and Kurt Neumann, the Bo… Read Full Bio ↴Formed in 1984 by high-school friends Sammy Llanas and Kurt Neumann, the BoDeans mixed Midwestern roots rock with elements of adult contemporary pop, fashioning a sound that earned critical acclaim during the '80s and commercial recognition during the following decade. Llanas and Neumann fronted the group by sharing vocal and guitar duties, while bassist Bob Griffin and drummer Guy Hoffman populated the rhythm section. Although based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the BoDeans began building an audience 20 miles east in Milwaukee, and their success in that town helped gain them a contract with Slash Records, with manufacturing and distribution handled by Warner Bros.

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.

What It Feels Like
BoDeans Lyrics

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Meet, some girls every once in a while
But it's always the same
Start out walkin' on a sunny day
And you end up caught in the rain
Well, I'm lookin' for somethin' that I ain't known
Lookin' for somethin that's rollin' home

What it feels like

Wanna know, what it feels like
Yea, yea, what it feels like
To be in love, really be in love

This and that and the other thing
Don't mean nothin' to me
Just for once, for once in my life
I wanna be able to see
Holdin' your hand, lookin' in your eye
I don't know the reason why

What it feels like
Wanna know, what it feels like
Yea, yea, what it feels like
To be in love, really be in love

And I don't wanna say, that it's now
Or it's never, but I've waited so long
For someone who will be more than a lover, yea, yea

Oh yea, what it feels like
Wanna know, what it feels like
Yea, yea, what it feels like
To be in love, oh yea

What it feels like, to be in love

Whoa, to be in love
Yea, to be in love, oh yea

Overall Meaning

The BoDeans' "What It Feels Like" tells the story of a man searching for love. He's tired of meaningless relationships and wants to experience what it feels like to be truly in love. He meets girls occasionally, but it's always the same, they start walking on sunny days and end up caught in the rain, a metaphor for the relationship difficulties he's experienced. He doesn't want just any kind of love, he's looking for something he's never known, something that feels like it's rolling home.

The singer expresses that he is tired of shallow life experiences that don't mean anything. He's ready to love someone and wants to know every aspect of them, their hopes and dreams, everything. He is looking for something that he can't quite describe, something that can only be found in true love. He has waited so long for love, that he's not sure if it will ever come, but he holds onto hope.

The song captures the desperation and longing for love in a beautiful, raw way. The singer wants to feel the warmth of a true, deep romantic connection. The refrain "What it feels like, Wanna know, what it feels like, To be in love, really be in love" emphasizes the central theme of the song, that the singer is longing for a certain feeling of love, one that he has not yet experienced.

Line by Line Meaning

Meet, some girls every once in a while
I occasionally meet girls

But it's always the same
But they all end up being the same

Start out walkin' on a sunny day
Begin the relationship happy

And you end up caught in the rain
But it always ends badly

Well, I'm lookin' for somethin' that I ain't known
I want something I haven't experienced

Lookin' for somethin that's rollin' home
Looking for something that feels like home

What it feels like
I want to know what love really feels like

Wanna know, what it feels like
I really want to know what love feels like

Yea, yea, what it feels like
Yes, that's what I want to know

To be in love, really be in love
To be truly in love with someone

This and that and the other thing
Other things don't matter