Bloodbuzz Ohio (2010) – The National

‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ started as a sweet little folk song, which we transformed. But we knew that was a good one right away.”

– Matt Berninger (frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National).

Bloodbuzz Ohio is one of the standout tracks from The National’s 2010 album High Violet, which reached No. 3 on the US charts and appeared on many “album of the year” lists. The song captures what people admire about the band: a slow, looping build that gradually comes together. The music grows in layers and only fully reveals itself near the end, a point drummer Bryan Devendorf has noted about their process.

The band often turns ambiguity into an art form. The writing is minimal, and the meaning comes more from the music than the words. Matt Berninger’s deep, weary voice feels almost like another instrument. He has said he wrote much of the album in a half-awake state after the birth of his daughter, which adds to the song’s drifting, uneasy mood. He said he was ‘happy but a little delirious’.

Despite its abstract feel, the sound is dense and immersive. It surrounds the listener, which has always been part of the band’s appeal to me. Their music may be vague, but the band themselves have been open about this period. Around 2009, they were burned out from touring and close to breaking up. Recording High Violet helped bring them back together, with Bryce Dessner describing it as entering “another universe.”

Lyrically, Bloodbuzz Ohio is about distance, identity, and change. Berninger has described it as a song about where you’re from, family, and a sense of dislocation. Lines like “I still owe money to the money to the money I owe” reflect the stress of the financial crisis. There is also a feeling of homesickness. The band formed in New York but came from Ohio, and the song captures that tension between past and present.

The band have always been very open with the media about their music, especially the making of their songs, their creative process, and their meaning. I highly recommend their interview below with Uncut magazine for a detailed breakdown of how Bloodbuzz Ohio came into being.

[Verse 1]
Stand up straight at the foot of your love, I
Lift my shirt up
Stand up straight at the foot of your love, I
Lift my shirt up

[Pre-Chorus]
I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees
I never married, but Ohio don’t remember me

[Verse 2]
Lay my head on the hood of your car, I
Take it too far
Lay my head on the hood of your car, I
Take it too far

[Chorus]
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I never thought about love when I thought about home
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
The floors are fallin’ down from everybody I know

[Post-Chorus]
I’m on a blood buzz, yes I am
I’m on a blood buzz
I’m on a blood buzz, God I am
I’m on a blood buzz

References:
1. Bloodbuzz Ohio – Wikipedia
2. The National: How we made “Bloodbuzz Ohio” – Uncut