The 20 Best Bright Eyes Songs

Conor Oberst stormed onto the emo scene right at the turn of the century when he released Fevers and Mirrors with his band Bright Eyes, and the group's popularity soared from there—spiking with releases from the acclaimed records Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, and I'm Wide Awake It's Morning. After nine records with Bright Eyes, there are a number of emotion-drenched songs that have soundtracked sleepless nights for indie kids.

It's easy to relate to Conor's music; the earnestness and vulnerability in his songs express all the feelings you weren't able to or weren't comfortable enough to put into words. His skill as a songwriter and his aptitude for drawing larger cultural concerns into songs have stuck with the now 33-year-old Conor throughout all of his musical phases and style changes. Today, we celebrate Conor Oberst's birthday by revisiting the 20 most influential, emotional, and tear-jerking Bright Eyes songs. Happy birthday Conor.

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2. 20. "False Advertising"

Album: Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Groud

Year Recorded: 2002

Elliott Smith isn't the only notoriously depressing indie artist that can pull off a good waltz. "False Advertising" sees Conor at his most sardonic in an almost-playful-but-not-really kind of way, and all over a beautiful arrangement of marching drums and strings that sound almost too perfect under the shaky vocals. From rootsy acoustic to glitchy electronic, Bright Eyes can pull off a diverse set of styles comfortably, but "False Advertising" finds the band in one of their most interesting settings. And it works surprisingly well.

3. 19. "A Perfect Sonnet"

Album: Every Day and Every Night

Year Recorded: 1999

A lot of Bright Eyes songs swell with a suspenseful uneasiness like a building wave flirting with its cresting point. From the beginning of "A Perfect Sonnet," you can tell it's going to be one of those songs. That acoustic guitar isn't fooling anyone—this song is getting ready to explode, and it does just that. With a short fuse, the track blows up into a tense, unhinged chorus that only gets more severe the deeper you get into the song.

4. 18. "Something Vague"

Album: Fevers and Mirrors

Year Recorded: 2000

"Now and again it seems worse than it is / But mostly the view is accurate," Conor Oberst meditates. "Something Vague" paints an incredibly bleak outlook on life as the lyrics go on to describe the monotonous lifestyle some of us succumb to. The lyrics get even more grim, but all of this is balanced by the slow-building acoustics. Like many Bright Eyes songs, it suddenly explodes as Oberst exhaustively voices frustration. But soon after Oberst makes an epiphany, everything is suddenly silenced. You can almost feel the weight lifted from his shoulders as he, barely audible, sings the last few lines of the song.

5. 17. "Old Soul Song (For The New World Order)"

Album: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Year Recorded: 2005

At the crux of it, I'm Wide Awake It's Morningis a musical snapshot of Oberst's life at the time. It documents what it's like to be a twenty-something newly living in NYC, where you're still young enough to act reckless and spontaneous without incurring many significant consequences. It possesses the unique viewpoint of still being able to see the wonder in the world without being naïve nor jaded. "Old Soul Song (For The New World Order)" is perhaps the best visual for this. Oberst manages to weave the narratives of an antiwar protest and a sad love story together, perfectly capturing this feeling of unbridled passion. With a parade of horns, percussion and Oberst's strained vocals it's the type of song that regardless of the context, dares you not to feel alive when you hear it.

6. 16. "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)"

Album: Digital Ash in a Digital Urn

Year Recorded: 2004

The lyrics  of "Take It Easy" bleed with insecurity as Oberst attempts to convince himself that he doesn't have feelings for his friend with whom he had sex with, though he eventually admits that he's "[lying] through his teeth." He's desperately ready to make as if it meant nothing, just like how it meant nothing to his love interest. He ensures that, like the woman suggests, "everything is as it's always been" and guarantees that there "will be no arguments" because they "will always agree," most likely because Oberst would cave in. Once again, it's the vulnerability that makes this one so relatable, and it's even more impressive that it's all done with a more upbeat, electronic styling of Digital Ash.

7. 15. "Lover I Don't Have to Love"

Album: Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Year Recorded: 2002

While "Lover I Don't Have To Love" is one of the more lyrically aggressive offerings from Bright Eyes, it's also one of the best examples of Oberst's narrative abilities. A dark story showcasing Oberst at his most vulnerable, the song drops pearls of emo wisdom like, "Love's an excuse to get hurt," but does it over what is one of the band's most immediately gripping musical backdrops. Instead of acoustic guitars and brushed percussion, this one mixes orchestral elements with ill-boding electronic touches and heavy-handed drums that pull it all together.

8. 14. "The Calendar Hung Itself..."

Album: Fevers and Mirrors

Year Recorded: 2000

Present in "The Calendar Hung Itself..." is a liveliness that you rarely get to experience throughout Bright Eyes' discography. It's part flamenco with the feverish strumming of guitars and fast-paced percussions, and part love ballad with its tender, nearly obsessive lyrics. Oberst reminsces about an ex-lover who may have found someone new, comparing himself to his ex-lover's new beau, demanding to know if he loves her as much as Oberst once did. The song is fiery and almost aggressive, illustrating a vehement passion. It's the perfect song to play someone after the second date and you're not really looking forward to the third one, because they'll definitely think you're crazy.

9. 13. "We Are Nowhere And It's Now"

Album: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Year Recorded: 2005

In this track, Oberst confronts the idiosyncracies within post-modern culture and hipster existentialism with such poignancy that it doesn't feel harsh or critical, merely an investigation of the inconsistencies that have become every day. Exploring the effects of things like pesticides, neon signs, restlessness, and other facets of modernity that have drastically changed the way humans function, Oberst manages to confront universal issues like climate change and light pollution by illustrating their impact on his own life. The title of the song itself reveals the frustrations of those who grew up in a time when markers like cultural identity, ethnicity, and family traditions slowly start to disintegrate and corporations and media begin to take over. The track ends on a positive note, though, as the two characters exchange good luck emblems, regaining a sense of humanity through the talismans.

10. 12. "Four Winds"

Album: Cassadaga

Year Recorded: 2007

Ditching his sad break-up songs for a change of pace, Conor takes us through an alternate apocalyptic world soundtracked with fiddles, organs and wailing harmonies. "Four Winds" describe murals and religious allusions alongside Cadillacs and company jets, treating the diverse subject matter with equal gravity. Oberst explores the inevitable decline of the earth through lenses of ancient thought rife with modern twist, bringing in imagery from all four corners of the earth, invoking the holy books of the major three religions, and even communing with the dead. The majestic destruction of the world wouldn't be complete without a showdown between the Whore of Babylon and outer space - and only Oberst could meld all this together into a meaningful critique of cultural priorities.

11. 11. "The Center of the World"

Album: Fevers and Mirrors

Year Recorded: 2000

Instead of a journey to the center of the earth, Oberst's reimagining of the middle of our planet includes statues and turning into sand. But as usual with Bright Eyes tracks, the lyrics are rife with hidden meanings. The song grapples with themes of life and what comes after, meaningless jobs that feel deadening, and the parts of life that are sweet and make it all worthwhile. Musically, the shuffle between heavy guitar riffs and sweetly-played bright organ capture the kaleidescope of emotions that the song cycles through. As Conor screams the last lines, it's hard to tell if the journey has all been a sleeping pill-induced dream or a passage through the earth to the afterlife—and the ambiguity mimics the very human uncertainty about life after death.

12. 10. "Nothing Gets Crossed Out"

Album: Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Year Recorded: 2002

One of the more unique qualities of Oberst as a writer is his ability to be sure of everything and nothing all at once. He firmly stands behind his beliefs about America, politics and war; yet when it comes to his personal relationships he transforms back into this unconfident and shy 13-year-old. But this isn't a bad thing, to be clear. Instead it's this uncertainty that makes him relatable and real, an essential vulnerability that becomes tangible with the sound of his wavering vocals.

This rawness is propelled to the forefront on "Nothing Gets Crossed Out," a track which starts with Oberst worrying about almost every aspect of his life, from his friends and romance to his future and even his music. It stays with Bright Eyes' signature gorgeously somber tone until the end, when it crescendos into a defiant blend of strings and percussion, as Oberst sings "Don't wanna lay here no more," his first explicit desire to change. It's a carousel of emotions that we've all experienced, and no one documents it more beautifully than Oberst on this track.

13. 9. "Lua"

Album: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Year Recorded: 2005

Relationship-related insecurities are a common motif in Bright Eyes' music. As with most of the relationships that Oberst sings about, this one is troubled, clouded by drugs and baggage shared between two damaged individuals. It's a heartbreaking sincerity - "But me I'm not a gamble you can count on me to split" - that makes "Lua" so striking.

What's shared between Oberst and his lady friend can only be tolerated in the moonlight, perhaps a metaphor for that hazy, intoxicated state. It's only then that all their troubles are lifted and simplified. Coupled by the soothing lull of the soft guitar, you almost feel as light as the couple, but the overall effect creates an artificial feel, a reflection of Oberst and his girl's relationship.

14. 8. "Sunrise, Sunset"

Album: Fevers and Mirrors

Year Recorded: 2000

The title of this song is a clear allusion to a track of the same name from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof." The musical is set in Tsarist Russia in 1905, and the klemzer influences that Oberst sprinkles amidst the cataclysmic rising and falling choruses of the song indicate his further tribute to the track. In the musical, the song serves as a refleciton on the childhood of a pair of lovers and their subsequent union. Oberst's rendition is a little bit more dark, as we have come to expect. Though he has composed a few songs that are straight love songs, most of his tracks end in heartbreak for someone. So it doesn't come as much of a shock that in this track the concept of sunrise vs. sunset reflects the instability of an unfaithful lover and Oberst's own quickly turning moods because of the betrayal.

15. 7. "Make A Plan To Love Me"

Album: Cassadaga

Year Recorded: 2007

This song leaves the acoustic strummed feel of many early Bright Eyes songs and goes beyond the plaintive wailing that many of Oberst's songs devolve into. Instead, it takes a tack that is majestic and slow, building into crescendos of longing with a kind of drama and resounding harmonies that really tug at the heartstrings. Instead of lamenting a relationship that has ended, though, Oberst dedicates his energies to a lover that is focused on their other goals and dreams - too focused to notice his love. Comparing the world to a a carnival ride, Oberst sums up both the thrilling unexpectedness of adoration, and the inevitable downfall. The lack of resolution in the song leaves a sliver of hope, but the overall tone suggests that unrequited love will win this one.

16. 6. "A New Arrangement"

Album: Every Day and Every Night

Year Recorded: 1999

There are different kinds of sad songs. From ones that leave you flushed with nostalgia to those that make you want to hold up a lighter and sway back and forth, the different kinds of sad songs elicit different responses. "A New Arrangement" is one of the most extreme forms of a sad song. It's the kind of song that makes you want to grind your fucking teeth into little stubs. Conor's voice is at its most fragile, quivering on the edge of the breaking point while the backing music carries the track along like a casket in the back of a hearse.

Hearing the line, "You can't seem to fake or force a smile/Not even a little one" is almost physically painful, but it's a chilling reminder of exactly why Bright Eyes always gets called "emo" and why maybe that's not a bad thing.

17. 5. "Landlocked Blues"

Album: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Year Recorded: 2005

Conor Oberst has always been one of those songwriters that actively engages his music in communicating political messages and taking a stand for issues he strongly believes in. This song takes a strong stance against war, gun violence, and the greed that fuels many of these conflicts. At the same time, it elaborates on the terrifying fear in relationships that caring too much will cause them to fall apart, or that if we care too much it will end in separation and the inevitable decision to walk away. This song is a powerful cultural commentary in either vein, and is bolstered by the harmonies of the otherworldly Emmylou Harris. And despite its grim stance, the triumphant horn solo at the end is almost enough to convince the listener that loving someone enough to let them walk away might mean they really will eventually return.

18. 4. "Waste Of Paint"

Album: Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Year Recorded: 2002

Almost every Bright Eyes track centers around relationships—whether they be romantic or platonic—and the ways that they affect life. The distinct characters that Oberst is able to create and the intimate, subjective ways that he paints these people into his songs is part of what makes him such a beloved figure. His depiction of the artist here, the talented friend who is self-effacing about their art and their own existence, is a complicated issue, but Conor manages to unpack the complexity with a child-like innocence that cuts right to the core.

19. 3. "Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh"

Album: Fevers and Mirrors

Year Recorded: 2000

This song's first notes ring in with the refrain of a phone off the hook beeping in the background, bringing the helplessness of when an ex finds someone new. This very real sound helps flesh out the song into a full-fledged memory—it feels like the listener is really undergoing the kind of sadness that makes one drop the phone and numbly try to digest the abandonment. One of the best things about Conor Oberst's songwriting is the way he incorporates the song title into the meaning of the song in intricate ways—this one is no different as the name echoes through the chorus as both a lament and a wordplay on the lost lover's lies. The powerful imagery Oberst uses to compare this feeling to a funeral is the final nail in the coffin of the song, it's a real heart-breaker.

20. 2. "Bowl Of Oranges"

Album: Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Year Recorded: 2002

"Bowl of Oranges" is probably one of Bright Eyes' best known and most universally relatable songs. The advice he offers about crying to help yourself grow, and composing a poem to help compose your emotions are endearing bits of self-care that reflect Oberst's earnest nature. The slightly country-tinged rhythm of this song helps it bounce along even when it's describing something sad like the doctor who is sick and the possibility of long and black days. But the yearning strings that slowly repeat themselves paired with Oberst's lyrics about being there through the trials and tribulations help "Bowl Of Oranges" exude a comforting quality that makes it one of Bright Eyes' most enjoyable listens.

21. 1. "First Day of My Life"

Album: I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

Year Recorded: 2005

In the Bright Eyes catalog, "First Day Of My Life" stands out as one of the warmest songs Conor Oberst has ever written. While his later work is a departure from some of the more angsty, frustrated songwriting of his younger days, it's this song that feels almost like a singular and final turning point. There's still a touch of melancholy, but the overall feeling is a breath of fresh air after years of being holed up, and it's a beautiful feeling. Oberst still sprinkles in a bit of that lingering insecurity, but he does it with a self-aware maturity and through a timeless melody.

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