I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
by Bright Eyes
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 214 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 177 out of 214
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 214
  3. Negative: 23 out of 214

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  1. JackD
    Jan 28, 2006
    8
    I did enjoy this album and I still do, specifically First Day of My Life. However, I do not feel this album warrants a perfect 10 by any means. He needs to work on the consistency of his music through out the entire record.
  2. hibb
    May 26, 2006
    7
    I think that this album has been argued to death. It's far from incredible, but much more tolerable than most of his other works. Some of the songs are solid, but the others aren't substatial enough. "First Day of my Life" stands on its own as a great song, but it gets lost in the raucous disoder that is "Road to Joy."
  3. TheCriticTheCritic
    Jun 14, 2006
    9
    C'mon!!!! All of you who don't like this album don't like music. He has a great voice and is a great songwriter. What more could you want?
  4. anna
    Jul 17, 2006
    10
    honest and true. oberst manages to surprise listeners on every track, while at times being blunt and at others, elusive. he transforms into a master story-teller and universalizes his lyrics without detaching a human element. from the intro to the final note on the last track a listener is captivated.
  5. TimA
    Aug 24, 2007
    10
    This album is bright eyes greatest masterpiece, the lyrics and melodies are all amazing. Conor's voice sounds at it's best on this record, and is beautifully complemented by the simple, but effective Instrumentation.
  6. JasonW
    Dec 19, 2006
    10
    Before i bought this album, i just thought of bright eyes as...mediocre at best. However, after purchashing this cd just out of curiosity, i have now become a bright eyes fanatic. two days after i bought this cd, i went out and bought digital ash in a digital urn, just because this cd didn't fill my appetite for conor's genius. i have been completely turned around in my opinion Before i bought this album, i just thought of bright eyes as...mediocre at best. However, after purchashing this cd just out of curiosity, i have now become a bright eyes fanatic. two days after i bought this cd, i went out and bought digital ash in a digital urn, just because this cd didn't fill my appetite for conor's genius. i have been completely turned around in my opinion on bright eyes and will absolutely add every cd that he makes to my ever expanding collection of amazing songs, no matter what the genre.… Expand
  7. druss
    Feb 2, 2011
    4
    In spite of the odd decent tune, the dislike I feel for the man singing is hard to suppress. He's like Dylan with a fraction of the musical talent and without any sort of artistic vision (not counting the ideas he stole from Dylan).
  8. Vampire25
    Mar 1, 2011
    9
    I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is Bright Eyes's best album. Every song sounds like a single. Conor Oberst's voice sounds youthfully self-absorbed and it all sounds great. The opener "At The Bottom Of Everything" really opens up the whole album and the beautiful "First Day Of My Life" really puts a smile on your face. And the ending track "Road To Joy" really ends the album off with a bang.I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is Bright Eyes's best album. Every song sounds like a single. Conor Oberst's voice sounds youthfully self-absorbed and it all sounds great. The opener "At The Bottom Of Everything" really opens up the whole album and the beautiful "First Day Of My Life" really puts a smile on your face. And the ending track "Road To Joy" really ends the album off with a bang. All In All. I'm Wide Awake is a fantastic album. A-… Expand
  9. davenbettridge
    Nov 7, 2011
    10
    "I'm not sure what the trouble was that started all of this, the reasons all have run away but the feeling never did - It's not something I would recommend, but it is one way to live, cause what is simple in the moonlight, by the morning never is..." - Lua, Bright Eyes
  10. jmarkfin
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    An absolutely lovely album that is one of Oberst's best. It's definitely not for everyone, but for those whose tastes are attuned to this acoustic-folk sound, it's some of the highest quality stuff you can listen to.
  11. auxnbus
    Jun 17, 2014
    10
    It never got better than this for Bright Eyes.. One of the greatest albums of recent times - and stands with the greats of all time.
    This album seems to perfectly capture a stage in anyone's life at any given time. From the soul-crushing despairs of heartbreak, to the most hopeful of hopes, to the sour distaste for political affairs.
    This is the type of album that touches one day you and    It never got better than this for Bright Eyes.. One of the greatest albums of recent times - and stands with the greats of all time.
    This album seems to perfectly capture a stage in anyone's life at any given time. From the soul-crushing despairs of heartbreak, to the most hopeful of hopes, to the sour distaste for political affairs.
    This is the type of album that touches one day you and sticks to you for the rest of your life.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best Album of 2005
28
#28 Most Discussed Album of 2005
28
#28 Most Shared Album of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Stylus Magazine
    100
    Bright Eyes may well be on the verge of finally bridging the gap between his precocious talent and the maturity of an ageless songwriter.
    Read full review
  2. AllMusic
    40
    Far from being the second coming of Dylan, Oberst is as precious as Paul Simon, but without any sense of rhyme or meter or gift for imagery, puking out lines filled with cheap metaphors and clumsy words that don't scan.
    Read full review
  3. The A.V. Club
    80
    A culmination of Bright Eyes' decade-long habit of reviving folk-rock conventions and social engagement for a generation raised on the celebratory egomania of rap and reality television.
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