Saddle Creek also released Letting Off the Happiness in November 1998, a ten-track record that boasted a much more focused and clear sound than the previous album. According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for the Working Class, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Of Montreal. It was predominantly recorded in the Oberst family basement in Omaha on an analog eight track reel to reel; with some work also done at keyboardist Andy Lemaster's Athens, GA studio. Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, June on the West Coast is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals. Padraic My Prince gives a dramatic fictional account of the death of Oberst's imagined baby brother.
In 2000 Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors, a demonstration of the immense improvement in production quality and musical vision of the band. New instruments such as flute, piano, and accordion were introduced into the song arrangements. After An Attempt to Tip the Scales, a mock radio interview takes place. The mock radio interview features Todd Fink of The Faint doing an impression of Conor Oberst while reading a script that Oberst wrote. The man interviewing is Matt Silcock, a former member of Lullaby for the Working Class. In this interview, the fake Oberst intentionally presents a strange, contradictory explanation of his attitude towards his music. The interview acknowledges criticisms of his lyrics as overblown and insincere, which had begun to appear as the popularity of the band increased, but responds by stating that the lyrics are meant for personal interpretation. In a 'real' interview with KittyMagik.com, Oberst stated about the mock one: "It was a way to make fun of ourselves because the record is such a downer. I mean, that's one part of who I am, but I also like laughing and fucking around."
2002 saw the release of Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, and since then Oberst has released an almost constant stream of new material on collaborative EPs, split singles, tribute albums, and charity records. He ventured into the studio with Nebraska folk-pop outfit Tilly And The Wall, co-producing their debut album Wild Like Children and released it on his newly established record label, Team Love.
January 2005 saw the release of two albums: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, which is a country-tinged mélange of Conor’s finest acoustic songs, featuring guest vocal appearances from Emmylou Harris and Jim James of My Morning Jacket; and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, which is a more produced, electronic album featuring cameo appearances by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
One single from each album, Take It Easy (Love Nothing) from Digital Ash and Lua from I'm Wide Awake took the top two slots on Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, the first time for any artist since 1997.
As had become expected of Bright Eyes recordings, the albums feature an array of talented comrades including members of Rilo Kiley, Tilly And The Wall, Cursive, Now Its Overhead, The Good Life, Azure Ray, The Faint, The Bruces, Neva Dinova, The Postal Service and Audrye Sessions.
In October 2006, Bright Eyes released a compilation of rare tracks called Noise Floor: Rarities 1998-2005.
Bright Eyes released their sixth studio album called Cassadaga on April 9, 2007, preceded by an EP entitled Four Winds on March 6, 2007.
A further 25-30 tracks have been recorded in Portland, Oregon and New York City, with another session planned in Omaha, Nebraska. Some of these tracks had already been performed at live shows.
On February 15, 2011, the band released their seventh studio album, The People's Key.
On June 22, 2020, they released Down In The Weeds Where The World Once Was, their first album on Dead Oceans after a long history with Saddle Creek.
Black Comedy
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So here I stand expressionless but my memories intact
I guess the past is good for a laugh
A comedy so dry and black it makes my stomach hurt so bad
Well two thumbs up we give this one despite its predictable ending
The dialogue seemed rushed and wrong
But the actors did their best
The saddest sound we ever heard
We sang along
We sang it "take this weight away"
We sang it "take this weight away" (we're singin')
We're singin' "take this weight away away away"
The lyrics to Bright Eyes & Neva Dinova’s song “Black Comedy” describe a situation where the singer gave a look to someone they liked and expected the look to be reciprocated but it never was. Despite this, the singer still retains their memories of that moment, and they reflect on how the past can sometimes be funny in a dark way. The image of a “comedy so dry and black it makes my stomach hurt so bad” suggests that the singer is in pain, but they find some sort of solace in the absurdity of it all.
The second verse seems to be a commentary on a piece of art, possibly a movie or play, that the singer and others have watched. Though the plot may have been predictable and the dialogue felt off, the actors still did their best to infuse meaning into every line, creating a sort of poignant moment akin to “coffins dropped into the earth.” The repetition of “We sang it ‘take this weight away’” at the end ties the two verses together, suggesting that the singer is seeking some sort of release from the emotional baggage they carry with them.
Overall, “Black Comedy” seems to be about finding humor and meaning in sadness, and how sometimes the most moving moments of art can be found in the most unexpected places.
Line by Line Meaning
Well once I gave a look to you but you never gave it back
I looked at you, but you didn't look back at me.
So here I stand expressionless but my memories intact
I'm standing here with no emotion, but I still remember everything.
I guess the past is good for a laugh
The past can be funny in a strange way.
A comedy so dry and black it makes my stomach hurt so bad
The kind of humor in the past can be so upsetting that it makes me physically ill.
Well two thumbs up we give this one despite its predictable ending
Even though we knew how it would end, we still approve of it.
The dialogue seemed rushed and wrong
The conversation seemed hurried and was not right.
But the actors did their best
The performers tried their hardest despite the difficulties.
To lay some worth on every word like coffins dropped into the earth
They put a lot of meaning into every word, almost like burying something.
The saddest sound we ever heard
This is the most sorrowful sound we've ever heard.
We sang along
We were singing with the song.
We sang it "take this weight away"
In the song, we sang, "take this weight away".
We sang it "take this weight away" (we're singin')
We're singing, "take this weight away".
We're singin' "take this weight away away away"
We're singing "take this weight away" over and over.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Switch
Once I gave a look to you
But you never gave it back
So here I stand expressionless
But my memory's intact
I guess the past is good for a laugh
A comedy so dry and black
That it makes my stomach hurt so bad, I cried
So two thumbs up we give this one
Despite it's predictable ending
The dialogue seemed rushed and wrong
But the actors did their best
To lay some worth on every word
Like coffins dropped into the earth
The saddest song we ever heard
We sang along, we sang it:
Take this weight away
Take this weight away...
Ange Stella
This song has been on repeat for me for 4 days straight now. It's so perfect.
Save Sin City
I had this EP for YEARS before i finally started to listen/appreciate it. Now it's one of my favorite albums of all time, can listen to it from start to finish and enjoy the fuck out of every song <3 Especially this one and Tripped
el rancho
same thing happened to me with the people's key, cheers
Championette
road 2 joy
Me too... now it’s one of my favorites!! 💜
Championette
Save Sin City
Fantastic!! 🖤
TraffickingInsights
One of their best releases!
Switch
Once I gave a look to you
But you never gave it back
So here I stand expressionless
But my memory's intact
I guess the past is good for a laugh
A comedy so dry and black
That it makes my stomach hurt so bad, I cried
So two thumbs up we give this one
Despite it's predictable ending
The dialogue seemed rushed and wrong
But the actors did their best
To lay some worth on every word
Like coffins dropped into the earth
The saddest song we ever heard
We sang along, we sang it:
Take this weight away
Take this weight away...
sarah jamack
i adore this song so much
Marcus aka the commonwealth coldly
Im more of a something vague guy ps del shannon your hell o i dont have a heaven maybe vicki williams on coke- a beagle
Marcus aka the commonwealth coldly
Ps linda your fbi uhhhhh