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When I first started listening to Bright Eyes, I knew about them as a sort of punchline - the kind of band you didn’t admit to listening to because people would say “cheer up, emo kid” to you. But a friend whose taste I trusted gave me their Every Day and Every Night EP, saying, “I know, I know, it’s Bright Eyes, but actually it’s really good”, and I liked it a lot. There’s weird lo-fi stuff in there, which I’ve always liked, and Conor Oberst has one of those not-classically-good voices that I’m a sucker for. He used to sing with much more of a quaver in his voice such that it kind of sounded like he was in the middle of sobbing, and while I know that’s sort of melodramatic and over the top, I’ve always found it really affecting. That’s been toned down over the years, and the production’s been cleaned up and expanded a fair bit, but there’s still something about the way their songs are presented that I find striking.
I don’t listen to their albums all the way through much, honestly, but here are my three favorite Bright Eyes songs, each of which always moves me. These sort of qualify as guilty pleasures, since a lot of people still tease me when I say I like Bright Eyes, and I know it’s never cool to talk about crying and being made emotional by a song, so I don’t mention it much. But I’m writing this now because I think that maybe I shouldn’t be ashamed about a song moving me to tears - one of the main things that I think is incredible about being a human being is the extent to which we have feelings, and empathy, etc., etc.
#3 - A Perfect Sonnet
Some of that earlier hyper-emotional singing. It is about the beauty of being in love, and the pain and beauty of losing it. I tear up a little at this song, and it reminds me of how incredible the human experience can be.
#2 - If the Brakeman Turns My Way
I’ll admit that I’m much less clear on what this song is really about, but I’ve always found it really moving. (As a side note, I’m very often kind of embarrassingly non-lyrical - I frequently don’t really parse lyrics when I’m listening to music, even when they’re pretty high in the mix.) That line, “I never thought of running / My feet just led the way” leading into the first chorus just kills me. (Actually, on further reflection, the pre-chorus always gets me, even when the lyrics are different. That sweeping at the end of it just pulls me along.)
#1 - First Day of My Life
I am still a little embarrassed to admit it, but I usually cry whenever I hear this song. It makes me think of every time I’ve ever loved or felt loved, and the sadness and incredible joy and power of connecting with another person and being accepted by them. The video, also, is really touching to me: there are so many people in it who clearly care for each other, and so much happiness.