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."
One By One
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In my family say
"we've never been anywhere"
"to the left sea
can we go please
we don't care we want to
sit and stare at it"
can we try
to hold up our head
feel the power of the land that we trampled once
can we go
where you go
we know you always need us behind
it's me it's me
calling around looking for your reply
let me tell you where the story
can run to now
we came together
we will leave here one by one
let's go on and remember
where we've been
aunt Inez
from Virginia she
makes me feel like I could be president
of all I see
and all I dream
in these eyes that have held so much punishment
we came together
we will leave here one by one
let's go on and remember
where we've been
When she laughs
I hold up my head
She makes me feel like I could walk on water now
Can she go
Where I go
I know I'll always need her behind
we came together
we will leave here one by one
let's go on and remember
where we've been
In the song "One by One" by Hootie & The Blowfish, the band sings about family and their desire to travel and see the world. Three members of the family have never been anywhere and request to go to the left sea just so they could sit and stare at it. The family asks if they can try to hold their heads up and feel the power of the land that they once trampled. They want to follow the singer wherever he goes, but he reminds them that they need to stay behind, and he'll always need them there. The singer is searching for a reply to his call as he asks the family to come together and remember where they've been.
The lyrics seem to be about the importance of family and how they get through the ups and downs in life. The family has never been anywhere, but they want to see the world and experience new things. The singer tells his family that they should remember where they've been and cherish the times they have together.
Overall, the song encourages us to embrace our roots, family, and memories while still looking forward to new experiences and adventures.
Line by Line Meaning
Three
The singer is referring to three members of their family.
In my family say
The singer states that what they are about to say is something their family members have said before.
"we've never been anywhere"
Their family has not traveled or been to many places.
"to the left sea
can we go please
we don't care we want to
sit and stare at it"
The artist is requesting to see the sea on the left and that they don't care from which position they look at it.
can we try
to hold up our head
feel the power of the land that we trampled once
The artist is asking if they can raise their heads and feel the strength of the land they once conquered.
can we go
where you go
we know you always need us behind
The singer asks if they can go wherever the person being addressed goes, as they know that they are always needed to follow and support.
it's me it's me
calling around looking for your reply
let me tell you where the story
can run to now
The singer is retelling a story and is waiting for a response from someone else, who they will then tell where the story can go from there.
we came together
we will leave here one by one
let's go on and remember
where we've been
The artist and their group of friends came together and will eventually leave separately, but they want to remember the places they have been together.
aunt Inez
from Virginia she
makes me feel like I could be president
The artist's aunt Inez, from Virginia, makes them feel empowered and capable of achieving anything, even being the president.
of all I see
and all I dream
in these eyes that have held so much punishment
The artist has been through a great deal of difficulty and the things they see and dream of are a result of those experiences.
When she laughs
I hold up my head
She makes me feel like I could walk on water now
The laughter of someone, likely the person being addressed, makes the singer feel invincible and capable of anything.
Can she go
Where I go
I know I'll always need her behind
The artist is asking if the person being addressed can follow them wherever they go, as they know that they will always need their support.
we came together
we will leave here one by one
let's go on and remember
where we've been
The singer and their group of friends came together and will eventually leave separately, but they want to remember the places they have been together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARIUS RUCKER, DEAN FELBER, JIM SONEFELD, MARK BRYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind