Hootie & the Blowfish's debut album, Cracked Rear View, was the success story of 1994/1995, selling over 12 million copies. It's a startling, large number, especially for a new band, but in some ways, the success of the record isn't that surprising. Although Hootie & the Blowfish aren't innovative, they deliver the goods, turning out an album of solid, rootsy folk-rock songs that have simple, powerful hooks. "Hold My Hand" has a singalong chorus that epitomizes the band's good-times vibes. None of the tracks transcend their generic status, but they are strong songs for their genre, with crisp chords and bright melodies. Still, the songs wouldn't be convincing without the emotive vocals of Darius Rucker, whose gruff baritone has more grit than the actual songs. At their core, Hootie & the Blowfish are a bar band, but they managed to convince millions of listeners that they were the local bar band, and that's why Cracked Rear View was a major success. Hootie & the Blowfish's debut album, Cracked Rear View, was the success story of 1994/1995, selling over 12 million copies. It's a startling, large number, especially for a new band, but in some ways, the success of the record isn't that surprising. Although Hootie & the Blowfish aren't innovative, they deliver the goods, turning out an album of solid, rootsy folk-rock songs that have simple, powerful hooks. "Hold My Hand" has a singalong chorus that epitomizes the band's good-times vibes. None of the tracks transcend their generic status, but they are strong songs for their genre, with crisp chords and bright melodies. Still, the songs wouldn't be convincing without the emotive vocals of Darius Rucker, whose gruff baritone has more grit than the actual songs. At their core, Hootie & the Blowfish are a bar band, but they managed to convince millions of listeners that they were the local bar band, and that's why Cracked Rear View was a major success. false 2025-11-08 07:11:37 Cracked Rear View 1995 1995-03-06 1995-03-06 47 Rock 112339 2117638 ea250f01-ef08-4d1f-b448-c964b773067e b3120863-d98d-4bad-a637-8abd8cde6685 5c411048-4d5d-3f80-8eaf-ef20a7089404 /media/data/media4/Music/Hootie & the Blowfish/Cracked Rear View/folder.jpg Hootie & the Blowfish Hootie & the Blowfish 1 1 Hannah Jane 03:34 1 2 Hold My Hand 04:15 1 3 Let Her Cry 05:08 1 4 Only Wanna Be With You 03:46 1 5 Running From an Angel 03:37 1 6 I’m Goin’ Home 04:10 1 7 Drowning 05:01 1 8 Time 04:53 1 9 Look Away 02:38 1 10 Not Even the Trees 04:37 1 11 Goodbye 04:05 1 12 Sometimes I Feel 00:53 Hootie & the Blowfish are an American rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band went on hiatus in 2008 until they announced plans for a full reunion tour in 2019 and released their first new studio album in fourteen years, Imperfect Circle. As of 2019, Hootie & the Blowfish had won two Grammy Awards, had landed sixteen singles on various Billboard singles charts, and had recorded six studio albums. The band's debut album, Cracked Rear View (1994), is the 19th-best-selling album of all time in the United States and was certified platinum 21 times. The band is known for its three Top 10 singles: "Hold My Hand" (1994), "Let Her Cry" (1994), and "Only Wanna Be with You" (1995). The band is also popular in Canada, having had three number-one singles in that country.