In this case study i’ll be looking at the life and works of the lyricist Conor Oberst, most famous for his position as singer/songwriter of the band Bright Eyes. Born on February 15th 1980, Conor has seen his fair share of music projects. In 1994 his first band was formed, originally called Norman Bailer but later reborn under the alias The Faint. Within a few days of this formation Conor announced to his totally unexperienced, songless band that they had a gig in two weeks time. I can imagine the band’s reaction as something along the lines of “Dude, what?” but in what must of have been a long, rehearsal-filled 14 days, 9 songs were written in time for their first performance. As much of an impressive feat as it may be, the quality of the music created at this point is questionable. Judge for yourself with this performance of ‘Willow Wood’ (one for the Lo-Fi fans) but I’m sure you’ll agree that ‘unpolished’ might be an understatement.
Luckily over the years both his skills in writing and performance improved dramatically. Conor was part of many musical ventures, namely Los Desaparecidos, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley band, most famously Bright Eyes and most recently in the Folk Rock superband Monsters of Folk.
As for his actual writing, I’m drawn more to the lyrics of the Bright Eyes songs, which are extremely introspective. Although not usually the sort of music I listen to that regularly Bright Eyes unique folk rock sound really appeals to me. I love the way he is able to tell an entire story, creating scenarios and imagery in my head through his use of words. Bright Eyes gained the recognition they deserve when the album ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’ was voted one of the top 10 albums of 2005 by Time Magazine, and subsequently in 2007 when the song ‘Four Winds’ was named a top 100 song in Rolling Stone. ‘Four Winds’ is definitely evidence of the huge jump in talent from his earlier years and one of my favourites.
In my eyes Conor’s masterpiece is the song ‘At the Bottom of Everything’ from the album ‘I’m Wide Awake, it’s Morning’, plus the video’s pretty cool, I particularly think the embraces at the end are a nice touch.
I’m sure the lyrics can be interpreted in any number of ways, but to me it takes the view of existentialism. The ‘existential attitude’ is one that grows from a general feeling of disorientation in the world around you, a world which seems to lack meaning, but the lyrics portray this, to me at least, as something to be embraced. The final verse in particular gives this impression;
Oh my morning's coming back
The whole world's waking up
All the city buses swimming past
I'm happy just because
I found out I am really no one
The song hints at the inevitability of death as well as the fear of it which the majority of people feel, however lines such as ‘I’m happy just because, I found out I am really no one’ insinuates that although you can be aware of this inevitability, it doesn’t mean you should focus on it. If you’re under the impression that you are insignificant and the world appears to lack meaning, don’t just accept your insignificance, revel in it. Live your life and be happy as yourself, even if you feel like ‘no one’. I accept that I may have read way too far into it, and the lines themselves may have been insignificant (in which case, what better reason is there to praise them?) but if Conor Oberst is as deep a thinker as he genuinely seems to be then I’m sure a lot of his lines could be picked apart for hours into their meaning. And besides, one of the great things about music like his is that it can mean whatever you feel.
I was treated to the surprise of hearing this song live when I was lucky enough to see Monsters of Folk perform. Towards the end of the set Conor stepped up and started belting it out and it really was a great moment. In truth I had ingested copious amounts of overpriced beer and was in a pretty good mood already but nonetheless the performance was awesome. One thing I would note from the whole show was when Conor basically had a tantrum which included the deconstruction of the drums, using his limbs as tools, whilst the drummer, Will Johnson of Texas indie-rock band Centro-Matic, tried his hardest to finish the set. This tantrum ended in what must be the quintessential epitomy of Folk rock ‘n’ roll, the total annihilation of a piano. He came across as a bit of a diva (even if it was kinda cool), but i’m sure he’d just say he’s misunderstood.
Not the most imposing figure, Oberst has the frame of a debatably malnourished teenager and inspired a conversation which I overheard from an equally inebriated fan nearby culminating in the awe-inspiring question “And anyway, Where the f**k did he get a suit that nice that fits a child?”. Conor however is well equipped at handling hecklers, he famously retorted to a crowd member in New Hampshire in 2005 who decided to attack his alcoholism. A shout of “Don’t play, just drink” from the audience member was quickly shot down with the words “Don’t listen, just leave.”
Although he could easily come across as a whiney man who might need to let go of his teenage angst, which may be true, I do genuinely believe he is an underrated songwriter. Although Genius may not be the right word, (even if it is close) Conor Oberst certainly fits the tortured soul and frail physique stereotype of a man who has the ability to go down in history as one of this era's greats.
