Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska led by Conor Oberst, who amongst others defined Saddle Creek records as well as founded his own independent label Team Love Records. Oberst tends toward introspective, confessional lyrics when writing for Bright Eyes and his other bands, which include Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk.

One of the first indie bands to gain mainstream success, Bright Eyes has had two singles, "Lua" and "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)," that reached the top of the Billboard charts. Their respective albums, I'm Wide Awake It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn were released simultaneously, and are two of the best received indie albums of the Turn of the Millennium.

Not to be confused with the Shirley Temple film of the same name.


 * A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 (1998)
 * Letting Off the Happiness (1998)
 * Fevers and Mirrors (2000)
 * Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground (2002)
 * A Christmas Album (2002)
 * I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (2005)
 * Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (2005)
 * Motion Sickness (2005): a live album
 * Noise Floor (2006): a B-Side compilation
 * Cassadaga (2007)
 * The People's Key (2011)


 * Album Title Drop: I'm Wide Awake It's Morning gets its name from the album's final song, "Road to Joy."
 * A Storm Is Coming: "Don't Know When But A Day Is Gonna Come" off Lifted.
 * Cover Version: The Digital Ash B-Side "Burn Rubber" is a cover of Simon Joyner, one of Oberst's influences who was later signed to Team Love Records.
 * Lyrical Dissonance: "Bowl of Oranges"
 * Older Than They Look: Oberst is now past 30, nothing about him, not his face, hair or even his name doesn't say "kid".
 * Protest Song: "When the President Talks to God" is a very thinly-veiled attack on George W. Bush.
 * Spoken Word in Music