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.
Tereza and Tomas
Bright Eyes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's sail away past the birth and death of the day
Let's sail away to where the blues
And greens swirl into gray, let's sail away
Let's sail away past the cradle of these waves
Let's sail away past the tide and its slow decay
Let's sail away to where the water goes
Take only what you need, my love
And leave the rest behind
Don't be afraid of where we go, my love
I promise you will be fine
Now, you are the only one that's mine
Let's sail away past the reflections of the light
Let's sail away floating weightless through the night
Let's sail away like a photograph
Fading to all white, it's finally alright
Forget all the mistakes, my love
They won't be made again
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love
We no longer need them
We both know where we've been
Let's sail away disappearing in a mist
Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss
Or vanish from a road somewhere
Like Tereza and Tomas suspended in this bliss
The song "Tereza and Tomas" by Bright Eyes is a melancholic yet beautiful tribute to the love of two individuals. The lyrics express a desire to escape from the chaos and noise of everyday life and sail away to a serene and tranquil place. The song's title is taken from Milan Kundera's novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," which tells a story of a woman named Tereza and a man named Tomas, and explores their love affair during the political upheaval of 1968 in Prague.
The lyrics of this song are poetic and use imagery to help the listener envision the feeling of escape that the singer envisions. There is a sense of recklessness in the way the lyrics suggest throwing caution to the wind and embarking on a journey, leaving everything behind to start anew. The singer seems to be urging his lover to take only what she needs, leave the past behind and not be apprehensive of what the future might hold.
The final lines "Let's sail away disappearing in a mist, Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss, Or vanish from a road somewhere" refers to the two lovers in Kundera's novel who lose their lives in a car accident. The song ends with the idea that the couple, like Tereza and Tomas, may disappear from the world, but it is ultimately all right, as their love will endure.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's sail away past the noise of the bay
Let's escape the distractions and commotion of our current surroundings
Let's sail away past the birth and death of the day
Let's leave behind the cycles and routines of daily life
Let's sail away to where the blues
And greens swirl into gray, let's sail away
Let's head towards a place where contrasts and distinctions dissolve
Let's sail away past the cradle of these waves
Let's move beyond the origin and beginning of our journey
Let's sail away past the tide and its slow decay
Let's leave behind the natural processes that shape our surroundings
Let's sail away to where the water goes
Some endless open space, let's sail away
Let's navigate towards a place that represents freedom and infinite possibilities
Take only what you need, my love
And leave the rest behind
We don't need anything beyond the essentials to be happy
Don't be afraid of where we go, my love
I promise you will be fine
Don't worry about the unknown and trust me to lead you to a good place
Now, you are the only one that's mine
Our bond is special and unique
Let's sail away past the reflections of the light
Let's leave the illusions and appearances of things behind
Let's sail away floating weightless through the night
Let's move freely without any burdens or constraints
Let's sail away like a photograph
Fading to all white, it's finally alright
Let's embrace a sense of peace and acceptance as we move towards the unknown
Forget all the mistakes, my love
They won't be made again
Let's leave our past errors and regrets behind because they need not be repeated
Leave the photos in the drawer, my love
We no longer need them
Let's move beyond our past and not get stuck in nostalgia
We both know where we've been
Our shared experiences have brought us to this moment
Let's sail away disappearing in a mist
Let's move into the unknown with a sense of mystery and wonder
Let's sail away with a whisper and a kiss
Let's cherish each other in this moment and hold onto our love
Or vanish from a road somewhere
Like Tereza and Tomas suspended in this bliss
Let's transcend our current reality and explore new possibilities like the characters Tereza and Tomas did in Milan Kundera's novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind