there's a lot of lyric reading in this one because I really just wanted to appreciate the writing as much as I could. Hopefully it's not too boring lol.
Man I was a junior in high school when this came out and it just makes me happy to see younger generations discovering and appreciating this older music (yeesh lol) this 2000’s indie/emo era was unmatched 😭
@@MilesToGoGoi remember crying to Poison Oak after Taylee Christie broke up with me in 8th Grade (2005) as you can imagine, i was listening to nothing but Saddle-Creek bullshit and Sufjan and Animal Collective and a slew of indies from Canada and nearly two decades later i have not abandoned them at all lol
Jesus Christ dude fuck, I don't know how to describe it but I'm 37 now and this brings back when I was 17 hearing this for the first time and how much it influenced me and my silly college band but how much it ended up changing all of us
i’m not sure whether it was vindication, exactly, but goddamn did i feel proud to watch this young man cry with that slow zoom which if course was intentional editing r/oboards led me here
Poison Oak hit me the same way man. Loved seeing this. The album is an absolute masterpiece.. crazy thing is it's not even close to Bright Eyes best album.. You need to hear Lifted asap. I'm sure others have mentioned but the person he is talking about was his adopted brother.
I feel the same way. Poison Oak is such an amazing song. It was the first song I ever learned to sing/play on the guitar. Love it so much. Gun to my head, I think Lifted is probably my fave Bright Eyes album, though.
@@THEDEEPDIVElifted is also my favorite, but check out the companion albums! The companion to Digital Ash and for Letting Off The Happiness are _now_ up there with Lifted because of the change and enhancing of the songs vibes, it is just beautiful!
it's all opinions but as a huge BE fan who probably has had each album before the people's key as their favorite at some point, i think im wide awake it's morning is their best and have for years.
I'm 38 fan since 16. His music has been my number 1 well recently I have for once fallen for another artist Ren (his music). Beautiful old souls. Refreshing to see someone react to him. Thanks for making this. Conor has got me through so many journeys, some to hard to share. Glad you enjoyed 🤍
I have a treasured memory with a friend who passed away about half a year later of me playing guitar and him singing Lua. Now I look at the moon and think of him. What a beautiful song 🌕. Then there's poison oak and he was a trans guy who died by suicide and poison oak is about Connor's "gay cousin that killed himself" 😭 This album holds such a grip on my life and I will never live without it.
Or even within the same day lol remember they released Digital Ash in a Digital Urn at the same time as this album and they could not sound more different
I’m glad new generations are beginning to discover Bright Eyes. I was looking for reaction content a a few years ago when I got into them and was really disappointed at the lack of it, glad it’s picking up. Conor Oberst depicts a lot of life and emotion with raw honesty in his lyrics that I have come to admire and respect, it hit me in a way I really relate too. I’d check out his other albums as Bright Eyes, along with Better Oblivion Community Center the band he’s in Phoebe Bridgers. Thanks for the video ✌️✌️
I remember being so taken back by Poison Oak, especially wishing i had this song when my friend took his life. Its the type of song youre glad you find because its just what you always needed
I commented before but I'll do so again. This is pretty much the single sweetest, most genuine review of anything on TH-cam. I'd really want to hug you at the end. You seem like a cool dude. :)
Thank you so much for sharing such an emotional reaction to this album, it feels like a privilege to see you sharing those honest feelings. Really hope you react to more Bright Eyes. I'd suggest starting with Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, which was released on the same day as this album but is so different musically and equally fascinating lyrically.
I discovered this album in middle school around 8-9 years ago and would give so much to be able to experience it for the first time again now that I'm in my twenties. Bright Eyes is just an incredible band who have had a huge influence on my life (I literally have 2 Bright Eyes tattoos). Still love seeing how people react to them, this was a great video!
@@themagnuspowfilms5956’lifted’ and then ‘fevers and mirrors’, in my opinion. i don’t think they have a bad album, but i’d start there. i hope you can enjoy the rest of their music as much as i do!
this album is very special to me. your video ended up on my timeline, i clicked it and immediately skipped to poison oak- knew it was the reason for the thumbnail LOL. that song makes me bawl
Just spent my whole morning watching this. Reliving the first time I listened to it through someone else. This album changed my life, along with a few other BE albums. And I’m sure you’ve done your fair share of exploration at this point.
Road to Joy is a play on the Ode to Joy passage of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The main melody Bright Eyes uses throughout the song is the main melody from Ode to Joy. Such an amazing choice to close out a brilliant album.
I just watched one of your Elliot Smith reactions and now Bright Eyes! Mac Miller covered "Angeles" by Elliot and "First Day of My Life" and "Lua" by Bright Eyes and Ive been a fan ever since, still discovering new tracks from them.
So glad you loved this album and a very nice analysis! Bright Eyes and Oberst have helped me during hard times and more, especially this album and Digital Ash in A Digital Urn which is the album released at the same time as I'm Wide Awake Its Morning and its dualistic opposite. Hope you analyze more Bright Eyes albums and you enjoy the ride! You got a sub from me, you are one of the best reviewers I've watched and you really hit me hard when you felt and showed your emotions to the great build up portion of Poison Oak and showed your genuine emotion. I respect that a lot.
Digged the reaction a lot... I would also suggest Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, not only cuz it's my favorite album ever and I find each and every reason possible to suggest it, but also because his songwriting in that album is somewhat like Conor at points...
Always happy to see someone appreciate how much emotion is in Conor’s songwriting/singing. Every Bright Eyes album has gotten me through some hard times. Also Conor’s solo stuff and side projects. He’s literally the only musician I will immediately buy presale tickets to shows of. It’ll be cool to see ya react to listening to some of the other albums as well. They’re all so different. The band also did a bunch of re-recorded EPs to their albums.
@My Melancholy Snooze93 not me, i think adrienne lenker is one of the best songwriters ever and she is way more recent than conor, but i do love him, he wrote the most heartbreaking songs i've ever heard, he is a genius lyricist def one of the best in recent years, but personally i think Elliott Smith is more, bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joanna newsom, adrienne lenker also impresse me more but thats subjective tho
I discovered this CD in 5th grade after my cousin gave my mom & I burnt copies he made of Wide Awake, Funeral by Arcade Fire, and Z by My Morning Jacket… I liked them all, but completely fell head over heels in love with this album and Conor entirely. My mom would play the CD as loud as she could, every Saturday morning, while doing her ritual weekend cleaning… and I could never be mad at her for waking me up with blaring music because it was Bright Eyes and it was beautiful. All of his work is incredible, but this is the album that has always, and will always, stay with me forever. My mom, sister, and I got similar tattoos that sorta depict lyrics from ‘We Are Nowhere and It’s Now’. I also met him once before a concert, and he was just the sweetest person. His lyrics always speak to me more than any other artist. I just can’t say enough good things about him. This reaction video definitely took me back to hearing it for the first time, and all of the raw emotions it drew out of me, especially as a 10 year old kid who was really too young to understand what those emotions were and how to deal with them… but those feelings have never left, anytime I’ve listened to it. You’ve gained a subscriber and dedicated follower out of me for sure after this one ❤️
Glad you liked this! This came out just before the big mainstream folk boom of the late 00s so this album feels under appreciated. It definitely holds up super well!
Themes of War - 9/11/01 had just happened This album came out in 2005, 5 years after their last album in 2000. In 2001 the World Trade Centre came down and that had a huge impact on America and it was a collective trauma that is still felt today. It launched a war that "only just ended" .. But in America, it broke apart families, many many many more peoole died than in the Twin Towers. Patriotism and Xenophobia surged. America "became heavily in debt" from rhe war, yet it's on record they sell the very terrorists they are fighting weaponry and ammunition and earned trillions. There is no reason for America to be "this far" on the RECORDED debt. It's all corrupt. And we (I say as a Canadian, but I lived in Toronto at the time and there was fear for years that we were next) the people withstood so much risidual trauma. ..when Biden brought the troops home - but "the troops" were there upholding peace to keep Al-Quada at bay, which is why Afghanistan is a terrorist state now and everyone stuck there has had many rights taken away etc (Sharia Law) ... It's fucked. I have no political standing, I'm anarchist so I send this info completely unbiased
So both this and "Digital Ash" were released on 25 Jan 2005, and were meant to complement each other (one w the concept of a kid from Omaha going to nyc while the other has a kid from nyc giung to Omaha). The protests in this record were referencing the Iraq war.
I've been listening to Bright Eyes since it came out when it was in high school... I normally don't like reaction videos but absolutely loved your take on all the songs. Poison oak is my favorite... no one ever has anything to say about it, but it's just amazing. I am happy you (and others) are discovering Conor's brilliance!
phoebe bridgers & conor oberst (lead singer of bright eyes) have a duet cover of Lua, you can find it live on youtube. it’s honestly my favorite thing either of them have done, so beautiful
I think one contextual aspect that some younger folks might not pick up on, was that this album released at the height of two very meaningless wars that were happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a very "televised" war that made many people feel disillusioned with the political process. The events surrounding those wars and September 11th felt very surreal and almost rushed as if history were just our souls being swept away in the current of history. Before this time during the 80s and 90s people had a general sense that the world was ok and things were going to be fine, but the early 2000s was when that overall feeling started to change to the modern sense of uneasiness and confusion about the future of humanity. I'd like to think that while many of the lyrics of this album are personal and specific to the singer, the lyrics are also often referring to our collective consciousness and existential issues as a species dealing with adapting to our new post-industrial lifestyles.
I remember getting both Wide Awake & Digital Ash from Best Buy in 2005 (mf released two albums in the same month back to back!) and my 16 year old mind (35 now) was blown hearing the contrast of both albums thinking “you can do that!?” Truly a magical experience/time that your video brought me back to. Thank you sir
I came really late to this album. I was 18/19 when it came out but it completely passed me by. Only discovered it, somewhat fittingly, in the middle of my first fling with another man (at 28/29), which took me back to jumping head first into romance, as you might as a teenager. Hit me quite hard, needless to say.
GREAT REACTION! i just LOVE seeing people understand and recognize the magnitude of conor's lyricism... his work changed my life, it made me feel seen and heard when i couldn't utter any words to save myself. i truly account my survival through my teenage years to this genius of a man. much love from brazil 🥰
This was so cool to see Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes span generations, im an elder millenial, 1990, and i have tattoos from this album😆. It's "toxic and timeless", lol, beautiful video. You are extremely intelligent and so glad you understand and appreciate this album. Got a new subscriber out of me for sure 😁
@so-it-goes I got the yellow bird he references frequently on my foot, on this album its from the song we are nowhere and it's now 😊 I think it pops up in poison oak too It's a memorial for my highschool best friend who passed away last July, i had it done immediately after the funeral 💕
@so-it-goes thank you so much that is so kind of you! Yes, bight eyes & this album is so special, in so many ways!😊🥰 Seeing them live is amazing as well, it's an otherworldly experience for me for sure.
Absolutely amazing reaction to one of my favorite artists of all time! Thanks for doing this :) There are a criminally small amount of Bright Eyes reactions on youtube. I would absolutely love to see you give "LIfted" by Bright Eyes a review. It was the LP Conor put out prior to Wide Awake, and is probably my favorite (though it's really difficult to pick a fave Bright Eyes album)
I saw that in her Teen Vogue interview. 🥹 I fell in love with her as an artist the second I heard her voice when she opened for Conor’s Salutations tour (16 May 2017). Her singing on Lua absolutely wrecked me-so good. 💓
Road to joy, and many other tracks (specifically At The Bottom Of Everything on this track) have an anarchist streak throughout the lyrics. Look and you shall find. Road to joy - that was trumpet, not sax 😜
I actually can’t believe we are nearing two whole decades of this & digital ash. I saw the aurora borealis, over my hometown and just felt like I had to come watch performances from this era of bright eyes and stumbled across this. I wish so much I could listen to these albums again for the first time. They have held my hand through everything. You’ve done this so much justice. Thank you.
"This dude is really obsessed with time" Yeah, I think its even more of an ever-present theme in "Fevers and Mirrors" which I hope you eventually listen to.
I been getting destroyed by this album for over a decade, and you did a real good job with this dude. One thing to note is this came out during the Iraq/Afghanistan war era and that colors a lot of the album.
I absolutely loved watching you take this album in and listen to it and try to theorize about it and it's probably one of the more poppy albums out of his catalog honestly
Lol your reactions can be kinda similar to mine lol bright eyes is soooooooo good. Literally my fav. And cool to share some moments w u when u got really into it.
Awww baby, dont cry 😭 We get it though, you arent alone 💙 all us emo kids, who listened to it when it was released, who are still here... We get you. We get you. It is super hard hitting and emotional. That's why it is "emo music" Love to see the younger gens appreciating our music ❤️
Ive loved this album for so many years, it is in my heart, but only paid atention to a good few lines keeping the big picture of the songs behind a veil. You just made this record new again for me. thanks, brotha
In my opinion his lyrical storytelling is unparalleled. There are hundreds of songs that he has written over the years and I really hope that you get a chance to check out some of his other stuff. As others have mentioned his style has changed so much over the years. I would also recommend checking out his other band Desaparecidos. The fact that he wrote their album Read Music/Speak Spanish at the same time that he wrote Lifted under Bright Eyes is mindblowing.
"He's not doing so good" is the understatement of the century for Conor hahaha Absolutely amazing video though, loved how much it affected you on your first listen. Focussing on the lyrics is 100% the way to enjoy Bright Eyes
I've been listening to Bright Eyes/ Conor Oberst since Lifted was released and I've followed him through his entire career and even met him once and had wine with him. But honestly he's the greatest songwriter of his generation. I've been to plenty of his shows and I've actually cried. He writes and tells some of the most beautiful stories. He is the greatest lyricist we have today. and by your reactions i reacted the same at the times these were released, Bright eyes is for you!
@@knightscroftsquire-muldoon he actually asked for a pinot gricio white wine haha and thats why i now drink that. I waited for him after one of his shows in LA and he came out took photo and my gf at the time said lets go where he's going we followed and I congratulated him on his performance he was really down to earth and greatful for the comment I went out of my way to buy him a drink he accepted asked for a pinot gricio and then I proceeded to ask him about his records his favorite ones and asked about books he liked and he was just really cool as if we've talked before. he hanged out.. I met the band they said hello and then after a while he went outside by himself for a smoke and he was on the phone. but he was genuine and polite and cool! and this was maybe 2015 or so... or 16....
one of his favorite author was Steinbeck and he always remained really happy with how Lifted turned out he said. funny both of those things are my favorite as well. but yeah I also knew I couldn't fan girl out too much
@@leninpartida2470 that's so cool! I would never have expected him to like white wine, I'm gonna have to try a glass of Pinot Gricio! Thanks for the info and story!
The triumphant trumpet part is a version of Taps which is a bugle call used to signal lights out time in the US military and also played at a military funeral. To further the themes of time and impending death.
My brother past a few months ago. Recently found out a few weeks ago. He was taunted and made ashamed of his sexuality growing up. We don't know if he killed himself or was murdered. Poison Oak has helped me get through this more than anything else and it joys me to see you interpret it.
First. I appreciate the way you dissected this album. It's one of my favorites. You gave a masterpiece justice. But be careful, me and my now ex wife chose the first day of my life to walk down the aisle too. Now it's hard to listen too. And my next tattoo is going to be a yellow bird. Again, thank you.
Never did I expect this. Holy shit.... Um, I'd also recommend their album Fevers & Mirrors, as well as Lifted. Great stuff, wayyyy more depressing than this album
I think you’d really enjoy Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. He released it the same day as this album. It’s more electronic but still the same genius level of writing.
3:40 it depends on the album and the song, Bright Eyes is a bit of pop punk, a bit of folk country at times, and always emo and peotic as hell, that's why I have been in love with this band since some old xbox friend from Chicago introduced me by chance. I am so grateful to him, though we haven't spoke in nearly a decade, I feel like my life wouldn't have been the same without this music.
I love this album!! Idk if you heard it already but Connor and Phoebe Bridgers have a full album together called Better Oblivion Community Center! I'd love to see your reaction to it :)
there's a lot of lyric reading in this one because I really just wanted to appreciate the writing as much as I could. Hopefully it's not too boring lol.
fantastic!
it’s great hearing your interpretation especially with really dense lyrics
I love this
Man I was a junior in high school when this came out and it just makes me happy to see younger generations discovering and appreciating this older music (yeesh lol) this 2000’s indie/emo era was unmatched 😭
@@MilesToGoGoi remember crying to Poison Oak after Taylee Christie broke up with me in 8th Grade (2005)
as you can imagine, i was listening to nothing but Saddle-Creek bullshit and Sufjan and Animal Collective and a slew of indies from Canada and nearly two decades later i have not abandoned them at all lol
Jesus Christ dude fuck, I don't know how to describe it but I'm 37 now and this brings back when I was 17 hearing this for the first time and how much it influenced me and my silly college band but how much it ended up changing all of us
This album came out in 2005
kinda crazy that im 17 hearing this for the first time 20 years later, and i feel like its gonna leave a large impact on me as well
watching you cry to poison oak is so real
i’m not sure whether it was vindication, exactly, but goddamn did i feel proud to watch this young man cry with that slow zoom which if course was intentional editing
r/oboards led me here
Poison Oak hit me the same way man. Loved seeing this. The album is an absolute masterpiece.. crazy thing is it's not even close to Bright Eyes best album.. You need to hear Lifted asap. I'm sure others have mentioned but the person he is talking about was his adopted brother.
I feel the same way. Poison Oak is such an amazing song. It was the first song I ever learned to sing/play on the guitar. Love it so much. Gun to my head, I think Lifted is probably my fave Bright Eyes album, though.
@@joshuathompson2404 lifted is my fav as well.
@@THEDEEPDIVElifted is also my favorite, but check out the companion albums! The companion to Digital Ash and for Letting Off The Happiness are _now_ up there with Lifted because of the change and enhancing of the songs vibes, it is just beautiful!
it's all opinions but as a huge BE fan who probably has had each album before the people's key as their favorite at some point, i think im wide awake it's morning is their best and have for years.
It was His cousin
I'm 38 fan since 16. His music has been my number 1 well recently I have for once fallen for another artist Ren (his music). Beautiful old souls. Refreshing to see someone react to him. Thanks for making this.
Conor has got me through so many journeys, some to hard to share. Glad you enjoyed 🤍
Love this album, when I transitioned I decided to change my middle name to Lua, as that song means a lot to me
😬
Cool his songs mean a lot to me too
Love that for you💖
I have a treasured memory with a friend who passed away about half a year later of me playing guitar and him singing Lua. Now I look at the moon and think of him. What a beautiful song 🌕. Then there's poison oak and he was a trans guy who died by suicide and poison oak is about Connor's "gay cousin that killed himself" 😭 This album holds such a grip on my life and I will never live without it.
It’s my daughter’s middle name!!
To be fair. Bright eyes has been around a LONG time. Their sound varies immensely from decade to decade
Or even within the same day lol remember they released Digital Ash in a Digital Urn at the same time as this album and they could not sound more different
I’m glad new generations are beginning to discover Bright Eyes. I was looking for reaction content a a few years ago when I got into them and was really disappointed at the lack of it, glad it’s picking up. Conor Oberst depicts a lot of life and emotion with raw honesty in his lyrics that I have come to admire and respect, it hit me in a way I really relate too. I’d check out his other albums as Bright Eyes, along with Better Oblivion Community Center the band he’s in Phoebe Bridgers. Thanks for the video ✌️✌️
I remember being so taken back by Poison Oak, especially wishing i had this song when my friend took his life. Its the type of song youre glad you find because its just what you always needed
NO WAYYY one of my favourite albums ever lets gooo!
I commented before but I'll do so again. This is pretty much the single sweetest, most genuine review of anything on TH-cam. I'd really want to hug you at the end. You seem like a cool dude. :)
I'll never thank you enough for introducing me to one of my favorite bands with this video. Thank you so much
I'm so glad you're experiencing Bright Eyes now. I remember when all of this was released.
Thank you so much for sharing such an emotional reaction to this album, it feels like a privilege to see you sharing those honest feelings.
Really hope you react to more Bright Eyes. I'd suggest starting with Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, which was released on the same day as this album but is so different musically and equally fascinating lyrically.
I discovered this album in middle school around 8-9 years ago and would give so much to be able to experience it for the first time again now that I'm in my twenties. Bright Eyes is just an incredible band who have had a huge influence on my life (I literally have 2 Bright Eyes tattoos). Still love seeing how people react to them, this was a great video!
I discovered this album literally 2 weeks ago! I legitimately cried after listening to the first song only once. It's incredibly well written.
ohhh man you have so much bright eyes to enjoy for the first time yet im jealous
It’s badass on vinyl 🕺
@@jord.an6123 what else should I listen too by them??
@@themagnuspowfilms5956’lifted’ and then ‘fevers and mirrors’, in my opinion. i don’t think they have a bad album, but i’d start there. i hope you can enjoy the rest of their music as much as i do!
@@themagnuspowfilms5956
Digital Ash In A Digital Urn is one you gotta check out! I hope you enjoy your Bright Eyes journey!!
this album is very special to me. your video ended up on my timeline, i clicked it and immediately skipped to poison oak- knew it was the reason for the thumbnail LOL. that song makes me bawl
FINALLY IT’S HAPPENING
Ayo it's here!!! Hyped to see the reaction... Bright Eyes has a banger discography
Just spent my whole morning watching this. Reliving the first time I listened to it through someone else. This album changed my life, along with a few other BE albums. And I’m sure you’ve done your fair share of exploration at this point.
Road to Joy is a play on the Ode to Joy passage of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The main melody Bright Eyes uses throughout the song is the main melody from Ode to Joy. Such an amazing choice to close out a brilliant album.
I just watched one of your Elliot Smith reactions and now Bright Eyes! Mac Miller covered "Angeles" by Elliot and "First Day of My Life" and "Lua" by Bright Eyes and Ive been a fan ever since, still discovering new tracks from them.
Seeing Poison Oak live was the most genuine moment of my life tbh❤
1000 people crying and screaming the lyrics moved Conor to tears.
Simply perfect💜💜💜
So glad you loved this album and a very nice analysis! Bright Eyes and Oberst have helped me during hard times and more, especially this album and Digital Ash in A Digital Urn which is the album released at the same time as I'm Wide Awake Its Morning and its dualistic opposite. Hope you analyze more Bright Eyes albums and you enjoy the ride! You got a sub from me, you are one of the best reviewers I've watched and you really hit me hard when you felt and showed your emotions to the great build up portion of Poison Oak and showed your genuine emotion. I respect that a lot.
Digged the reaction a lot... I would also suggest Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, not only cuz it's my favorite album ever and I find each and every reason possible to suggest it, but also because his songwriting in that album is somewhat like Conor at points...
Yes please do Illinois!!!
@@megcooper3908 :)
Always happy to see someone appreciate how much emotion is in Conor’s songwriting/singing. Every Bright Eyes album has gotten me through some hard times. Also Conor’s solo stuff and side projects. He’s literally the only musician I will immediately buy presale tickets to shows of. It’ll be cool to see ya react to listening to some of the other albums as well. They’re all so different. The band also did a bunch of re-recorded EPs to their albums.
Oberst is one of the best lyricists of the last 20 years.
You better believe it
@My Melancholy Snooze93 ever is crazy when Elliott Smith, joni Mitchell, Joanna newsom etc existed or still exist
@My Melancholy Snooze93 not me, i think adrienne lenker is one of the best songwriters ever and she is way more recent than conor, but i do love him, he wrote the most heartbreaking songs i've ever heard, he is a genius lyricist def one of the best in recent years, but personally i think Elliott Smith is more, bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joanna newsom, adrienne lenker also impresse me more but thats subjective tho
Adrianne Lenker is also excellent. But they're both in a class of their own. Masters.
Also... Lots of love for this, I looooove bright eyes, this makes me happy
I discovered this CD in 5th grade after my cousin gave my mom & I burnt copies he made of Wide Awake, Funeral by Arcade Fire, and Z by My Morning Jacket… I liked them all, but completely fell head over heels in love with this album and Conor entirely. My mom would play the CD as loud as she could, every Saturday morning, while doing her ritual weekend cleaning… and I could never be mad at her for waking me up with blaring music because it was Bright Eyes and it was beautiful. All of his work is incredible, but this is the album that has always, and will always, stay with me forever. My mom, sister, and I got similar tattoos that sorta depict lyrics from ‘We Are Nowhere and It’s Now’. I also met him once before a concert, and he was just the sweetest person. His lyrics always speak to me more than any other artist. I just can’t say enough good things about him. This reaction video definitely took me back to hearing it for the first time, and all of the raw emotions it drew out of me, especially as a 10 year old kid who was really too young to understand what those emotions were and how to deal with them… but those feelings have never left, anytime I’ve listened to it. You’ve gained a subscriber and dedicated follower out of me for sure after this one ❤️
Glad you liked this! This came out just before the big mainstream folk boom of the late 00s so this album feels under appreciated. It definitely holds up super well!
Themes of War - 9/11/01 had just happened
This album came out in 2005, 5 years after their last album in 2000. In 2001 the World Trade Centre came down and that had a huge impact on America and it was a collective trauma that is still felt today. It launched a war that "only just ended" ..
But in America, it broke apart families, many many many more peoole died than in the Twin Towers. Patriotism and Xenophobia surged. America "became heavily in debt" from rhe war, yet it's on record they sell the very terrorists they are fighting weaponry and ammunition and earned trillions. There is no reason for America to be "this far" on the RECORDED debt. It's all corrupt. And we (I say as a Canadian, but I lived in Toronto at the time and there was fear for years that we were next) the people withstood so much risidual trauma.
..when Biden brought the troops home - but "the troops" were there upholding peace to keep Al-Quada at bay, which is why Afghanistan is a terrorist state now and everyone stuck there has had many rights taken away etc (Sharia Law) ... It's fucked. I have no political standing, I'm anarchist so I send this info completely unbiased
So both this and "Digital Ash" were released on 25 Jan 2005, and were meant to complement each other (one w the concept of a kid from Omaha going to nyc while the other has a kid from nyc giung to Omaha). The protests in this record were referencing the Iraq war.
I've been listening to Bright Eyes since it came out when it was in high school... I normally don't like reaction videos but absolutely loved your take on all the songs. Poison oak is my favorite... no one ever has anything to say about it, but it's just amazing.
I am happy you (and others) are discovering Conor's brilliance!
phoebe bridgers & conor oberst (lead singer of bright eyes) have a duet cover of Lua, you can find it live on youtube. it’s honestly my favorite thing either of them have done, so beautiful
I think one contextual aspect that some younger folks might not pick up on, was that this album released at the height of two very meaningless wars that were happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a very "televised" war that made many people feel disillusioned with the political process. The events surrounding those wars and September 11th felt very surreal and almost rushed as if history were just our souls being swept away in the current of history. Before this time during the 80s and 90s people had a general sense that the world was ok and things were going to be fine, but the early 2000s was when that overall feeling started to change to the modern sense of uneasiness and confusion about the future of humanity.
I'd like to think that while many of the lyrics of this album are personal and specific to the singer, the lyrics are also often referring to our collective consciousness and existential issues as a species dealing with adapting to our new post-industrial lifestyles.
bright eyes used to be my fav band when i was like in 8th grade and freshman yr lmao lifted was the anthem to my childhood melodrama
Bros feeling and vibing, love it
Subbed. Thanks for getting vulnerable with Poison Oak. This album crushes me every time I hear it. Beautiful. 😅 ❤️
Connor is 'The' songwriter of our time.
I remember getting both Wide Awake & Digital Ash from Best Buy in 2005 (mf released two albums in the same month back to back!) and my 16 year old mind (35 now) was blown hearing the contrast of both albums thinking “you can do that!?” Truly a magical experience/time that your video brought me back to. Thank you sir
I came really late to this album. I was 18/19 when it came out but it completely passed me by.
Only discovered it, somewhat fittingly, in the middle of my first fling with another man (at 28/29), which took me back to jumping head first into romance, as you might as a teenager. Hit me quite hard, needless to say.
Man, I loved this reaction. I cried along with you on Poison Oak. I'm so happy that folks like you are discovering this.
old soul song hit me so hard when i first heard it
GREAT REACTION! i just LOVE seeing people understand and recognize the magnitude of conor's lyricism... his work changed my life, it made me feel seen and heard when i couldn't utter any words to save myself. i truly account my survival through my teenage years to this genius of a man. much love from brazil 🥰
This was so cool to see Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes span generations, im an elder millenial, 1990, and i have tattoos from this album😆. It's "toxic and timeless", lol, beautiful video. You are extremely intelligent and so glad you understand and appreciate this album. Got a new subscriber out of me for sure 😁
@so-it-goes I got the yellow bird he references frequently on my foot, on this album its from the song we are nowhere and it's now 😊 I think it pops up in poison oak too
It's a memorial for my highschool best friend who passed away last July, i had it done immediately after the funeral 💕
@so-it-goes thank you so much that is so kind of you! Yes, bight eyes & this album is so special, in so many ways!😊🥰
Seeing them live is amazing as well, it's an otherworldly experience for me for sure.
Welcome to bright eyes. It only gets better and better with time bro!!!
Absolutely amazing reaction to one of my favorite artists of all time! Thanks for doing this :) There are a criminally small amount of Bright Eyes reactions on youtube. I would absolutely love to see you give "LIfted" by Bright Eyes a review. It was the LP Conor put out prior to Wide Awake, and is probably my favorite (though it's really difficult to pick a fave Bright Eyes album)
Conor is such an amazing songwriter and artist. Thanks for the thoughtful review
Best album ever. Love from Norway
“And then we’ll see it, we’ll see it, we’ll see it” gives me chills every time
Phoebe Bridgers favourite album!! so good
I saw that in her Teen Vogue interview. 🥹 I fell in love with her as an artist the second I heard her voice when she opened for Conor’s Salutations tour (16 May 2017). Her singing on Lua absolutely wrecked me-so good. 💓
Glad you are a fan of this album. We all cried the same way Fam, Still do to this day. Been listening since for almost 20 years
Hadn't listened to this in a couple of years; it was a pleasure to rediscover it along with you.
I really enjoyed this and would love to see you react to Bright Eyes’ other albums!
Road to joy, and many other tracks (specifically At The Bottom Of Everything on this track) have an anarchist streak throughout the lyrics. Look and you shall find.
Road to joy - that was trumpet, not sax 😜
great reaction buddy, sending love
I actually can’t believe we are nearing two whole decades of this & digital ash. I saw the aurora borealis, over my hometown and just felt like I had to come watch performances from this era of bright eyes and stumbled across this. I wish so much I could listen to these albums again for the first time. They have held my hand through everything. You’ve done this so much justice. Thank you.
And I still do that sigh after first day of my life. Every time . I felt that.
"This dude is really obsessed with time"
Yeah, I think its even more of an ever-present theme in "Fevers and Mirrors" which I hope you eventually listen to.
I been getting destroyed by this album for over a decade, and you did a real good job with this dude. One thing to note is this came out during the Iraq/Afghanistan war era and that colors a lot of the album.
Thanks for experiencing this album and helping me to hear it again a little like it was my first time.
"The vocalist of bright eyes" 😮
Landlocked Blues is political- not so existential. It is my favorite track on this album, though.
I absolutely loved watching you take this album in and listen to it and try to theorize about it and it's probably one of the more poppy albums out of his catalog honestly
Great reaction. Thanks for featuring this magnificent album.
Lol your reactions can be kinda similar to mine lol bright eyes is soooooooo good. Literally my fav. And cool to share some moments w u when u got really into it.
There’s a fantastic video of lovers listening to First Day of My Life that’s good for a warm fuzzy in the heart
Truly, one of those perfect albums. No way to skip a song on this one.
Awww baby, dont cry 😭
We get it though, you arent alone 💙 all us emo kids, who listened to it when it was released, who are still here... We get you. We get you. It is super hard hitting and emotional. That's why it is "emo music"
Love to see the younger gens appreciating our music ❤️
Ive loved this album for so many years, it is in my heart, but only paid atention to a good few lines keeping the big picture of the songs behind a veil. You just made this record new again for me. thanks, brotha
The protest in Old Soul Song was the 2003 marches against the war in iraq
Conor Oberst was in a skit on Conan a couple years ago. It sums up his whole ethos perfectly by taking comedic jabs at himself.
I'll have to check it out
In my opinion his lyrical storytelling is unparalleled. There are hundreds of songs that he has written over the years and I really hope that you get a chance to check out some of his other stuff. As others have mentioned his style has changed so much over the years. I would also recommend checking out his other band Desaparecidos. The fact that he wrote their album Read Music/Speak Spanish at the same time that he wrote Lifted under Bright Eyes is mindblowing.
The legend Emmylou Harris is the backing vocal on that second song.
DiSGUSTINGLY AMAZING album
Been liatening to it sinxe i was like 5 years old its so fucking amazing
"He's not doing so good" is the understatement of the century for Conor hahaha
Absolutely amazing video though, loved how much it affected you on your first listen. Focussing on the lyrics is 100% the way to enjoy Bright Eyes
Bright eyes reaction video this is like christmas day 2 me
Poison Oak always hits me hard too, even after all these years. Pure art.
Loved your reaction! Do the First Album! He was something about 16 at the time, but lyrics and music is so great!
It’s interesting to see your reaction to this with very little Bright Eyes context.
I've been listening to Bright Eyes/ Conor Oberst since Lifted was released and I've followed him through his entire career and even met him once and had wine with him. But honestly he's the greatest songwriter of his generation. I've been to plenty of his shows and I've actually cried. He writes and tells some of the most beautiful stories. He is the greatest lyricist we have today. and by your reactions i reacted the same at the times these were released, Bright eyes is for you!
So lucky to have had the time to drink with Oberst! Just a guess but I'm gonna say it was red wine? Have a good one!
@@knightscroftsquire-muldoon he actually asked for a pinot gricio white wine haha and thats why i now drink that. I waited for him after one of his shows in LA and he came out took photo and my gf at the time said lets go where he's going we followed and I congratulated him on his performance he was really down to earth and greatful for the comment I went out of my way to buy him a drink he accepted asked for a pinot gricio and then I proceeded to ask him about his records his favorite ones and asked about books he liked and he was just really cool as if we've talked before. he hanged out.. I met the band they said hello and then after a while he went outside by himself for a smoke and he was on the phone. but he was genuine and polite and cool! and this was maybe 2015 or so... or 16....
one of his favorite author was Steinbeck and he always remained really happy with how Lifted turned out he said. funny both of those things are my favorite as well. but yeah I also knew I couldn't fan girl out too much
@@leninpartida2470 that's so cool! I would never have expected him to like white wine, I'm gonna have to try a glass of Pinot Gricio! Thanks for the info and story!
"im happy just because i found out i am really no one" has liberated me in a way therapy couldnt
I forgot how hard Poison Oak hits my soul ;-;
*sips my savignon blanc*
*Continues scrapbooking a birthday present* 😂😂😂
I am a cliché, I am a meme
Conor and Bright Eyes are very satirical and tongue in cheek with the lyrics. Hes poetically brilliant.
Beautiful to see your emotion on Poison Oak.
Great album. Mesmerizing songwriting.
The triumphant trumpet part is a version of Taps which is a bugle call used to signal lights out time in the US military and also played at a military funeral. To further the themes of time and impending death.
My brother past a few months ago. Recently found out a few weeks ago. He was taunted and made ashamed of his sexuality growing up. We don't know if he killed himself or was murdered. Poison Oak has helped me get through this more than anything else and it joys me to see you interpret it.
you had to be there
Like poison oak bright eyes has a few songs that will give you that reaction. Fire wall as a album has a few moments like that.
First. I appreciate the way you dissected this album. It's one of my favorites. You gave a masterpiece justice. But be careful, me and my now ex wife chose the first day of my life to walk down the aisle too. Now it's hard to listen too.
And my next tattoo is going to be a yellow bird. Again, thank you.
i find it hilarious that you also came up with triumphant trumpets. it's become somewhat of an inside joke between me and my best friend
Never did I expect this. Holy shit.... Um, I'd also recommend their album Fevers & Mirrors, as well as Lifted. Great stuff, wayyyy more depressing than this album
I second this recommendation!
💯 wayyy more depressing 😂 yes, but even greater peaks/thrills to be heard
i love lifted so much aaa
You should do the 1st 2 modest mouse albums
yes
I love the sad song.i remember hearing that about jerry Garcia it always resonated with me.lue is so ,so good
I think you’d really enjoy Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. He released it the same day as this album. It’s more electronic but still the same genius level of writing.
fav album of all time, loved your interpretation
One day you will react to Say Hi, and I can't wait. Thanks for reacting to Bright Eyes
3:40 it depends on the album and the song, Bright Eyes is a bit of pop punk, a bit of folk country at times, and always emo and peotic as hell, that's why I have been in love with this band since some old xbox friend from Chicago introduced me by chance. I am so grateful to him, though we haven't spoke in nearly a decade, I feel like my life wouldn't have been the same without this music.
I love this album!! Idk if you heard it already but Connor and Phoebe Bridgers have a full album together called Better Oblivion Community Center! I'd love to see your reaction to it :)
I second this!!!
i love bright eyes man