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.
Few Minutes on Friday
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I wait until the weekend comes
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I count the days until she arrives
Those precious minutes when she is mine
As we walk from my front door to her car
We are so close and alone
Of others company
There is too much company
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her
Exactly how I feel
I count the ways that I might say it
But I know that none of them will work because
She won't feel the same
I've come this far
But I can't go through with it because the truth would hurt
Too much
This hurts too much
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
And I will stay here in these dead plains
And try to make a seed grow
And I would pray for rain
If I thought that that would help
The lyrics to Bright Eyes's "Few Minutes on Friday" tell a story of a longing for connection and the struggles of opening up to someone you care about. The singer waits eagerly for the weekend when they can spend time with someone special who helps fill the emptiness of their day-to-day life. They count down the days until they can be in the same space and savor the moments they get to spend together, even if it's just a few precious minutes.
The singer describes the closeness and intimacy they share during those moments, but also acknowledges the looming reality that they will soon be surrounded by others and forced to hide behind a facade of wounded pride. The singer struggles to express their feelings and fears rejection, believing deep down that their love will never be reciprocated.
The final verses express the pain felt when the person they long for must leave - returning to the west coast to indulge in the sunshine while the singer remains in their "dead plains". The final lines express a sense of desperation and longing, as they wish for something as simple as rain to bring growth and change into their life.
Overall, the lyrics of "Few Minutes on Friday" convey a sense of yearning and isolation, as the singer grapples with their own emotional limitations and struggles to find connection with others.
Line by Line Meaning
She kills, with foreign films, the emptiness of day to day
She fills the void of my mundane life by watching foreign films
And I wait until the weekend comes
I eagerly anticipate the weekend to spend time with her
So I can clear this uselessness from my brain
I look forward to spending time with her to forget about my daily struggles
I count the days until she arrives
I keep track of the days until she comes to see me
Those precious minutes when she is mine
The brief moments that she is mine are valuable to me
As we walk from my front door to her car
The short distance we walk together is intimate and special
We are so close and alone
We are intimately close to each other
But that will disappear in a room filled with the warmth
Our intimate closeness will end when we enter a room filled with other people
Of others company
The warmth of other people's presence surrounds us
There is too much company
The presence of too many other people is overwhelming
I hide my wounded pride and stare off into the other cars
I conceal my feelings of embarrassment and gaze at the other cars
If I could just speak the words to tell her
If only I could express my feelings of love to her
Exactly how I feel
My emotions are complicated and difficult to articulate
I count the ways that I might say it
I consider various ways to express my feelings of love to her
But I know that none of them will work because
I am aware that my attempts to express my love will not succeed
She won't feel the same
She does not reciprocate my feelings of love
I've come this far
I have invested significant time and energy into our relationship
But I can't go through with it because the truth would hurt
I am unable to confess my love to her because I fear rejection
Too much
The emotional pain of rejection would be unbearable
She goes back to the west coast to drink in the sunshine
She leaves to return to the west coast to enjoy the sun
And I will stay here in these dead plains
I remain in this dull, uneventful place
And try to make a seed grow
I attempt to create something significant in my life
And I would pray for rain
I search for hope and positivity in my life
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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