The first incarnation of what would later become the Nields came together in 1987 in McLean, Virginia, when Nerissa Nields met David Jones, a theater student, and the two of them started a band with Nerissa's sister Katryna. David changed his last name to Nields after marrying Nerissa.
1994 proved to be a watershed year for the Nields, with the band changing from a three-piece folk group to a five-piece rock band. The new members of the band were Dave Chalfant (bass), who Katryna had met in college, and Dave Hower (drums), a friend of Dave Chalfant's. Dave Chalfant also produced the band's album released that year, Bob on the Ceiling, which was named for a friend of Katryna's. This album featured a mix of the acoustic material that the Nields had previously specialized in and a more rock-oriented sound that would become their trademark. With their new sound, the Nields received critical acclaim, and quit their day jobs to become full-time musicians.
Their 1995 EP Abigail, named for Katryna and Nerissa's sister, would be the last self-released Nields album. In 1996, they released Gotta Get Over Greta on the independent Razor & Tie record label. The album was re-released in 1997 with three bonus tracks on Guardian, a division of Elektra Records. The group felt that with a major-label deal, they were on the brink of superstardom: they had a considerable grassroots following, and a mailing list that had tens of thousands of names and was growing continuously.
Unfortunately, the group suffered a number of setbacks the next year. Guardian folded, leaving them without a record label, and their tour van (nicknamed Moby) was growing increasingly unreliable. While they needed a new van urgently, their financial situation made it impossible for them to afford one. To raise money for the van, they self-released an album called Mousse (the nickname for Dave Chalfant's sister Andromache) and held a special 'Jam for the Van' concert where they debuted that album. As a result of that concert, the Nields were able to purchase a new van, which they nicknamed Nessie. They were also able to secure a new label, Zoë, a division of Rounder Records. All Nields records released since, except one, have been released on that label. Over the next three years, the Nields released two more records (Play and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now), and in 1999 Katryna Nields and Dave Chalfant got married, becoming the second married couple in the band after Nerissa and David Nields.
Although the band enjoyed a moderate degree of success, they remained in the red fiscally due to the high expenses they incurred (salaries for the band members, salaries for their manager, maintaining their van, lodging, etc.). Furthermore, the group was getting older, and people wanted to settle down and start families. The limits of what could been done in a 3-minute pop song also rankled some, who wanted to explore deeper themes. The combination of these factors led to the band's breakup in 2001. Their 2001 album, released that same year, was a two-disc album titled Live From Northampton. Like their 1993 album, it was recorded at the Iron Horse Music Hall, and was self-released by the band. The band ceased in 2001.
During the mid-2000s, the band occasionally performed shows, and, from 2006, went on the release a series of albums.
Blind
The Nields Lyrics
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And if I sang pretty songs would you be surprised?
Or would they make you go blind?
Everybody goes blind, everybody goes blind
Sometimes
I could have a long happy affair with you
What a spell, oh well, I don't dare to
Everybody goes blind, everybody goes blind
Sometimes
Let me go; I am preparing a face for you
I pretend that you are watching whatever I do
And that it makes you go blind
It makes you go blind, it makes you go blind
Sometimes
The Nields’s “Blind” is a song about the fear and vulnerability that comes with opening yourself up to someone else. The opening lines, “If I were lonely would you tell me lies? And if I sang pretty songs would you be surprised? Or would they make you go blind? Everybody goes blind, everybody goes blind Sometimes” illustrates this fear. The fear that if they do open up and show their true selves, the other person will turn a blind eye to it, which is a common defense mechanism many people use to avoid their fears. The phrase "make you go blind" is a metaphor for the idea that sometimes the truth is so overwhelming that people can't handle it and "go blind" in the sense that they turn a blind eye.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more introspective with lines like “I could have a long happy affair with you, what a spell, oh well, I don’t dare to ‘cause it would make me go blind” painting a picture of someone who is self-sabotaging their own potential for love out of fear of becoming too vulnerable.
The final verse sums up the song and ties the themes together, “Let me go; I am preparing a face for you. I pretend that you are watching whatever I do. And that it makes you go blind. It makes you go blind, it makes you go blind Sometimes.” The singer cannot take the risk of showing their true self and so they build a facade to protect themselves. Even when they pretend someone is watching them, they still cannot be their true selves.
Line by Line Meaning
If I were lonely would you tell me lies?
If I were feeling abandoned, would you deceive me to make me feel better?
And if I sang pretty songs would you be surprised?
If I wrote music, would you be impressed?
Or would they make you go blind?
Or would they have no effect on you?
Everybody goes blind, everybody goes blind, sometimes
Everyone loses sight of what's important sometimes.
I could have a long happy affair with you
I could have a fulfilling, long-term relationship with you.
What a spell, oh well, I don't dare to
It would be magical, but I'm afraid to try.
'Cause it would make me go blind
Because it would distract me from everything else.
Let me go; I am preparing a face for you
Leave me alone, I'm getting ready for you.
I pretend that you are watching whatever I do
I act like you're always looking over my shoulder.
And that it makes you go blind
And it consumes you to the point of blindness.
It makes you go blind, it makes you go blind, sometimes
Sometimes obsession can lead to a loss of perspective.
Writer(s): Nerissa Nields, David Nields Copyright: Ambivalent Fins, Peter Quince Productions, WB Music Corp.
Contributed by Arianna L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.