“Brightside” by The Lumineers

The lyrics of The Lumineers’ “Brightside” rely heavily on symbolism and metaphors, perhaps too much in terms of actually making it understandable to the average listener. But apparently the vocalist and the addressee, the latter of whom reads like his romantic interest, are living a transient lifestyle, i.e. bouncing around with no clear destination at the moment. And they seemingly made this decision after she grew “tired of [living in] Tacoma”.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for The Lumineers's Brightside at Lyrics.org.

So now it’s like they’re on the road, and the trip is proving less than ideal. And interesting in that regard is that fact that the vocalist seems to imply that she left her children behind in the process and that the cops may be looking for her, if not the both of them. So it may be that they’re on the run from the law or something like that, as, once again, the details of the narrative aren’t really logically clear.

But anyway, the thesis sentiment revolves around the vocalist advertising his willingness to ‘be her brightside tonight’. So by the looks of things, he is offering to brighten up her evening via some lovin’. Or put otherwise, he is hoping to edify their night amidst an overall depressing situation.

Lyrics to "Brightside" by The Lumineers

The Lumineers

The Lumineers are a duo of musicians, lead vocalist Wesley Schultz and multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites, who specialize in the folk rock genre. There have been other members of the crew, which originated in 2005, throughout the years. But Schultz and Fraites, being the founders of The Lumineers, have held the brand down throughout.

“Brightside”

This song, which came to us on 20 September 2021. The Lumineers made it the lead single and title track from their fourth studio album. This project is a product of Dualtone Records, the indie outfit that the band opted to sign with in 2012 as opposed to a major label. 

And to note, The Lumineers have been really successful on the UK Albums Chart and especially their native Billboard 200. For instance, their sophomore LP, Cleopatra (2016), topped both charts.

The aforementioned pair of musicians wrote this song. And it was produced by Simone Felice and David Baron. Also, according to Wesley Schultz, this piece was “recorded in a single day”.

The Lumineers' Wesley Schultz discusses "Brightside"

The Lumineers were granted the opportunity to perform this tune on Jimmy Kimmel Live upon its release.

Brightside

11 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

    Seems like it might be about suicide

  2. leo says:

    when he said (You were listening to “The Dark Side of the Moon”)
    he meant pink floyd album am i right?

  3. Heather Krivacka says:

    So exactly how much crack do you smoke while writing reviews? There could be many, many interpretations of this song, but not once in the several times of my listening to it have I ever felt the depression, suicidal angle, and most remotely, the involvement of any law enforcement or deadbeat, leave my children behind for some loser aspect. I find a sense of unconditional love and having someone who will stand by you with loyalty and absolute non judgment where and whenever you may need it and regardless of why you may need it.
    But I also guess that is the real beauty and generosity of music too, isn’t it? Everyone is afforded to believe, feel, think, or imagine what it means to them as an individual without having to be wrong or right or in agreement with anyone other than themselves.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Seems like a song about unconditional love to me, she has a light in her eyes that he loves and when she is feeling low he will be her bright side

    • Sean says:

      This song is not about unconditional love; Quite the contrary, in fact….it’s about feeling trapped in an unhealthy situation with someone you know is wrong for you.
      The lyrics are actually very straightforward:
      He talks about how he is on a road trip with a woman whom he feels is self destructive( doing drugs in hotel rooms just to escape her dull reality), and whom he feels is weighing him down.
      “ You were tired of Tacoma, I was tired of pretending we were right”

      – This woman is running away from her problems. At first, he found her vulnerability compelling, offering to be her “brightside”,but now that he’s spent enough time with her, he has come to the uncomfortable realization, that this woman is both immature, and toxic to his well being; As such, he wishes to get away from her entirely, yet feels, somehow, oddly compelled to be her “ brightside”. He has placed himself in the position of being a martyr, as, she is clearly unable to make herself happy.

      “Losing every other friend”

      He’s upset that this woman has isolated him from all his friends; This is a definite sign that this has devolved into codependency. He recognizes that this situation is unhealthy. He is feeling trapped, wanting to leave her to her own devices.

      The reference to her crying for her kids is another indication that this woman is tragically unwell, and has most likely abandoned her children(and perhaps her marriage) to go on a road trip to “find herself.”

      To me, that’s what this song is clearly about. The title of the song is ironic, in that, he actually resents having to be her “Brightside”
      He uses this word sarcastically, to show how unhappy he is in the situation….
      He repeats the phrase, “ but the light in your eyes” to emphasize the fact that it’s only her vulnerability which keeps him hooked….
      This is a flaw in the male character, and one which women often exploit to their own gain; Men are inexplicably drawn to vulnerable women, to the same degree that women are drawn to agressive/toxic men. This is why the trope of the “damsel in distress” is so commonly referenced.
      Women know instinctively to portray the damsel in distress, to attract men.

  5. Kyleigh says:

    Would agree that this is about unconditional love in some respects but if we really delve deeper–this song blurs the lines of unconditional love vs. codependency. Love means many things to many different people– but cant help to think that after their last album (which was based off band members’ own personal experiences with family members struggling with mental health/addiction) is a precedent to whats to come. Wouldn’t be surprised if this album highlights how codependency develops between an addict and their “unconditional lover.”

  6. Phil says:

    Psilocybin is what’s in magic mushrooms that make you trip. The one verse he is talking about eating mushrooms in a hotel room, listening to pink Floyd’s dark side of the moon and watching the waves on the ceiling lol. Love this song and album.

  7. Mike says:

    “Bright side” is the best part of your partners day.

    Everyone has things weighing on them, and things bringing them down.

    This love song is about the partner, being the best side (the bright side) of any given day… no matter how bad things get.

    I’ll be your bright side.

  8. Anonymous says:

    I see a couple who live a on the road, druggy life. Bouncing through town to town, “crying for her kids” what maybe were taken by CPS. The “losing every other friend” happens a lot in the drug community. I am a case worker so maybe I am projecting, but so many of my clients could have written it.

  9. Belle says:

    I see it as a guy and a girl who are in love and have been for a while. They’ve been through some shit together. The guy is singing the song, thinking about how much he loves the girl. It’s like he sucks in her words- like smoke from a cigarette- he looks at her and see’s beautiful things in her that no one else can see- the light in her eyes. But he can also see she’s hurting. Maybe she’s “crying for her kids” because she miscarried, but I feel like that could just be a metaphor for any sort of pain. “The cops are closing in” is another one, for feeling like all the bad things in the world are coming after you. He knows she’s hurting and scared, but he wants to help her- be her brightside in the midst of all the darkness she feels.

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