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."
Leaving
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rode home on my bicycle
The night was warm and it was June
Charleston gets so hot so soon
It reminded me of leaving
Walked into a crowded room
Looked around for a place to stand
Reminded me of you
Reminded me of leaving, this evening
Reminded me of leaving,
Reminded me of you
Stood so near the ocean
Wearing only your birthday suits
We were tripping eight miles high
Shooting stars, your blue disguise
Reminded me of leaving, this evening
Reminded me of leaving, just breathing
Reminded me of leaving...
I was a little lost
The song "Leaving" by Hootie & The Blowfish is about the feeling of being lost and trying to find a way to move on from past experiences and relationships. The singer reflects on memories of leaving, feeling like he is still stuck in those moments even though time has passed.
The first verse starts with the singer riding home on his bicycle one warm night in June in Charleston. He feels lost and uncertain, which is reflected in the empty streets and his solitary journey. He is reminded of the feeling of leaving, which is both liberating and lonely.
In the second verse, the singer walks into a crowded room and feels like an outsider. He looks around for a place to stand and sees unfamiliar faces, which reminds him of the person he left behind. He is reminded of the feeling of leaving, which is bittersweet and full of memories.
The chorus speaks to the singer's sense of disconnection and longing. He stands near the ocean and remembers a time when he was with someone special, both of them naked and carefree. But even in that moment of beauty and freedom, he is reminded of leaving and the pain of loss. The shooting stars and blue sky remind him of the impermanence of things.
Overall, the song "Leaving" is a nostalgic and wistful reflection on the feeling of leaving and the lasting impact it can have on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a little lost
I felt directionless or uncertain about life
Rode home on my bicycle
I used my bike to travel home
The night was warm and it was June
It was a warm night in the month of June
Charleston gets so hot so soon
The city Charleston starts getting very hot early in the summer
It reminded me of leaving
The heat reminded me of a past time when I left something/someone behind
Walked into a crowded room
I entered a room where many people were present
Looked around for a place to stand
I sought a spot to position myself amidst the crowd
Everyone I did not know, and knew
I encountered both strangers and people I knew in the room
Reminded me of you
Being in that space with strangers and acquaintances made me think of you and our past experiences
Reminded me of leaving, this evening
Being amongst strangers in a room brought back memories of leaving you in the past, during a similar evening
Reminded me of leaving,
Similar feelings of nostalgia and longing for you surfaced
Reminded me of you
The context made me miss you and my time with you
Stood so near the ocean
I stood very close to the sea
Wearing only your birthday suits
We were both naked
We were tripping eight miles high
We were experiencing heightened sensations
Shooting stars, your blue disguise
The stars and your blue clothing were visually appealing
Reminded me of leaving, this evening
The beauty of the seaside and our closeness brought back memories of leaving each other during an evening
Reminded me of leaving, just breathing
The environment triggered memories of an experience we shared, and all I could think of was that it felt good simply to be alive
Reminded me of leaving...
My thoughts and emotions were focused on leaving you once again
Lyrics © CAPPAL BEAG MUSIC
Written by: JIMMY KEANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind