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."
Wishing
Hootie & The Blowfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's more than anyone around you
And if you lied
Would it fade out of your memory
Wishing it all away from you
Wishing is all you'll ever do
Wish I was here with you
And if you died
Would they gather all around you
And if you cried
Would it wash away your misery
It's worse at night
Spirits flying all around you
Without the light
They can take away your sanity
Wishing it all away from you
Wishing is all you'll ever do
Wish I was here with you
Then I'd be fine
The lyrics of Hootie & The Blowfish's song "Wishing" appears to be a melancholic reflection of a failed relationship. The opening lines of "at least you tried, that's more than anyone around you" implies that perhaps the singer and their partner tried to make things work, but despite their best efforts, it didn't. The following line, "and if you lied / would it fade out of your memory," suggests that perhaps there were issues of trust and honesty in the relationship that further complicated things.
The chorus of "wishing it all away from you / wishing is all you'll ever do / wish I was here with you / then I'd be fine" represents the theme of regret and longing, as the singer wishes for things to be different and wants to be with their ex-partner. The line "and if you died / would they gather all around you" brings a sense of finality and weight to the song, as it forces the listener to contemplate what would happen if their loved one was no longer around.
The final lines of "it's worse at night / spirits flying all around you / without the light / they can take away your sanity" paints a picture of a lonely and dark night, where negative thoughts and emotions prey on the mind. Overall, the song is a poignant reminder of the pain that comes with the end of a relationship and the longing for what could have been.
Line by Line Meaning
At least you tried
You made an attempt, and that is commendable.
That's more than anyone around you
Others may not have even tried, so you should be proud of yourself.
And if you lied
If you were dishonest, would you be able to forget about it?
Would it fade out of your memory
Could you simply move past the lies you told?
Wishing it all away from you
You want to forget, but it's not that simple.
Wishing is all you'll ever do
You'll never be able to change the past, but you'll always imagine a different outcome.
Wish I was here with you
I wish I could be there to support you.
Then I'd be fine
If I could help you, I would feel much better.
And if you died
If you passed away, would people come to pay their respects?
Would they gather all around you
Would people come together to honor your memory?
And if you cried
If you were upset, would you be able to recover from your emotions?
Would it wash away your misery
Could your tears fix everything that's wrong?
It's worse at night
Things feel more difficult when it's dark outside.
Spirits flying all around you
Your imagination can scare you when you're alone.
Without the light
If you can't see what you're looking at, your mind can play tricks on you.
They can take away your sanity
Your thoughts can lead you down a dangerous path if you let them.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARIUS RUCKER, DEAN FELBER, JIM SONEFELD, MARK BRYAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind