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.
Going for the Gold
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Telling what had happened,
Some kind of confusion
More like a disaster.
And it wondered how you were left unaffected,
But you had no knowledge.
No, the chemicals covered you.
As more liquor was poured.
No need for conviction,
They're not thirsting for justice.
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head.
I found out I was guilty.
I found out I was guilty.
But I won't be around for the sentencing,
Cause I'm leaving
On the next airplane.
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
They seem adequate to fill up my time.
But if I could talk to myself
Like I was someone else,
Well then maybe I could take your advice,
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time.
There's a film on the wall,
Makes the people look small
Who are sitting beside it,
All consumed in the drama.
They must return to their lives once the hero has died.
They will drive to the office
Stopping somewhere for coffee,
Where the folk singers, poets and playwrights convene,
Dispensing their wisdom,
Oh dear amateur orators.
They will detail their pain
In some standard refrain.
They will recite their sadness
Like it's some kind of contest.
Well, if it is, I think I am winning it,
All beaming with confidence
As I make my final lap.
The gold medal gleams
So hang it around my neck
Cause I am deserving it:
The champion of idiots.
But a kid carries his walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha.
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin.
Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her,
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes.
Now to me, everything else, it just sounds like a lie
The lyrics to Bright Eyes' song Going for the Gold are about the aftermath of a tragic event, possibly a disaster or accident. The singer receives a call with news of what happened and wonders why they were left untouched by it. They come to realize that they played a part in the event and are guilty but are leaving town before they can be held accountable. They question their actions and wonder if they could have done things differently.
The second verse describes the people around the singer who are consumed by drama and must return to their mundane lives. The mention of folk singers, poets, and playwrights suggests a sense of pretension and the concept of performing one's pain for an audience. The singer then describes their own struggles and feelings of inadequacy. They detail how they feel like they are winning the "contest" of sadness and are deserving of the gold medal, but acknowledges that in reality, they are just playing the part of the "champion of idiots." The final lines of the song suggest a contrast between the singer's own struggles and the purity of music, which they see as a way to express deep emotion and truth.
Overall, the song explores themes of guilt, regret, and the struggle to find meaning in a chaotic world. The imagery of the gold medal and the concept of competition highlights the idea that our society values competition and success over empathy and compassion.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a voice on the phone
The story of what happened was relayed through a phone call
Telling what had happened,
The phone call conveyed news of a disaster or major confusion
Some kind of confusion
The event that occurred was hard to comprehend
More like a disaster.
The event was catastrophic
And it wondered how you were left unaffected,
The artist couldn't understand why someone else was not affected by the event
But you had no knowledge.
The person was unaware of what happened
No, the chemicals covered you.
The person was under the influence of drugs or alcohol
So a jury was formed
A group of people passed judgment
As more liquor was poured.
Alcohol continued to be consumed
No need for conviction,
The outcome was predetermined
They're not thirsting for justice.
The people involved did not care about finding the truth or causing justice to be served
But I slept with the lies I keep inside my head.
The artist has been keeping secrets and withholding the truth
I found out I was guilty.
The singer has realized their wrongdoing
But I won't be around for the sentencing,
The singer has chosen to leave before they are held accountable
Cause I'm leaving
The singer is choosing to physically depart
On the next airplane.
The artist is taking a flight out
And though I know that my actions are impossible to justify
The artist realizes that nothing can excuse their actions
They seem adequate to fill up my time.
The singer was able to occupy themselves with their wrongdoing
But if I could talk to myself
The singer wishes they could have spoken to themselves earlier to avoid making a mistake
Like I was someone else,
The artist wishes they could be objective like they would be to someone else
Well then maybe I could take your advice,
The artist is open to correction
And I wouldn't act like such an asshole all the time.
The artist acknowledges being inappropriate and would like to change
There's a film on the wall,
A movie is being projected on the wall
Makes the people look small
The movie depicts the characters as minor and insignificant
Who are sitting beside it,
Those watching the movie
All consumed in the drama.
The movie has captured their attention
They must return to their lives once the hero has died.
Once the movie has ended, viewers will return to real life
They will drive to the office
The viewers will go to work
Stopping somewhere for coffee,
The viewers may stop to get coffee
Where the folk singers, poets and playwrights convene,
The coffee shop caters to a creative crowd
Dispensing their wisdom,
The creative types may be sharing their perspectives or insights
Oh dear amateur orators.
The artists may not be professionals, but they are still trying to convey their ideas
They will detail their pain
The artists may be sharing about painful experiences
In some standard refrain.
Their dialogue may be similar or follow typical patterns
They will recite their sadness
More expression of sorrow and personal pain
Like it's some kind of contest.
The artists seem to be trying to one-up each other with their emotional pain
Well, if it is, I think I am winning it,
The singer feels that they have the most intense pain or the toughest life story
All beaming with confidence
The singer says this with pride, perhaps as if they’ve found power in their misery
As I make my final lap.
The singer is getting ready to end their competition, they’ve been around the track before
The gold medal gleams
The artist is confident about their victory in this “contest”
So hang it around my neck
The artist wants others to acknowledge their “win” and celebrate it
Cause I am deserving it:
The singer feels they have worked hard to own their pain and deserve applause or recognition for it
The champion of idiots.
The singer acknowledges that they won at a “competition” that nobody should be proud to compete in or win, and so they are the “champion of idiots” for trying to make their pain something to be proud of
But a kid carries his walkman on that long bus ride to Omaha.
The idea is presented as a contrast to the supposed “wisdom” of the previous conversation, as something simple and plain. A kid carrying their music with them, finding comfort outside of intense self-respect competitions
I know a girl who cries when she practices violin.
Another contrast to the previous condescending dialogues about pain. The hollowness of these emotional compeitions is clear here. A girl is pouring real emotion and struggle into her music, something not worth comparing to simple stories and clichéd expressions of sorrow
Cause each note sounds so pure, it just cuts into her,
Music here is depicted as a powerful and visceral experience for this musician. Something that is given its power by how honest and intense it can be, in a way that the competition for affirmation can never be.
And then the melody comes pouring out her eyes.
The depth of connection and feeling is so strong it moves the musician to tears
Now to me, everything else, it just sounds like a lie
The artist is allowing the contrast above to shine light on how everything else - in the earlier conversations, but potentially elsewhere too - doesn’t hold the same passion and truth.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: OBERST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind