The band Bright Eyes and its prolific singer/songwriter Conor Oberst came rumbling out of Omaha, Nebraska, as one of the most promising indie groups of the 2000s. Relocating to New York City gave Oberst a different perspective, one that shone forth in the gritty, heartbreaking ballad “Lua.”
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What is “Lua” about? And how did it reflect the change of scenery in Oberst’s life around the time it was written? Here’s the skinny on one of the finest, saddest songs since to come down the pike since the turn of the millennium.
In the City
Bright Eyes formed in the ‘90s as an outlet for Oberst’s highly literate, unabashedly emotional songs. This was a time when indie bands could scuffle about for years in relative anonymity, save for the region of the country from which they originated. But by 2002 and the album Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, national publications were beginning to fawn over the band.
That meant the anticipation for Bright Eyes’ next record was also ramped up to another level. It was at this point Oberst decided a move was in order. He relocated to an apartment in New York City in 2003. He would write the bulk of the songs on the album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, which was released in 2005, during this time period.
By the time the album arrived, a burgeoning fan base was eagerly waiting for it. Oberst and company captured on the album a ‘70s vibe that was poised between Laurel Canyon and Nashville. Emmylou Harris added further credibility by providing backing vocals on several tracks. To add to the package, Bright Eyes released Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, a separate album of originals, on the same day as I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning.
That’s a lot of music to digest, and it was presented via wildly different methods on the two records. But on “Lua,” it’s just Oberst and guitar, recounting the seedier side of life in NYC. The authenticity of the narrative is impossible to miss, and it’s hard to imagine the song coming out in just that fashion without the songwriter’s lived-in experience informing it.
What is the Meaning of “Lua”?
“Lua” tells the story of two people, the narrator and his female companion, as they navigate a rough night in the city. The taxis don’t want anything to do with these scruffy characters, so they walk to their various destinations and wonder how they reached this point. And I’m not sure what the trouble was that started all of this, Oberst moans late in the song.
By that time, we’ve established these two are trying any method possible to either scare up a good time, or, barring that, at least erase the bad times: Well, we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain. At least he’s admitting his problem, and he seems to be trying to coax the girl to do the same: You just keep going to the bathroom, always say you’ll be right back / Well it takes one to know one, kid, I think you’ve got it bad.
This is not a union that’s destined to endure: But me, I’m not a gamble / You can count on me to split, he admits. But there’s something undeniably touching in their togetherness for the moment, especially since it’s all they’ve got: It’s not something I would recommend / But it is one way to live.
Bright Eyes came through and rose to the occasion with those excellent 2005 albums at a time when the music world was waiting to hear what they could do. And “Lua” is simply flawless, as Conor Oberst finds the touching humanity in a pair of down-on-their-luck lovers.
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Photo by Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic
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