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 Love
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause falling in love just makes me blue.
Well the music plays and you display your heart for me to see,
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me.
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
Well the room is crowded, people everywhere
And I wonder should I offer you a chair?
Well if you sit down with this old clown,
I think that we could make it,
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
Well the night does funny things inside a man.
These old tomcat feelings you don't understand,
Well I turn around to look at you; you light a cigarette,
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met.
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
I can see that you are lonesome just like me,
And it being late, you'd like some some company.
Well I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me,
The guy you're with has up and split the chair next to you's free.
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me.
Now it's closing time, the music's fading out.
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout.
Well I turn around to look at you; you're nowhere to be found,
I search the place for your lost face,
Guess I'll have another round.
And I think that I just fell in love with you
The song 'One Love' by Hootie & The Blowfish explores the fear of falling in love with someone. The opening lines, "Well I hope that I don't fall in love with you. 'cause falling in love just makes me blue." set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer expresses their apprehension about falling in love with someone. They believe that love makes them sad and depressed. Throughout the song, the singer observes a woman with whom they share a connection. They have a brief encounter with her, but they do not want to fall in love with her.
The song is structured around the different stages of a night out at a bar. It begins when the music starts playing, and the woman catches the attention of the singer. The song progresses as they sit down to talk and share a drink. However, as the night wears on, the group of people around them grows larger, and the singer starts to feel a sense of unease. The night ends with the realization that they may have lost their chance with the woman, and they are left contemplating whether or not they have fallen in love with her.
Overall, the song is a reflection of the fear of rejection and the pain of an unrequited love. The singer faces the decision to open themselves up to the possibility of love and face the risk of being hurt or to stay guarded and avoid an emotional connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
The singer fears falling in love as it brings sadness.
'cause falling in love just makes me blue.
The singer believes that falling in love causes one to become sad.
Well the music plays and you display your heart for me to see,
The singer sees the person's heart through their actions and emotions on the dance floor.
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me.
The singer hears the person's voice after drinking a beer.
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
The singer repeats their fear of falling in love with the person.
Well the room is crowded, people everywhere
The setting of the song is a crowded room with many people.
And I wonder should I offer you a chair?
The singer considers offering the person a seat.
Well if you sit down with this old clown,
The singer refers to himself as a clown, trying to make the person laugh.
Take that frown and break it, before the evening's gone away,
The singer wants to cheer up the person before the night ends.
I think that we could make it,
The singer believes that he and the person could have a good time together.
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
The singer repeats their fear of falling in love with the person who could be a potential good time.
Well the night does funny things inside a man.
The singer believes that the night causes strange, unpredictable feelings in people.
These old tomcat feelings you don't understand,
The singer refers to the person as not understanding his emotions.
Well I turn around to look at you; you light a cigarette,
The person lights a cigarette as the singer glances at them.
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we've never met.
The singer admits to wanting a cigarette from the person but is too shy.
And I hope that I don't fall in love with you.
The singer repeats their fear of falling in love with the person.
I can see that you are lonesome just like me,
The singer observes that the person is also feeling lonely.
And it being late, you'd like some company.
The singer believes that the person wants someone to spend time with.
Well I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me,
The singer and the person make eye contact.
The guy you're with has up and split the chair next to you's free.
The person's date has left, leaving an empty seat next to them.
And I hope that you don't fall in love with me.
The singer expresses fear that the person will fall in love with him.
Now it's closing time, the music's fading out.
The night is ending, and the music is coming to a close.
Last call for drinks, I'll have another stout.
The singer orders another drink before the bar closes.
Well I turn around to look at you; you're nowhere to be found,
The person has disappeared from the singer's sight.
I search the place for your lost face,
The singer looks for the person's face among the crowd.
Guess I'll have another round.
The singer takes another drink as a way of coping with the person's absence.
And I think that I just fell in love with you
The singer realizes that they have fallen in love with the person.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tropicwave1
One Love
Hootie & The Blowfish
Sunshine, on the horizon
Over two young lovers, while it's going down
Somewhere, the same sun rising
On another two lovers, as the world goes `round
Same scene played over and over
Same sweet passion, same warm blood
Softly speaking the universal language
So many lovers, one love
[Chorus:]
One love might make the difference (One Love)
Might take the walls and tear them down
One light might keep on shining (One Love)
If we take one love and we spread it around
Old religions, new generations
Caught in a struggle about a righteous way
Can't see the forest for all the frustrations
So many lyin', so many dyin'
But only one love
[Chorus]
Too many stories, weave a common thread
Too many roads traveled, all reach the same end
Same scene play's over and over now
Same young passion, same red blood
Universal language goes unspoken
Too much hatred, to much hatred now
But only one love
[Chorus]
[Repeat]
Sunshine, on the horizon
Over two young lovers, while it's going down
Alexander Gutterman
Took me a while to find this beautiful song and to begin to appreciate the passion and power of Darius' sincere voice.
Cory Imes
The first time I heard this song it became my happy song. Every time I listen to it I have to sing and smile. I don't think I'll ever be tired of this song!!! :)
andrew dods
Me too!! I could have written this comment. Had to check that I hadn’t ! 😊👍🏼🤘🏼
beccabear3000
if everyone in the world listened to this at the exact same time. there would be peace. ♥
Alias Mom
2018....still can't get enough Hootie LOVE IT!
Mikayla Franklin
I couldn't possibly love this song more! It's message is great, and Darius Rucker's voice is so beautiful... Thanks for posting the video! I'd be so angry if I couldn't find it!
andrew dods
Roger that ! 🤘🏼
Kenton Pryor
I love this song!
This song has so much truth to it!
Mercy Daven
A song I fell in love with several years ago. Reconnecting now.
Mariangela Godoy
Darrius rucker