Top 10 Bright Eyes Songs Ranked

Photo: Davinic, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

The top 10 Bright Eyes Songs Ranked list looks at some of the great Bright Eyes songs released in the past twenty years as we choose our ten favorites. Musician Conor Oberst founded the band Bright Eyes. The group hails from Omaha, Nebraska. The first Bright Eyes album was released in 1998, entitled A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997. The album sold about 53 thousand copies in the United States. A second album was released that same year in 1998, entitled Letting Off the Happiness. That album sold just a little less at 56 thousand copies. Bright Eyes released their third album in 2000, entitled Fevers and Mirrors, three times as many albums as the previous Bright Eyes record.

Their 2002 album Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, would become their biggest-selling record to date, selling over 300 thousand records as the band’s popularity continued to increase. Their biggest-selling album of their career would be released in 2005, entitled Wide Awake, It’s Morning, which sold over half a million copies. The group has since released four more albums, with their latest release being issued in 2o20 called Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. Our Top 10 Bright Eyes Songs Ranked list picks ten of their best to help turn you on to this great band.

# 10 – Miracle of Life

We open up our Bright Eyes songs list with the great song “Miracle Of Life.” The song was released in 2020 as a non-album single after the release of the most recent Bright Eyes album entitled Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. It stands as the most recent Bright Eyes single release. The song became a top 10 hit on the US Billboard Alternative Rock Charts as well as the US Billboard Rock Charts.

# 9 – Shell Games

Continuing with our Bright Eyes songs list, we turn to the song “Shell Games.” The song was released on the album The People’s Key. The album was released in 2011. The People’s Key was the band’s ninth studio album. This is a fabulously produced song that echoes so many classic 1970s bands. It’s one of those songs that you swear you have heard so many parts of the song before somewhere, but you can’t pinpoint them exactly. Take a listen, and you will ultimately get what we are saying. In the end, it’s simply a fantastic song. We love this one. It sounds like the entire history of rock and roll is all jammed into this one.

# 8 – Persona Non Grata

In the number eight position on our Bright Eyes songs list is the very tempestuous song “Persona Non Grata.” This fantastic song was issued on the album Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. The album was released in 2020, making it the band’s most recent release. This is a deep, harrowing song produced with a grand piano track and some deep emotional vocals by Conor Oberst.

# 7 – Four Winds

At the number seven spot on our Bright Eyes songs list is the track “Four Winds.” The song was released on the album entitled Cassadaga. The album was released in 2007. The song “Four Winds” was released as the first single from the album. It’s incredible how Bright Eyes could sound so different at times. There is a great old-school country rock Poco style flavor to the song, making the band sound like they recorded this one in 1972. You have to watch this great video below.

# 6 – Lover I Don’t Have To Lie

The Bright Eyes song “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” was released in 2002. The song was issued on the album Lifted or the Story Is in the Soil… The song “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” was published as the only single from the album. Conor Oberst wrote the song. In the song, Conor Oberst references J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye by using a line from the book. It furthermore showed the depths of Conor Oberst’s songwriting.

# 5 – When the President Talks to God

At the halfway point on our top 10 Bright Eyes songs list, we turn to the protest song “When the President Talks to God.” The song was released in 2005 as a protest against the United States President at the time, President George W Bush. Without getting into the particular policies or issues that the group Bright Eyes was protesting, they were one of the few musical artists not afraid to write protest songs against the George Bush administration. The others are most notable, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow.

# 4 – I Will Be Grateful For This Day

Moving along on our Bright Eyes songs list, we turn to this rocking, slightly techno style with some great guitar riffs song called “I Will Be Grateful For This Day.” Just love those drum sounds before the chorus. This is really a great song and recording. It’s heavy at times, it’s melodic, the lyrics are brilliant, and there is even a touch of The Beatles within the song. It contains all the mighty ingredients that made Bright Eyes such a loved musical act in the 2000s and 2010s.

# 3 – First Day Of My Life

At number three on our Bright Eyes songs list is one of the most compelling songs the band has ever released. The song“First Day of My Life” was released as a single from the album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. The song was not released as a s single in the United States, but it was in the UK where it became a top 40 hit, peaking at number 37 on the United Kingdom Singles Charts. The musicians featured on the song included Conor Oberst on vocals, Jesse Harris on guitar, and Tim Luntzel on bass.

# 2 – Take It Easy (Love Nothing)

As we close in on the number one spot on our top 10 Bright Eyes songs list, we present the song “Take It Easy (Love Nothing).” This song was released on the album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn released on January 25, 2005. The same day that the other Bright Eyes album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, was released. The song “Take It Easy (Love Nothing).” was the first single released from the record. It was a huge hit, reaching the number two position on the US Billboard music charts.

# 1 – Lua

We close out our top 10 Bright Eyes songs list with the artist’s narrowing song, “Lua.” The song was released on the album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. The album was released in October 2004. The song “Lua” was placed as the album’s opening track because this was one they wanted the listeners to hear right away. It’s a song about depression and other issues that two people are dealing with, as the song adds a very emotional punch to the issues. This is such an extraordinary song it has been used in various television shows and most recently was utilized in the 2021 BBC documentary Can’t Get You Out of My Head.. This is the group’s highest-charting song in the United States, where it hit number one on the US Billboard sales music charts.