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."
Only Lonely
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your words they make me smile
As I drift away
In my little room upstairs
Oh I spend my nights
Imagining your face your touch
Then I realize
If we could share our time
Would I disappoint your fantasies
I believe that you could be the one I'm needing
'cause I'm
only lonely on the inside
didn't mean to take away your dreams
only lonely on the inside
when you close your eyes to your deepest thoughts
I could start to give apologies
For all the stupid things That I will say and I will do
If we should ever cross the same place at the same time
Would your world skip a beat 'cause it was me
If we could share our life
Would I disappoint your memories
I believe that I could be the one your needing
And I'm
only lonely on the inside
didn't mean to take away your dreams
only lonely on the inside
when you close your eyes to your deepest thoughts
If I could give back your hopes your joys your treasures
Don't you think that I would change my world
But there's so many things trying to pull us together
Even though we're far apart I can still watch you walk away
Only lonely on the inside
Didn't mean to take away your dreams
Only lonely on the inside
When you close your eyes do you see me
(in your deepest thoughts do you see me)
(when you close your eyes, in your deepest thoughts do you see me)
The lyrics of Hootie & The Blowfish's song "Only Lonely" are poetic and touch on themes like unrequited love, loneliness, and missed opportunities. The singer starts by acknowledging that the person he is addressing brings a smile to his face and fills his thoughts, but he doesn't even know their name. He wonders if they could share their time and if in doing so, he would disappoint them or live up to their fantasies. The singer seems to be longing for a connection with this person, but at the same time, he is aware that the distance between them might make it impossible. He wonders whether they will feel the same way if they ever cross paths.
As the song progresses, the singer offers apologies for any future mistakes he might make and admits that he would change his world if he could give back their hopes, joys, and treasures. However, there are many things that pull them apart, even though he can still watch them walk away. The singer concludes that he is "only lonely on the inside" and hopes that the person he is singing to sees him in their deepest thoughts.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of yearning for something that is out of reach and the pain of not being able to connect with someone you care about. It speaks to the universal experience of unrequited love and the desire for human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello again
The singer is greeting someone that they have spoken to before
Your words they make me smile
The singer enjoys the words that the other person uses during their conversations
As I drift away
The singer is getting lost in their thoughts
In my little room upstairs
The artist is in a small, private space
Oh I spend my nights
The artist is describing their nighttime routine
Imagining your face your touch
The singer is fantasizing about the physical presence of the other person
Then I realize
The singer has a sudden moment of clarity
How I don't even know your name
The artist realizes that they are familiar with the other person, but not enough to know their name
If we could share our time
The artist is pondering what it would be like to spend more time with the other person
Would I disappoint your fantasies
The artist is concerned that the other person's expectations may not meet reality
I believe that you could be the one I'm needing
Despite the uncertainties, the singer feels a strong connection to the other person
'cause I'm only lonely on the inside
The artist feels alone despite their interactions with others
Didn't mean to take away your dreams
The singer recognizes that their own struggles should not hinder the other person's aspirations
When you close your eyes to your deepest thoughts
The singer is curious about what the other person thinks about when they are alone
I could start to give apologies
The singer is willing to apologize in advance for any mistakes or missteps that may occur
For all the stupid things That I will say and I will do
The artist acknowledges that they may not always act intelligently or rationally
If we should ever cross the same place at the same time
The artist is wondering what would happen if they were to coincidentally meet the other person
Would your world skip a beat 'cause it was me
The singer is hopeful that they have made an impact on the other person
If we could share our life
The singer is expanding on their previous thought of spending more time with the other person
Would I disappoint your memories
The artist is also considering whether their presence would be disappointing to the other person's past experiences
And I'm only lonely on the inside
The artist is emphasizing that their struggles are not perceivable outwardly
When you close your eyes do you see me
The artist is wondering if they occupy a special place in the other person's thoughts
If I could give back your hopes your joys your treasures
The singer is expressing a desire to make things right and return things that the other person has lost or had taken away
Don't you think that I would change my world
The artist is willing to do whatever it takes to make things right
But there's so many things trying to pull us together
The singer recognizes that there are obstacles to overcome
Even though we're far apart I can still watch you walk away
The singer is lamenting that even when they try to keep the other person close, they still end up feeling alone
In your deepest thoughts do you see me
The singer is once again questioning their place in the other person's life
When you close your eyes, in your deepest thoughts do you see me
The artist is reiterating their desire to know if they hold any significance in the other person's thoughts
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARIUS RUCKER, DEAN FELBER, JIM SONEFELD, MARK BRYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind