The fixer - a change of mind

Travels With

I am absolutely loving the new single. I will admit it took me about 3-5 listens before my The Fixer "ah-ha" moment.

brandon10

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

LeatherMandi wrote:

Pearl jam is a ROCK band.. and people like them because they rock.. not because they can write catchy pop tunes;p If that were the case, Britney spears would be better at the craft. So i understand completely why people are all up in arms about this.. I just think this song takes a big shit on what pj used to be about but im not suprised.. they are going somewhere different, i just hope the younger fans like myself can still relate..

I think younger fans are missing a bit of perspective in that this type of opinion, that pearl jam has changed, has occurred almost every year since '94. An impromptu list:

It began with the idea that they were a record company creation
Ed had become full of himself and they were focused on money when battling Ticketmaster
Vitalogy - believe it or not many fans of Ten and Vs. did not like Vitalogy and they lost the fringe metal fans
Grammy Acceptence
No Code - where do I begin, well the Who You Are single and the collective "What the hell".

Who You Are still bothers me. But I LOVE No Code. The Fixer is ok. I'm pumped for Backspacer. And I'm excited to hear Fixer live in under 2 weeks!!! Then I'll have a real opinion on the song.

Fahka

Ok yeah i really do need some "fixing" so this alone is enough to get me amped to see the greatet live band ever in chicago was a long shot but with such great friends, might just be able to pull it off.. fn a

mca47

slightofjeff wrote:

Seriously ... I'm a lyric guy. I can listen to someone singing on top of armpit noises if the lyrics are solid. On the flip side, I will not listen to music with ridiculous lyrics. Will not.

"The Fixer" lyrics are fine. In fact, they are deceptively deep, in my opinion.

Yeah, I still think they are quite weak. I also think the delivery of the lyrics is a little "off". Just seems a "clunky" way to convey a message.

I dunno...

TriumphantAngel

slightofjeff wrote:

mca47 wrote:

A lot of PJ tunes take some time for me to warm up to.


The Fixer is NOT one of them.

I've tried and tried, and I still think it's a crappy tune. :(

How do you know? It just came out like, last week.

i'm really excited for the tour and the release of the new album.

i can only hope the fixer sounds better then. i am not feeling the love for it.

slightofjeff

TriumphantAngel wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

mca47 wrote:

A lot of PJ tunes take some time for me to warm up to.


The Fixer is NOT one of them.

I've tried and tried, and I still think it's a crappy tune. :(

How do you know? It just came out like, last week.

i'm really excited for the tour and the release of the new album.

i can only hope the fixer sounds better then. i am not feeling the love for it.

Sucks to be you

slightofjeff

mca47 wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

Seriously ... I'm a lyric guy. I can listen to someone singing on top of armpit noises if the lyrics are solid. On the flip side, I will not listen to music with ridiculous lyrics. Will not.

"The Fixer" lyrics are fine. In fact, they are deceptively deep, in my opinion.

Yeah, I still think they are quite weak.

Eh. I disagree. They're deeper than you're giving them credit for. But whatever.

damen

"I think younger fans are missing a bit of perspective in that this type of opinion, that pearl jam has changed, has occurred almost every year since '94. An impromptu list:

It began with the idea that they were a record company creation
Ed had become full of himself and they were focused on money when battling Ticketmaster
Vitalogy - believe it or not many fans of Ten and Vs. did not like Vitalogy and they lost the fringe metal fans
Grammy Acceptence
No Code - where do I begin, well the Who You Are single and the collective "What the hell".

At these point they have pealed off 9/10ths of their fanbase by doing the unexpected. If anything things have mellowed out and maybe got a little artistically stagnant. The point is that they have always challenged the preconceptions of fans, media, who and whatever. The Fixer is nothing new. They do what they want and this is what they want: some fans elated, some fans confused, some fans pissed. Imh, this is what any artist should work to achieve."

excellent points made. But before when they really changed their sound, I'm guessing it was mostly Ed prompting it. These days, Ed encourages Matt to come up with whatever he wants to and hence we get "the Fixer". I think Ed and Matt have a modern chemistry that has come up with a nice chunk of songs. I guess it started with Evacuation and then came Cropduster, You Are and Get Right and then Unemployable. 6 songs that seem to have a common feel. I really like it and hope there's another one of Matt's on Backspacer!

12345AGNST1

slightofjeff wrote:

mca47 wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

Seriously ... I'm a lyric guy. I can listen to someone singing on top of armpit noises if the lyrics are solid. On the flip side, I will not listen to music with ridiculous lyrics. Will not.

"The Fixer" lyrics are fine. In fact, they are deceptively deep, in my opinion.

Yeah, I still think they are quite weak.

Eh. I disagree. They're deeper than you're giving them credit for. But whatever.

Im a big fan of the song, definately love the new style now. But how do you really think they are good, deep lyrics. IMO I admit the lyrics are pretty damn horrible but its a fun song and its uplifting so it suits the music well. Maybe this is what you mean?

Breakerfall2010

Here's a video that I think captures the essence of the song. Plus it puts a smile on my face everytime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-smKUEA01bU

Students from an elementary school production crew helped create this video to commemorate the work that I've done there.

slightofjeff

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im a big fan of the song, definately love the new style now. But how do you really think they are good, deep lyrics. IMO I admit the lyrics are pretty damn horrible but its a fun song and its uplifting so it suits the music well. Maybe this is what you mean?

I'm not saying the lyrics are the most poetic or the most philosophical Ed has ever written. I'm just saying they are nowhere close to being "pretty damn horrible" and that there is more depth to them than some of you are giving them credit for.

For example ...

"Fight to get it back again"

The lyric could have been "When something's lost, I want to get it back again." That would have been the most obvious choice given the "If A, then B" setup of the rest of the song.

Ed made the conscious decision to insert the active verb "fight" ... and that makes all the difference in the world. You can't just sit there and wait for your world to change. You have to do something. You have to fight.

I'm relating to this song, and especially that lyric, big time these days. I think back to my life about 14 months ago, back before the economy went to shit, and I remember how I thought everything was perfect. I had the very specific job I had wanted since I was about 10 years old, in the city I grew up in, with a baby on the way and a bright, bright future ahead of me. Pay raises every year, all that shit.

Then, the economy goes to hell. People around me get laid off, for no reason other than they make too much money. We who are left get our salaries slashed. Our health benefits reduced. I've still got a job, but nobody at my company -- or really, across my industry -- really knows for how long. In the meantime, there are growing signs that even when the recession does end, our industry isn't going to come back like it was. Carnage, carnage, carnage.

The present is pretty nerve-wracking. The future is downright bleak. I'm 32 years old. I have a wife and a young daughter counting on me. I don't think there's any way this job will even exist when I'm 40. Eventually, I'm going to have to change careers from what I've wanted to be since I was 10, and it scares the fuckin' bejesus out of me.

That's where the Fixer comes in. "When something's lost, I want to fight to get it back again." Fight. Not wait around for it to come back on its own, because that's not going to happen. I have to fight. I have to do something. I have to take control. And I can take control. That's the awesome part.

I haven't decided specifically what this means yet in the context of my own life. But it's comforting to know that maybe I can take action, that I can still control my own fate and my own destiny. In short, The Fixer means I'm not helpless. And that's what makes it possible for me to go on.

To me, the Fixer means "Stop your moping, and DO something about it." That's the exact message I needed to hear at this point in my life.

kiljoythemerciful

SlightofJeff,

Your response breaking down the lyrics highlights a point I tried to make in one of these fixer or backspacer threads on the malleability of ed's lyrics this time around. I am really enjoying how the new songs, especially Got Some, The Fixer, Unthought Known, have lyrics that give the audience some space to attach meaning, or find their own meaning.

I think this is a bit of a change (and I realize I am making generalizations) from the last few albums were the lyrics seemed really specific and labored at times. While there is nothing groundbreaking or overly insightful with the lyrics in The Fixer, they allow the audience to participate and take the lyrics to places of personal meaning that may be deep and affecting, like in your case.

slightofjeff

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

SlightofJeff,

Your response breaking down the lyrics highlights a point I tried to make in one of these fixer or backspacer threads on the malleability of ed's lyrics this time around. I am really enjoying how the new songs, especially Got Some, The Fixer, Unthought Known, have lyrics that give the audience some space to attach meaning, or find their own meaning.

I think this is a bit of a change (and I realize I am making generalizations) from the last few albums were the lyrics seemed really specific and labored at times. While there is nothing groundbreaking or overly insightful with the lyrics in The Fixer, they allow the audience to participate and take the lyrics to places of personal meaning that may be deep and affecting, like in your case.

That's an interesting point. I'd be interested to hear the rest of the album ...

SM10080

slightofjeff wrote:

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

SlightofJeff,

Your response breaking down the lyrics highlights a point I tried to make in one of these fixer or backspacer threads on the malleability of ed's lyrics this time around. I am really enjoying how the new songs, especially Got Some, The Fixer, Unthought Known, have lyrics that give the audience some space to attach meaning, or find their own meaning.

I think this is a bit of a change (and I realize I am making generalizations) from the last few albums were the lyrics seemed really specific and labored at times. While there is nothing groundbreaking or overly insightful with the lyrics in The Fixer, they allow the audience to participate and take the lyrics to places of personal meaning that may be deep and affecting, like in your case.

That's an interesting point. I'd be interested to hear the rest of the album ...

This song might be something live, but it definitely isn't their best stuff. My girlfriend, who doesn't get PJ, but I had to agree with her, simply said, "That sounds like all the shit you hate." And she was kind of right.

HOWEVER, I give them a pass on the first song released. Hell, on every album there's a song or two that feels a little too 'easy'. (Anyone remember 'Get Right'?). I have faith in the band that the album will bring the goods. Haven't been let down yet.

slightofjeff

SM10080 wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

kiljoythemerciful wrote:

SlightofJeff,

Your response breaking down the lyrics highlights a point I tried to make in one of these fixer or backspacer threads on the malleability of ed's lyrics this time around. I am really enjoying how the new songs, especially Got Some, The Fixer, Unthought Known, have lyrics that give the audience some space to attach meaning, or find their own meaning.

I think this is a bit of a change (and I realize I am making generalizations) from the last few albums were the lyrics seemed really specific and labored at times. While there is nothing groundbreaking or overly insightful with the lyrics in The Fixer, they allow the audience to participate and take the lyrics to places of personal meaning that may be deep and affecting, like in your case.

That's an interesting point. I'd be interested to hear the rest of the album ...

This song might be something live, but it definitely isn't their best stuff. My girlfriend, who doesn't get PJ, but I had to agree with her, simply said, "That sounds like all the shit you hate." And she was kind of right.

HOWEVER, I give them a pass on the first song released. Hell, on every album there's a song or two that feels a little too 'easy'. (Anyone remember 'Get Right'?). I have faith in the band that the album will bring the goods. Haven't been let down yet.

I see your point, but this song makes "Get Right" look like pure vomit. They aren't exactly in the same league.

Fahka

slightofjeff wrote:

I see your point, but this song makes "Get Right" look like pure vomit. They aren't exactly in the same league.

Get Right owns! Poppier songs about weed i don't mind... lol Any song about getting right is gotta be all right, right?

12345AGNST1

slightofjeff wrote:

12345AGNST1 wrote:

Im a big fan of the song, definately love the new style now. But how do you really think they are good, deep lyrics. IMO I admit the lyrics are pretty damn horrible but its a fun song and its uplifting so it suits the music well. Maybe this is what you mean?

I'm not saying the lyrics are the most poetic or the most philosophical Ed has ever written. I'm just saying they are nowhere close to being "pretty damn horrible" and that there is more depth to them than some of you are giving them credit for.

For example ...

"Fight to get it back again"

The lyric could have been "When something's lost, I want to get it back again." That would have been the most obvious choice given the "If A, then B" setup of the rest of the song.

Ed made the conscious decision to insert the active verb "fight" ... and that makes all the difference in the world. You can't just sit there and wait for your world to change. You have to do something. You have to fight.

I'm relating to this song, and especially that lyric, big time these days. I think back to my life about 14 months ago, back before the economy went to shit, and I remember how I thought everything was perfect. I had the very specific job I had wanted since I was about 10 years old, in the city I grew up in, with a baby on the way and a bright, bright future ahead of me. Pay raises every year, all that shit.

Then, the economy goes to hell. People around me get laid off, for no reason other than they make too much money. We who are left get our salaries slashed. Our health benefits reduced. I've still got a job, but nobody at my company -- or really, across my industry -- really knows for how long. In the meantime, there are growing signs that even when the recession does end, our industry isn't going to come back like it was. Carnage, carnage, carnage.

The present is pretty nerve-wracking. The future is downright bleak. I'm 32 years old. I have a wife and a young daughter counting on me. I don't think there's any way this job will even exist when I'm 40. Eventually, I'm going to have to change careers from what I've wanted to be since I was 10, and it scares the fuckin' bejesus out of me.

That's where the Fixer comes in. "When something's lost, I want to fight to get it back again." Fight. Not wait around for it to come back on its own, because that's not going to happen. I have to fight. I have to do something. I have to take control. And I can take control. That's the awesome part.

I haven't decided specifically what this means yet in the context of my own life. But it's comforting to know that maybe I can take action, that I can still control my own fate and my own destiny. In short, The Fixer means I'm not helpless. And that's what makes it possible for me to go on.

To me, the Fixer means "Stop your moping, and DO something about it." That's the exact message I needed to hear at this point in my life.

Everyone has a song to fit them, thats cool. You do have a good point with that though, maybe that IS what Ed means. Get off your ass and do something, if something is fucked up, fix it and fight to get it right. I'm not going to write a huge post like you did but you brought a new meanign to the song for me now.

Gary Carter

LeatherMandi wrote:

slightofjeff wrote:

I see your point, but this song makes "Get Right" look like pure vomit. They aren't exactly in the same league.

Get Right owns! Poppier songs about weed i don't mind... lol Any song about getting right is gotta be all right, right?

LMFAO

agreed

pdalowsky

i found this tune instant, right from the piss poor recording from the sidewalk that surfaced first...

then even more so on my pathetic computer speakers, so I cant imagine how it'll sound

a)on some good quality valves
b) on the live stage

and then throw in the fact that after hearing get some more, I like that even better, Sept is gonna be class.

Hitch-Hiker

nazcanlines wrote:

Is anyone like me in that i originally thought the fixer was a completely standard single, but now i am loving it and can't stop listening!

I wouldn't say I love it, so much as I'm just used to it now because it's always on the radio. But I still don't really like it.