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.
Smoke Without Fire
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The welcome here is endless
These fears of yours, like painted whores
They will not stay the night
If all your life you've done what's right
Don't say you felt obliged
Too shy to tell your story?
This pain in you so far removed
From anything you've known
So I won't condone another moan
When everything is fine
So when in drought, learn to dance
And pray the dead would return
Dream smoke without fire
Just come see me again when it burns
Somewhere along the way
Well, I was led astray
By a wolf in no one's clothing
It was a brilliant disguise
And I forgot that life existed
I thought it was just some kind of game
That's what brings me to your doorstep
Though I don't know why I came today
Standing still in the dust
Giving up on the rain
As with smoke without fire
I've already laid in the flames
I've already laid in the flames
Brother, be afraid of the flames
In Bright Eyes's Smoke Without Fire, the song starts with the singer inviting a weary friend to come in and stay, offering an endless welcome. The song suggests that the person's fears are like painted whores, meaning they are not real and won't stay the night. The character is asked not to say that they felt obliged to do the right thing all their life. In the next verse, the singer is inviting the friend to open up and tell their story. They acknowledge that the person's pain is not something they've known but also warns them not to moan about it because everything is fine.
The chorus is a shift from the narrative and talks about smoke without fire, suggesting that the dreams the person has are without any substance or reality. The singer invites the person to come to him when the smoke finally burns. The next stanza reveals that the singer was led astray by someone in disguise, making him forget that life existed as something other than a game. That's why he came to the friend's doorstep, but he doesn't know why he came. The song ends with the singer admitting that he's already laid in the flames, and the friend should be afraid of them.
Overall, the song offers a lot of ambiguity and can be confusing at times. It talks about pain, fear, suppression, and the harm caused by not opening up to people. The notion of smoke without fire could be interpreted in many ways, but it seems to refer to dreams or aspirations without any action or follow-through. It is a song full of poetic language that can play on many emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on in, my weary friend
Entering my abode, my dear friend who appears tired
The welcome here is endless
You will be greeted with a friendly and open reception that never stops
These fears of yours, like painted whores
Your anxieties are like call-girls with makeup shells that will not remain overnight
They will not stay the night
They are temporary and not permanent in your life
If all your life you've done what's right
If you have lived by moral and ethical standards throughout your life
Don't say you felt obliged
Do not feel obligated to stick with that way of life
Come on along, is your timid tongue
Please do not hesitate, join me with your inherent bashfulness
Too shy to tell your story?
Are you too introverted to communicate your narrative to others?
This pain in you so far removed
Your distress is significantly distant from what you have ever experienced
From anything you've known
Your affliction is incomprehensible to you
So I won't condone another moan
I cannot defend or tolerate another sad or doleful sound coming from you
When everything is fine
When everything else is satisfactory and perfect
So when in drought, learn to dance
When you encounter challenges and roadblocks, adjust your strategy and keep on moving
And pray the dead would return
Hope for the impossible or improbable to transpire
Dream smoke without fire
A wishful aspiration that will not materialize
Just come see me again when it burns
If the dream ever becomes a reality, come back to me to share your experience
Somewhere along the way
At some point in the past or on this journey
Well, I was led astray
I was misdirected or misguided
By a wolf in no one's clothing
By a concealed and deceptively disguised individual
It was a brilliant disguise
The camouflage was cleverly designed and executed
And I forgot that life existed
I overlooked or ignored the meaning and purpose of living
I thought it was just some kind of game
I perceived reality as nothing more than a frivolous contest
That's what brings me to your doorstep
The reason for my visitation is encapsulated in that realization
Though I don't know why I came today
However, I am unsure of my motivation for showing up today
Standing still in the dust
Motionless in a stagnant and idle state
Giving up on the rain
Abandoning hope on any future prospects
As with smoke without fire
Similarly with a non-existent source of combustion
I've already laid in the flames
I have already been engulfed by the fire
I've already laid in the flames
Again, I have already been engulfed by the fire
Brother, be afraid of the flames
Friend, you should fear the blaze
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: OBERST, WARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Madi Vallarino
THIS BAND IS FUCKING AWESOME. got me through the hardest part of my life so far. It'll always be close to me
Flinch Fu
One of the best lyricists alive, imo.
Hannah Carroll
Bright Eyes + M.Ward = Amazing
Haylee Deuth
This is lovely <3
Alicia Munoz
Does anyone else consider this the most beautiful song they've heard?
Glenn Joyce
That title belongs to "Do You Realize??" from The Flaming Lips
Sam Kassim
it is
Steven Ray Morris
Best M. Ward guest shot.
James Doyle
Steven Ray Morris STEVEN!
Rubini Grace
Always hurts and heals. Always