Hootie & the Blowfish formed in 1986. The quartet met when they were freshmen at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the showers of the dorm they shared and was impressed by his vocal ability. They began playing cover tunes as The Wolf Brothers; eventually they collaborated with Felber, a former high school bandmate of Bryan's, and Jim "Soni" Sonefeld as Hootie & the Blowfish.
Brantley Smith was the original drummer for the band. He left the group to pursue music ministry, but he has made scattered guest appearances with the band (he played cello on their MTV Unplugged performance in 1996, and played drums at Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas, on June 27, 2008).
The group independently released two cassette demo EPs in 1991 and 1992. In 1993, they pressed 50,000 copies of a self-released EP, Kootchypop. Their mainstream debut album was Cracked Rear View (1994). It was an instant success, ultimately going platinum 16 times in the U.S. and becoming the best-selling album of 1995. The album was propelled by four hits, "Hold My Hand" (U.S. #10), "Let Her Cry" (U.S. #9), "Only Wanna Be with You" (U.S. #6), and "Time" (U.S. #14). Miami Dolphins' Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino appeared in the band's video for the song "Only Wanna Be with You", along with several other athletes.
The band won the "Best New Artist" award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Hootie & the Blowfish appeared on MTV Unplugged on the eve of the release of their second album, 1996's Fairweather Johnson. Though sales began promisingly, and it contained the hit single "Old Man and Me" (U.S. #13), the album sold four million copies in the U.S.
In 1995, Hootie & the Blowfish contributed the song "Hey Hey What Can I Do" to the Encomium tribute album to Led Zeppelin. Their cover of Canadian group 54-40's "I Go Blind", originally released on the soundtrack to the TV series Friends in 1995, did not appear on Cracked Rear View or Fairweather Johnson, but nevertheless became a hit at radio in 1996 after three singles from Fairweather Johnson had been released. Both "Hey Hey What Can I Do" and "I Go Blind" were later released on the collection Scattered, Smothered and Covered.
Hootie and the Blowfish started their own record label, Breaking Records, in 1996 as a subsidiary of Atlantic. They had planned to focus on signing local Carolina acts. Edwin McCain and Cravin' Melon were both associated with the label at one point, but did not release any material on it. Meat Puppets, Jump, Little Children, Treadmill Trackstar and Treehouse released one album each on Breaking Records. The label folded in 2000.
In 1998, they performed on Frank Wildhorn's concept album of the musical The Civil War.
In 200, the band released a B-sides and rarities compilation in 2000 entitled Scattered, Smothered and Covered.
The band covered the 1968 Orpheus hit "Can't Find the Time" in 2001 for the soundtrack of the Jim Carrey movie, Me, Myself and Irene. Orpheus leader Bruce Arnold performed the song with the band during several concerts on the West Coast of the United States in 2001.
In 2009, Hootie and the Blowfish performed live in a ballet which chronicled their rise and success in the 1990s.
In 2008, Rucker announced in an AOL Sessions interview that Hootie and the Blowfish would be going on hiatus so Rucker could pursue his solo career as a country music performer. Although the band will no longer be recording or touring, Rucker confirmed that they will still perform their scheduled charity concerts, stating, "We have four charity gigs every year and we will still do them, but we will not do a record or tour." Rucker also said that the split will last "for five or six years, or until I record three or four country albums". He later amended his statement, saying, "To be honest with you, we're not even split up right now, and we're not really thinking about splitting up."
Hold My Hand
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll walk upon the water
We'll rise above the mess
With a little peace and some harmony
We'll take the world together
We'll take them by the hand
'Cause I wanna run with you
Yesterday, I saw you standing there
Your head was down, your eyes were red
No comb had touched your hair
I said, get up, and let me see you smile
We'll take a walk together
Walk the road awhile, 'cause
'Cause I've got a hand for you
I've got a hand for you
'Cause I wanna run with you
Won't you let me run with you, yeah
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
(Hold my hand)
I'll take you to a place
Where you can be
(Hold my hand)
Anything you wanna be because
I wanna love you the best that
The best that I can
See I was wasted, and I was wasting time
'Til I thought about your problems
I thought about your crimes
Then I stood up, and then I screamed aloud
I don't wanna be part of your problems
Don't wanna be part of your crowd, no
'Cause I've got a hand for you
I've got a hand for you
'Cause I wanna run with you
Won't you let me run with you
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
(Hold my hand)
I'll take you to the promised land
(Hold my hand)
Maybe we can't change the world but
I wanna love you the best that
The best that I can, yeah
Let me walk, oh won't you let me, let me
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
(Hold my hand)
I'll take you to a place where you can be
(Hold my hand)
Anything you wanna be because
I oh no, no, no, no, no
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
(Hold my hand)
I'll take you to the promised land
(Hold my hand)
Maybe we can't change the world but
I wanna love you the best that
The best that I can
Oh, best that I can
The lyrics to "Hold My Hand" by Hootie & The Blowfish seem to be about the power and importance of love and support. The singer describes how with a little love and tenderness, we can rise above the mess of the world and walk upon the water. He then goes on to say that with peace and harmony, we can take on the world together, taking each other's hands. The chorus repeats the line "I've got a hand for you" and "hold my hand," suggesting that the singer is offering his support to someone who is struggling. The second verse seems to be about the singer realizing that he had been wasting his time until he thought about this person's problems, and then he stood up and offered his support. The song ends with the repeated line, "I wanna love you the best that I can", which emphasizes the importance of love and support in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
With a little love and some tenderness
We'll walk upon the water
We'll rise above the mess
By showing care and kindness towards each other, we can tackle life's challenges with ease and overcome any difficulty.
With a little peace and some harmony
We'll take the world together
We'll take them by the hand
If we can find common ground and work together in unison, we can achieve anything and bring about positive change.
'Cause I've got a hand for you, oh
'Cause I wanna run with you
I am offering you my support and companionship, as I want to be with you and face life's journey together.
Yesterday, I saw you standing there
Your head was down, your eyes were red
No comb had touched your hair
I noticed you feeling down and defeated, with no energy or motivation to take care of yourself.
I said, get up, and let me see you smile
We'll take a walk together
Walk the road awhile, 'cause
I offered you encouragement to get back up and push forward, suggesting that we take a walk together to clear your mind.
Want you to hold my hand
I'll take you to a place
Where you can be
Anything you wanna be because
I wanna love you the best that
The best that I can
By holding hands and offering support, I promise to help you achieve your dreams and be the best version of yourself, because I love you and want the best for you.
See I was wasted, and I was wasting time
'Til I thought about your problems
I thought about your crimes
I was consumed by my own problems and wasting my life away until I realized the gravity of your struggles and hardships.
Then I stood up, and then I screamed aloud
I don't wanna be part of your problems
Don't wanna be part of your crowd, no
I took a stand and refused to be complicit in your problems or the negativity of those around us.
I'll take you to the promised land
Maybe we can't change the world but
I wanna love you the best that
The best that I can, yeah
I promise to guide you to a better place and do my part in making the world a better place, but most importantly, I want to love and care for you as best I can.
Let me walk, oh won't you let me, let me
(Hold my hand)
Want you to hold my hand
Let me accompany you through life's trials and obstacles, asking only that you hold my hand in return.
Oh, best that I can
All I can offer is my best, and I give that to you freely and wholeheartedly.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, Mark Bryan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@skitskitscootypoot2737
"Excuse me I'm sorry, but is anyone else hearing hootie and the blowfish very very softly?"
@Monsoon___
"Yeah, I hear it too... it sounds like it's coming from over here."
@biailwy
Only because my neighbor complains my music is too loud.
@waysilentbob6976
Had to google it, then I remembered! 😂
@MR-TNISNE1
It’s 6am, wife is asleep and I have my earphones on full volume and having breakfast of champions. 👑
@shaunlucas3810
Fucking slayed me 😂😂😂
@tritium1998
The psychedelic South Park daydreaming scene with the first 35 seconds of this song really captures what it's like to fall in love.
@bowelsoftrogdor
I had forgotten about this song until that episode. It was one of my favorite songs growing up. I was born in 83 so it meshed with my teenage angst well lol.
@RushOfGreatness
Haha lol yea I always think of the episode when I hear this song now.
@bumi7082
Which episode ?