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."
Running From an Angel
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on try and tell me what you're talkin' about
Those things you're dealing with, you're living a lie
Every time I see you it makes me wanna cry
Sometimes we laughed and talked, seems like yesterday
Then you let the white horse come and take you away
They came to get you, it was cold and black
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
I gave up on you a long time ago
But there's something I want you to know
Your lyin' and cheatin' really tore us apart
Please don't come home if you're gonna break my momma's heart
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil
Runnin', runnin', runnin', yeah
Don't make me cry again, no, no, oh
Love that stayin' by
Love that you make me cry
You're runnin', you're runnin'
You're runnin', runnin, runnin', runnin'
Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no
Runnin' from an angel
Runnin' to the devil, devil, devil, devil
Runnin' from an angel
Time is singing by, time you made me cry, oh, oh
You'll do what you gotta do, I still love you
The lyrics of Hootie & The Blowfish's song Running From an Angel is about a person who tries to run away from their problems and struggles by turning to vices such as lying and cheating. The person is dealing with their issues by living a lie and is ultimately running away from their true self. The lyrics also talk about the consequences of this behavior, which include hurting the people around them, such as the singer's mother, who is pleading with them to not break her heart again.
The singer seems to have given up on this person, but still loves and cares for them enough to be affected by their actions. The references to a white horse and the devil suggest that the person is treading a dangerous path of self-destruction, and the singer implores them to turn away from it. The lyrics also suggest a sense of nostalgia, with the mention of laughing and talking with the person in the past, which highlights how far they have strayed from their former self.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the negative consequences of running away from one's problems and the damage it can do to oneself and others.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth
Don't be suspicious of a good thing; appreciate it for what it is.
Come on try and tell me what you're talkin' about
Explain yourself more clearly.
Those things you're dealing with, you're living a lie
You're not being truthful with yourself about your problems.
Every time I see you it makes me wanna cry
Seeing you hurting yourself and those around you is emotionally painful for me.
Sometimes we laughed and talked, seems like yesterday
We used to have good times together, but it feels like it was a long time ago.
Then you let the white horse come and take you away
You became addicted to drugs (i.e., the 'white horse') and it ruined your life.
They came to get you, it was cold and black
You were arrested or institutionalized for your drug addiction, and it was a dark time for everyone involved.
The wheels were in motion, there was no turning back
Once you were caught up in the consequences of your addiction, it was too late to go back and undo it.
Runnin' from an angel, runnin' to the devil, devil, yeah
You're avoiding doing what's right (i.e., the 'angel') and choosing to do what's wrong (i.e., the 'devil').
I gave up on you a long time ago
After seeing you continuously choose your addiction over your family, I stopped expecting you to change.
But there's something I want you to know
Despite everything, I still care about you.
Your lyin' and cheatin' really tore us apart
Your addiction led you to deceive and hurt those who love you.
Please don't come home if you're gonna break my momma's heart
If you're going to keep choosing your addiction over your family, don't bother coming back.
Runnin', runnin', runnin', yeah
You can keep running from your problems, but they'll eventually catch up to you.
Don't make me cry again, no, no, oh
I don't want to feel the pain of seeing you hurt yourself and others again.
Love that stayin' by
True love means being there for someone even when they're struggling.
Love that you make me cry
The pain of seeing someone you love hurting themselves is a sign of how much you care for them.
Time is singing by, time you made me cry, oh, oh
Time seems to be flying, but the memory of your actions still hurts me deeply.
You'll do what you gotta do, I still love you
Even if you don't make the right choices, I'll still care about you as a person.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DARIUS RUCKER, DEAN FELBER, JIM SONEFELD, MARK BRYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind