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.
Falling Out of Love
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me do the right thing
Let me do the wrong thing
And if it's ever this clear
I will only say it once
So turn the amps way up
So you can hear nothing
Let me go one
Just say what you wanted to say
I cannot stand these talks dear
They only get us nowhere
It's never resolved
We only run around
You always say that anyone could be just like me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
You would go on
Bright Eyes's "Falling Out of Love at This Volume" is a song that explores the complex nature of romantic relationships that have lost their intensity. The lyrics suggest that the singer is aware that their partner has fallen out of love with them and is no longer interested in pursuing the relationship. The singer is seeking clarity from their partner, asking them to be honest about their feelings and desires, even if it means that they will hear things that they don't want to.
The singer's desperation to understand why the relationship has faltered is evident in the lines, "Tell me what you wanted to hear / Let me do the right thing / Let me do the wrong thing." They want to do whatever it takes to save the relationship, even if it means making mistakes or going against their instincts. However, the singer recognizes that the situation is not black and white, and that there may not be a clear explanation for why their partner has fallen out of love.
The chorus of the song, "If it's ever this clear / I will only say it once / So turn the amps way up / So you can hear nothing / And if I die tonight then I guess I die tonight," suggests that the singer has given up trying to control the situation and is willing to face the truth, even if it is painful. The desperation in the lyrics highlights the emotional complexity of relationships that have fallen out of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me what you wanted to hear
Please tell me what you wished I would say
Let me do the right thing
Allow me to act altruistically and honorably
Let me do the wrong thing
Permit me the opportunity to act selfishly or deviously
And if it's ever this clear
And if circumstances are ever this unmistakable
I will only say it once
I will utter it only one time
So turn the amps way up
Amplify the volume of the singers
So you can hear nothing
So you can block out all external sound
And if I die tonight then I guess I die tonight
And if my life ends tonight, then so be it
Let me go one
Allow me to speak plainly
Just say what you wanted to say
Express what you truly wish to communicate
I cannot stand these talks dear
I find these discussions unbearable, my love
They only get us nowhere
They simply lead us down fruitless paths
It's never resolved
It's never truly settled
We only run around
It always feels like we're going in circles
You always say that anyone could be just like me
You frequently claim that there are many others who could be similar to me
If it was a different time and a different place to be
If the circumstances had been different
You would go on
You would continue to live and move forward, regardless
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Matthew Mohri
@Shea This song inspired what I just wrote. Not sure what to call this one.
"You can talk in circles
About a love song that never
Pans out
I'll talk in multiple dimensions
I've visited on the Astral Plane
To give you keys to freedoms
You never knew existed
Space and distance
Our consciousness
Is resistance
To breaking chains
We were taught to embrace
Sadie Perry
Conor’s music has always and will always carry me throughout my life. At every point in this timeline of ours, he has created a song for it. I am forever grateful.
Digital_Urn
Yeah yeah yeah we know
Kayla
Perfectly said. 🥲💙
Nathan Mays
So on point for me too…. I like this version more than the original too!
Jan-Michael
Same.
Chris Denton
Bright Eyes has been the one constant on my list of five or six albums which I have on constant repeat at any given time, and usually it's two or even three bright eyes albums. Up until I heard nothing gets crossed out when I was 20 in 2001, I didn't know that anyone else alive felt like I did and I sobbed for hours afterwards. Now, of course, I know that everyone feels the feels and such but i feel like I only know that because Connor and bright eyes taught me how to be a human. And it's amazing how the songs have constantly transformed and seem to not only have something new to show me but are always immediately relevant to my life. I have it that is because of the authenticity and vulnerability in which they were birthed which enables them to be almost perfect mirrors enabling us each to truly see ourselves and grow in that clarity.
how-to-get-over-the-rainbow
I was skating with the 4star company they made hoodies mostly custom for friends and we all were 16-19 it was great bright eyes stars coco rose and cloud cult tons of grind core my buddy had a band oh captain oh captain I didn't even know it but it was all happening over and over and I finally calm down get a year or two to myself and it seems like I forgot what I was after this hole time I don't know if I want anything again not if it's at the cost of someone else I keep hearing I'm my head the wolf has eyes of pay and the cow eyes for hay but I don't Wana be the killer and Im definitely not into being the pray so where does that really leave me there are lots of different kinds of merchants merchants of poison , time , sword ,sheld I think I was just happy ignorantly doing what made me feel idk what I want or where I'm going but I know that bright eyes was a punk rock some that changed me I'm not sure if it it's what I'll really what in the end but I'm happy I'm not ignoring the world around me anymore I know my actions hurt no matter what but idk where do go if all I can do is step on egg shells maybe if I do it like die hard and go bare foot so it hurt me and the one leaving all the egg shells it's not like I can't just clean my feet later right
Brian Stewart
Always had a soft spot for the original.
This, however, is an unexpected delight.
Full band arrangement to full potential👌🏻
daniel de saussure
i swear this is my fucking favorite song, i’m still speechless. I love you guys, a lot. 💗
Joseph Boyer
Love this! Thank you for re-recording!