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.
Southern State
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hung round like echoes
Or ripples on a pond
So you circled the globe
Spent a year on the road
Without ever going home
More than a couple of days
Then you leave right away
But you like how she sings
And you can't help but think
That there's something that she knows
And could teach you
Well you're sleeping in that southern state
Where the bars are filled
With people you can't hate
But try as you try
You still can't relate to them
You drink that whiskey down
As they ask you:
Are you who you say you are?
The fact that we can't tell
Makes us like you even more
So now you're trying again
Or just visiting friends
One had just had his heart broke
For the first time in his life
He realized there are times
When you can't make it alone
So now you are giving advice
As if you had the right
To use a word like love
It's a negotiable term
What gets said's not what is heard
So it's different then for everyone
But you've been hanging
Around that college town
With your new life
Your new lover you found
And you are keeping her up at night
Bringing her down
She'll watch you drink yourself to death
But won't ask you
Is this really what you want?
Or are you just sticking with it now
Cause it's all you got?
In Bright Eyes’ song True Blue, Conor Oberst sings about the life of a musician and the constant traveling, which makes it hard to connect with people and maintain relationships. The lyrics describe the singer’s journey around the world, where he meets a girl who teaches him new things, but he has to leave her to continue his travels. He then finds himself sleeping in a southern state, surrounded by people he can’t relate to. Even though they question his identity, the fact that they can’t discern who he really is draws them closer to him. The singer then finds himself trying to offer advice to a friend who recently experienced a heartbreak. He tries to use the word “love” even though he doesn’t feel qualified to define it. The final verses of the song reveal that the singer has found a new lover and is living in a college town, but his lifestyle is taking a toll on him as he drinks himself to death. Although his partner can see the damage being done, she refuses to question his choices as she believes that he knows what he’s doing.
Overall, True Blue’s lyrics touch on the themes of isolation, identity, and relationships. The singer of the song is constantly moving, never staying in one place for too long, which makes it hard to maintain relationships with people. The songs he writes and sings are like echoes, circles that never really connect. The people he meets ask him if he is who he says he is, which highlights his struggle to establish a solid identity that isn’t defined solely by his music. The song touches on how love is a complicated and personal concept that can’t be easily defined or explained. The repetition of the phrase “true blue” might appear to be meant in the sense of loyalty, but its meaning is open-ended, allowing listeners to draw their interpretations based on their experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the songs you sung spiraled
Your music spread like a spiral to different parts of the world
And hung round like echoes
Your music lingered in people's minds like echoes
Or ripples on a pond
Your music caused a ripple effect in the world
So you circled the globe
You traveled across the world
Spent a year on the road
You spent a year traveling and performing
Without ever going home
You didn't ever return home
More than a couple of days
You didn't stay in one place for too long
Then you leave right away
You always left quickly
Run to a girl you barely know
You visit a girl you just met
But you like how she sings
You appreciate her singing voice
And you can't help but think
You feel she has knowledge to offer you
That there's something that she knows
You believe she has valuable information to share
And could teach you
You want to learn from her
Well you're sleeping in that southern state
You're staying in a southern state
Where the bars are filled
The bars are crowded
With people you can't hate
You don't hate the people surrounding you
But try as you try
Even so you struggle
You still can't relate to them
You don't feel a strong connection to them
You drink that whiskey down
You drink whiskey
As they ask you:
They ask you a question
Are you who you say you are?
They question your identity
The fact that we can't tell
They can't determine your true identity
Makes us like you even more
They appreciate your mysterious persona
So now you're trying again
You're attempting something new
Or just visiting friends
You're visiting your friends
One had just had his heart broke
One of your friends recently had a heartbreak
For the first time in his life
This is a new experience for him
He realized there are times
He comprehends there are moments
When you can't make it alone
You can't always succeed on your own
So now you are giving advice
You're offering guidance
As if you had the right
You speak as if you're knowledgeable
To use a word like love
You feel entitled to mention love
It's a negotiable term
Love is subjective and open to interpretation
What gets said's not what is heard
What is told may not be what is understood
So it's different then for everyone
Love is individual and experienced differently by each person
But you've been hanging
You've been spending time
Around that college town
In that university city
With your new life
With your new way of living
Your new lover you found
The person you're in love with now
And you are keeping her up at night
Your behavior is affecting her sleep
Bringing her down
Making her feel unhappy
She'll watch you drink yourself to death
She'll observe and allow you to harm yourself with alcohol
But won't ask you
She won't inquire
Is this really what you want?
Questioning if this is truly what you desire
Or are you just sticking with it now
Continuing what you're doing out of habit or necessity
Cause it's all you got?
Continuing because you feel you have no other options
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Conor Oberst
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind