Tag Archives: Hootie and the Blowfish

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Song of the Day #6,634: ‘Half a Day Ahead’ – Hootie & the Blowfish

When I did a quick Hootie & the Blowfish Deep Dive in 2019, I didn’t expect I’d ever have to revisit it. After all, it had been 14 years since the band’s last album. I guess they never officially broke up, but they were on an indefinite hiatus that made way for lead singer Darius Rucker’s successful solo career.

Maybe they read my posts and were inspired to give it another shot. In November of that year, they dropped Imperfect Circle, their seventh studio album. And I’m here seven years later to complete the deep dive. Let’s see if this leads to another release.

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Song of the Day #6,568: ‘Goodbye’ – Hootie and the Blowfish

Continuing my list of best debut albums (with quite a few caveats)…

Hootie and the Blowfish – Cracked Rear View (1994)

I couldn’t resist listing the best-selling debut album in U.S. history, especially when it’s one I really loved back in the day. I haven’t returned to Hootie and the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View much since my early 20s, but it has the same comfortable power when I do.

This album received a modest rollout, aimed at boosting the profile of a hard-working bar band. It ended up catching fire, selling more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone, buoyed by the top ten hits ‘Hold My Hand,‘ ‘Let Her Cry,’ and ‘Only Wanna Be with You.’

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Song of the Day #5,036: ‘Hannah Jane’ – Hootie and the Blowfish

Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#5 – Cracked Rear View – Hootie and the Blowfish

At some point it became cool to hate on Hootie and the Blowfish, or at least uncool to like them, but in 1994 it was impossible to deny the appeal of their muscular folk rock debut album.

Cracked Rear View was a hit both critically and commercially, eventually selling more than 21 million copies in the U.S. alone to become one of the top twenty best-selling albums of all time.

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Song of the Day #4,053: ‘Hey Sister Pretty’ – Hootie & the Blowfish

In 2005, two years after their self-titled album, Hootie & the Blowfish released their fifth — and to date, final — album of original material, Looking For Lucky.

The band returned to producer Don Gehman for this effort, and for the first time brought on additional songwriters for some tracks. Some of these songs hint at Darius Rucker’s move into country music, with a strong bluegrass influence and a number of religious references.

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Song of the Day #4,052: ‘Woody’ – Hootie & the Blowfish

Ever since The Beatles released the white album, it seems every band feels the need to put out a mid-career self-titled record.

For Hootie & the Blowfish, that time came in 2003. Hootie & the Blowfish was the first album of original material by the band in five years, and the first without producer Don Gehman. Instead, Grammy-winning producer Don Was took the reins and brought more of a pop sheen to the music.

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