Folk music’s humble beginnings can be traced all the way back to the 19th century where it basically served as a vehicle for written poetry to be put to music. It is characterized as being very basic, with instrumentals mainly augmenting the lyrics and the message of the words. The tenacity that the genre has shown through the years is a testament to its importance to musical culture as a whole. While one may think that the simplistic music would die out in the digital age, folk music continues to thrive into the new millennium. The torch is carried by fantastic groups such as Bright Eyes, a trio of musicians from Omaha, Nebraska led by singer-songwriter Connor Oberst. In the song “At the Bottom of Everything” by Bright Eyes, Oberst passionately expresses the pitfalls of life in modern America through the lens of a need for optimism.
Oberst is a master of conveying his message. He expresses his disdain for the American medical system with “we must take all of the medicine too expensive now to sell”; he recognizes the high price of medical care and thinks it to be unjust. He also sings that we must “set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell”, displaying his dislike of popular religion. But while he censures these two central institutions of modern American, he realizes that they are inescapable and should be received in the best way possible; “And in the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn’t dream/We must sing, we must sing, we must sing.” Anarchists are people who are anti-government, and it could be argued that they have no aspirations for their life because of their largely pessimistic views; to sing in the ear of such a person would only be brought on by a desire to inspire. His struggle with the modern American identity and its gross generalization is exemplified by having to “memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul”, meaning he feels trapped by the symbolic loss of freedom behind every citizen being labeled with a string of numbers. But at the same time he recognizes that “in this endless race for property and privilege to be won/we must run, we must run, we must run”; although he doesn’t support the ideology of the ideal American life, he knows he is forced to participate and that a pessimistic view would be a waste. These views on life lead him to the ironically joyous conclusion “I’m happy just because/I found out I am really no one”, where he realizes that in the larger scope of life his is a completely insignificant existence, and he has come to terms with it.
Bright Eyes’ ability to create deep, meaningful songs with fantastic melodies is exemplary. “At the Bottom of Everything” exhibits Oberst writing some of his strongest lyrics that are relatable to just about every citizen of the United States. Because of its lyrical accessibility, this song stands out as one of the best in the band’s catalogue. Connor Oberst has been endowed with unmatched poetic prowess, and because of the volume and quality of his work, he should be considered one of the great songwriters of his generation.
