Letting Off the Happiness

{{Infobox album

| name = Letting Off the Happiness

| type = studio

| artist = Bright Eyes

| cover = Letting Off the Happiness (Front Cover).png

| alt =

| released = November 2, 1998

| recorded = March 1997 – March 1998

| studio = Conor Oberst's basement,
Omaha, Nebraska
Chase Park Transduction,
Athens, Georgia

| genre = {{hlist|Lo-fi music|alternative country|rock|emo{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-50-best-albums-of-1998/|date=February 18, 2018|access-date=November 28, 2021|website=Pitchfork |title=The 50 Best Albums of 1998 }}|electroacoustic}}

| length = 57:02

| label = Saddle Creek

| producer = Mike Mogis

| prev_title = A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995–1997

| prev_year = 1998

| next_title = Every Day and Every Night

| next_year = 1999

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Letting Off the Happiness: A Companion

| type = studio

| single1 = Contrast and Compare (Companion version)

| single1date = February 1, 2022

| single2 = St. Ides Heaven (Companion version)

| single2date = March 22, 2022

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/letting-off-the-happiness-mw0000602017 |title=Letting Off the Happiness – Bright Eyes |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=January 21, 2019 |last=D'Angelo |first=Peter J.}}

| rev2 = NME

| rev2score = 8/10{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/4867 |title=Bright Eyes : Letting Off The Happiness |work=NME |date=April 18, 2001 |accessdate=January 21, 2019 |last=Naylor |first=Tony |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103032444/http://www.nme.com/reviews/4867 |archivedate=November 3, 2012}}

| rev3 = Pitchfork

| rev3score = 6.8/10{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/b/bright-eyes/letting-off-the-happiness.shtml |title=Bright Eyes: Letting Off the Happiness |work=Pitchfork |accessdate=January 21, 2019 |last=Schneyer |first=Jeremy |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106080935/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/15669/Bright_Eyes_Letting_Off_the_Happiness |archivedate=November 6, 2008}}

| rev4 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite book |chapter=Bright Eyes |last=Catucci |first=Nick |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/104 104–05] }}

| noprose = yes

}}

Letting Off the Happiness is the second studio album released by the indie rock band Bright Eyes. The album was released on November 2, 1998. It was the first release by Bright Eyes to feature and be produced by Mike Mogis, now a permanent member of the band. A vinyl re-release of the album was included in the Bright Eyes Vinyl Box Set in 2012. Guest musicians include members of Cursive, Tilly and the Wall, and Elephant 6 collective's Neutral Milk Hotel and of Montreal.

This album is the 23rd release of Saddle Creek Records. The album was reissued alongside a six-track companion EP by Dead Oceans on May 27, 2022.

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Letting Off the Happiness track listing

| all_writing = Conor Oberst

| title1 = If Winter Ends

| length1 = 3:25

| title2 = Padraic My Prince

| length2 = 3:48

| title3 = Contrast and Compare

| length3 = 3:57

| title4 = The City Has Sex

| length4 = 2:11

| title5 = The Difference in the Shades

| length5 = 4:23

| title6 = Touch

| length6 = 3:42

| title7 = June on the West Coast

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = Pull My Hair

| length8 = 4:10

| title9 = A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction

| length9 = 4:24

| title10 = Tereza and Tomas

| length10 = 25:46

| note10 = ends at 5:40, followed by guitar drone. "Contrast and Compare (Version)" (4:48) begins at 20:58.

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Japanese edition

| title1 = If Winter Ends

| length1 = 3:25

| title2 = Padraic My Prince

| length2 = 3:48

| title3 = Contrast and Compare

| length3 = 3:57

| title4 = The City Has Sex

| length4 = 2:11

| title5 = The Difference in the Shades

| length5 = 4:23

| title6 = Touch

| length6 = 3:42

| title7 = June on the West Coast

| length7 = 3:34

| title8 = Pull My Hair

| length8 = 4:10

| title9 = Empty Canyon, Empty Canteen

| length9 = 2:46

| title10 = A Poetic Retelling of an Unfortunate Seduction

| length10 = 4:24

| title11 = Tereza and Tomas

| length11 = 25:46

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Letting Off the Happiness: A Companion track listing

| total_length = 22:00

| title1 = The Difference in the Shades

| note1 = companion version; featuring Miwi La Lupa

| length1 = 4:25

| title2 = The City Has Sex

| note2 = companion version; featuring Waxahatchee

| length2 = 2:27

| title3 = Contrast and Compare

| note3 = companion version; featuring Waxahatchee

| length3 = 3:16

| title4 = Kathy With a K's Song

| note4 = companion version; with M. Ward

| length4 = 4:54

| title5 = St. Ides Heaven

| note5 = featuring Phoebe Bridgers; written by Elliott Smith

| length5 = 2:40

| title6 = June on the West Coast

| note6 = companion version; featuring Becky Stark

| length6 = 3:38

}}

Personnel

Conor Oberst – vocals; guitar (1–5, 7–10); acoustic drums, electric drums (3); keyboards (6); piano (10)
Mike Mogis – atmospheric noises (2); pedal steel (3, 5, 8, 9); melodica, air organ (3); country guitar (4); keyboards (4, 6, 9); electric drums (8); organs (9); piano, bowed chimes (10); recording (2, 3, 10); mixing, mastering
Matt Maginn – bass (2)
Matt Focht – drums (2); percussion (10)
Matt Oberst – guitar (3)
Neely Jenkins – vocals (3, 8)
Andy LeMaster – vocals (4, 8); percussion (4); bass (5); lead guitar (8); recording, engineering (4, 5, 6, 9)
Jeremy Barnes – drums (4, 5, 6, 9); percussion (4); broken keyboards (6); accordion (9)
Kevin Barnes – Rhodes keyboard (5); angelic background vocals (9)
Ted Stevens – sloppy drums (8)
Aaron Druery – ebow bass (10)
Robb Nansel – finger cymbals (10)

Charts

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Chart performance for Letting Off the Happiness

! scope="col"| Chart (2012)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|BillboardVinyl|4|artist=Bright Eyes|rowheader=true|access-date=June 3, 2022}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+Chart performance for Letting Off the Happiness: A Companion

! scope="col"| Chart (2022)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|BillboardAlbumSales|92|artist=Bright Eyes|rowheader=true|access-date=June 7, 2022}}

References

Category:1998 albums

Category:Bright Eyes (band) albums

Category:Saddle Creek Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Mike Mogis

Category:Electroacoustic music albums