BACKSPACER: A STORY OF LONGING, RECONCILIATION & REDEMPTION
Pearl Jam has always been a band to more or less wear their heart on their sleeves, and in the days of their decadent youth they truly were restless souls. You didn’t have to look much further beyond their song and album titles for clues to what Pearl Jam was all about. In their first 3 albums you had the likes of “Vitalogy”, “Alive”, “Deep”, “Immortality”, “Oceans”, and “Garden” all showing their spirit of life, youth, and vitality. Counterbalancing the inherent optimism those adjectives describe were elements of anger, frustration, and darkness with titles like “Vs”, “Not For You”, “Black”, “Blood”, “Whipping”, “Indifference”, “Dissident”, “Rats”, “Bugs”, and ”Nothingman”.
For many fans, it was always that balance, that melting pot of conflict between optimism and despair that made Pearl Jam so essential. But even more importantly, it was this balance and conflict that made Pearl Jam so intriguing and the reason so many fans spent so much time pouring over lyrics and trying to decipher the true meanings of the songs. This ambiguous nature behind all context of this mainstream band is what made them who they were. It was a band that wore their heart on their sleeves, and yet it was a band that most fans really didn’t know anything about. Stories were fabricated about the origin of the name Pearl Jam. The story of how the band found Eddie Vedder is told with the same vigor and feeling of chance as the greatest of folklore tales or the legends of ancient Greek mythology. A reverence for Andy Wood, a person 99.9999% of the fans never ever knew existed while he was still alive was held up as a tragic but necessary figure in the history of Pearl Jam.
It was under this backdrop of mystery and intrigue that so many of us came to develop our own understandings and interpretations of what this band was all about and who they really were. Ed’s song spoke to us on such a personal level, not because Ed knew our situations and what we were going through, but because he was able to be vague enough to allow us to apply our own scenarios to his words without being so obscure as to not give us a central point to anchor everything. It’s easy to understand why this was the most important band in the world to so many diverse people. Pearl Jam could speak to the well off upper class suburban spoon fed kids just as much as the middle class rebellious punks and the lower class survivors. We all had a stake in this band, and they genuinely made us care about their music.
When Pearl Jam went through the phase of deconstructing themselves and their fans with No Code, they dismantled their own empire. They pulled the rug out from underneath the structure as it existed at that time and left everything in a pile of rubble. They then took the ruins of their empire and what was left, and through the album YIELD, they rebuilt themselves into something completely different. And as is often the case, when you make your masterpiece, things will never be the same. The transition of No Code and YIELD was important to the longevity of the band, and it’s what gave us their greatest album, YIELD. But you sometimes can’t help but wonder how different their legacy would have been had they just let themselves burn out and explode like the supernova that they were. Perhaps I’m getting off point here, but beginning with Binaural, the band was different.
Suddenly, the windows into the world of Pearl Jam were opened. Songs that contained overtly political overtones such as “Soon Forget”, “Rival”, and “Grievance” started popping up. This was a band that no longer cared about ambiguity. This was a band who suddenly wanted to make a very specific difference in the world, and they were now going to create a vibe of either with us or against us that would begin to alienate even more fans.
But even among those of us who were generally “with them” in terms of their politics, there was a feeling of unease. It wasn’t so much that we disagreed, but it was more that we didn’t want to spoken down to like that. We didn’t want to be told what was right and wrong. We missed the lyrical nebulous of the first phase of the band’s career. But things were only going to get worse with the advent of Riot Act and PJ8. Suddenly there was no mystery left whatsoever, just an in your face political message and a spacious disconnect between the life of glamour the band seemed to be living and the daily strife the band seemed to be speaking to.
So it was under this pretense that the band gave us Backspacer. For the first time since YIELD, the band delivered an album free of clear political messages. Sure, you’ve got the line “Are you getting out? Are you dropping bombs? Have you heard of diplomatic resolve?” But it comes to us as a throwaway line in a song about a band being able to deliver a rock song to jump start your day. In its entirety, Backspacer is a very introverted album, and it’s refreshing to once again have some puzzles that we as fans can, not necessarily solve, but fit into our own lives.
The music of Backspacer is very lighthearted and fun, but there are some lyrics and songs on the album that have some meat on them. By no means is it a concept album of any kind whatsoever, but you see the recurring themes of longing and reconciliation. Once a band full of life and vigor, Pearl Jam seems to be a band staring at its own mortality and trying to set things right before we reach The End. There is a constant feeling on this album of someone trying to reach for something that is just beyond our reach. But it also feels like its Ed coming to terms with what it means to be in a band. So many of these songs seem to be talking about Pearl Jam themselves as a band rather than external forces. Of course, this is all open to interpretation as this really is a pretty ambiguous album. But it is worth noting that Ed is the sole lyricist on this album, getting credit for every single word on the album, and as a result, the message seems to be concise and consistent.
Gonna See My Friend
Pearl Jam has never been a band to struggle with finding ways to open their albums. They tend to know how to kick things off, and this song is no exception. This is Ed writing a raucous Who song that Pete Townshend himself would probably love to play. Lyrically, Ed is already taking on a sense of mortality. “Wanna hear something sick? We are but victims of desire. I’m gonna shake this thing, I wanna shake this pain before I retire.” I’ve read where some have wondered if this is a song about addiction and getting a fix from a dealer. “Buona sera, won’t be long before we all walk off the wire. I’m gonna see my friend, gonna see my friend for what I require.” It’s easy to see how that could fit, and maybe that is what Ed’s going for here, but as I am prone to do, I tend to find a more figurative meaning.
“I’m gonna see my friend, make it go away” is followed by “Wanna feel withdrawal. Want an overhaul. Wanna be there, hard as a statue, black as a tattoo, never to wash away.” Wow. At this point, nailing down this song become tricky. Ed wants to see his friend for what he requires, but yet he also wants to feel withdrawal? He wants to make it go away, yet he wants it to be there black as a tattoo, never to wash away? These are seemingly contradictory sentiments. On the other hand, maybe it just shows some doubt and reservations. Whatever it is that the protagonist here needs or wants to do is pretty unclear, but we can apply it to just about anything.
What this means is that the point of this song is not the person or thing that Ed is trying to reconcile with. Instead, the point of the song, to me, is that Ed is ready to start fixing things. Something in Ed’s life seems to be broken, or perhaps something has been wronged, and before we reach The End, Ed is going to make things right.
Got Some
Lyrically this is probably the least interesting song on the album. It really doesn’t say anything. The only thing that I find worth noting about it is that it does have a few lines that fit into my central theme for this album.
Overall, I guess this song is supposed to be about being able to write a good rock song that can get you going when you’re having trouble getting your day started. “Every time you can try but can’t turn on your rock song. Got some if you need it. Get it now, get it on, before it’s gone. Lets everybody carry on, carry on. Get it now, set it off, before it’s gone. Get everybody, carry on, carrying on.” So again it fits in with the theme of this being an autobiographical narrative about being in a band. You also have a reference to The End in this song, in the line “Turn it up, set it off, before we’re gone.”
The Fixer
Going back to the possibility of this album being about drugs, you certainly have a good trio of songs to start things off with Gonna See Me Friend (the dealer), Got Some (the dealer has drugs if you need them), and now The Fixer (aka, the dealer). When you have issues, and when you need something to make things seem better, the fixer can help you. The joke would truly be on us if this literal interpretation really was what these songs are about. However, I just don’t see it. To me, these lyrics seem purely allegorical in nature.
Stone has said in interviews that he thought this song was about Ed always working to make Pearl Jam’s songs “better”. I’m not sure it’s that specific. I think this song is just, again, about someone who wants to make things right. Whatever the issue is, that’s not really important. The message I take away from this is about reconciliation and redemption. Longing to make things right, fighting to get it back again. Once more, we also have a loose nod of the head to The End in “I’ll dig your grave. We’ll dance and sing. Who knows, could be our last lifetime.” Things are in motion and The End is getting closer, and we’re running out of time to make things right. Fight to get it back again.
Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar gives us our first break from the theme of the album that the first 3 songs set up. This song is one of my favorite songs lyrically, though. Even musically, I think this one is great. It’s quirky, it’s different, and it’s catchy. There’s no real verse-chorus-verse structure here. Lyrically it’s about someone seeing a picture of a girl on an album cover and becoming infatuated with her. Who is she? Why is she there? What events in her life led here to that moment when she was captured on the album cover. Our protagonist applies attributes and characteristics to this person, and he begins to fall in love with her, only to be disappointed that when she finally comes to him in his dreams, she’s actually looking for Johnny Watson.
This song is totally relatable to me as someone who grew up looking at girls on magazine covers, album covers, TV shows, music videos, whatever, and developing an infatuation and a fascination with them. Just like the guy in this song, I too have imagined what certain fictional girls were like, so I think this song is a classic piece of storytelling.
The one way this song does tie in to the central themes of this album is through this sense of longing. Waiting and hoping for someone or something to come. We’ll see this idea expanded later in Force of Nature, but whereas the first 3 songs have been primarily about redemption, this one talks a bit about reconciliation and longing. This isn’t the main point of the song, but I find it interesting that these themes are still present even in a fun little song like this.
Just Breathe
In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful songs Ed has ever written. And the way Brendan O’Brien put it together with all the orchestration is perfect, in my opinion. Reconciliation is the theme here. We have our reference to The End in this song when Ed says “Nothing you would take, everything you gave. Hold me till I die, meet you on the other side.” So again, Ed is looking at The End and it’s weighing on his mind, and he wants to make sure someone important to him knows how much he loves her.
“Did I say that I need you? Did I say that I want you? Oh, if I didn’t, now I’m a fool you see. No one knows this more than me as I come clean.” Ed wants to set things straight and make things right. “As we sit alone, I know someday we must go. I’m a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love.” I’m not sure where this fixation on The End comes from, nor do I know what The End necessarily is. It doesn’t have to be death. It could be The End of the band, The End of his marriage, The End of some other phase of his life. Whatever the case, it’s becoming quite clear that Ed is seeking redemption before he reaches The End.
Amongst The Waves
This may be my favorite song on the album. Musically, it’s Stone Gossard doing what he does best from a song writing standpoint. Definitively the most soaring song on the album, the chorus evicts the same feelings within me as a song like In Hiding or Given To Fly does. In fact, I think the music of this song would be able to fit right at home on YIELD, if not the lyrics. I don’t hear a whole lot of YIELD on Backspacer, but this is one song where I hear it in spades.
For the first time on this album, Ed is really allowing himself some peace. He’s reflecting and realizing the redemption he has achieved. “Riding high amongst the waves, I can feel like I have a soul that has been saved. I can feel like I put away my early grave.” So here Ed is looking at The End, but for the first time he really seems to be pushing it away and instead recognizing that the mortality that The End represents doesn’t have to be coming so soon.
Waves represent peaks and valleys, and I think Ed is allowing himself to embrace that fact. “Remember back the early days when you were young and thus amazed. Suddenly the channel changed the first time you saw blood. Cut to later, now you’re strong. You’ve bled yourself, the wounds are gone. It’s rare then when nothing’s wrong. Survived , and you’re among the fittest. Love ain’t love until you give it up, riding high amongst the waves.” Such powerful stuff there. Maybe my favorite lines of this entire album. We’ve been up, and we’ve been down, but when you’re riding the peaks of the waves, life couldn’t be better. “Gotta say it now. Better loud than too late.” Embrace it before it’s too late.
Unthought Known
As we are now getting ever closer to The End, Ed begins to symbolize this finite realization by talking about the setting moon. In most common usages of its symbolism, the moon represents the counter acting agent to the sun. Darkness to the light. However, in Tarot readings, the moon card represents life of the imagination independent of the life of the spirit. This is fascinating because if you do a Google search on the term ‘Unthought Known’, you’ll find that in 1987 a British psychologist named Christopher Bollas wrote a book called “The Shadow of the Object. Psychoanalysis of the Unthought Known.” I found an article published by Michael Robbins in the “Systems Centered News” in July 2008 in which he talks about what, exactly, Unthought Known really means:
“What then is the “unthought known”? Christopher Bollas first coined this provocative phrase in 1987 (Bollas, 1987). Basically it refers to what we “know” but for a variety of reasons may not be able to think about, have “forgotten”, “act out”, or have an “intuitive sense for” but cannot yet put into words. In psychoanalytic terms, it refers to the boundary between the “unconscious” and the “conscious” mind, i.e. the “preconscious mind.” In systems-centered terms, it refers to the boundary between what we know apprehensively, without words, and what we know, or will allow ourselves to know, comprehensively with words.”
This relates to the tarot’s interpretation of the moon as in the separation of the spirit of the imagination from life itself. If you think about this, it can apply to almost anything in life. I have always said that technology advances not at the rate of achievement, but at the rate of imagination. For example, we’ve known how to have satellites orbit the earth for 40 years, but we never fully imagined, or realized, what that advancement could mean to us in our daily lives. It wasn’t until someone had the imagination to create objects that could harness this technology that we saw advancements in cell phones, TV signals, radio signals, etc. So, too, does personal growth advance not at the rate of achievement, but at the rate of imagination. There’s this unthought known inside of us all, but until we realize it, we’re walking through life with blinders on.
“Dream the dreams of other men, you’ll be no one’s rival.” In other words, unlock your own unthought known and you will achieve more than you ever dreamed. “Feel the sky blanket you with gems and rhinestones. See the path cut the moon, for you to walk on.” As the moon is setting, it’s bringing about The End. We don’t know what’s on the other side, but what if it’s another sunrise? Perhaps the key to it all is to set things right with those you love, and only then can you have the redemption represented by a new dawn.
Supersonic
After the lyrical depth of Unthought Known, it’s time for us to take a little break. So Ed wrote a little love song. Not about a girl, but about rock music. So once more we have an autobiographical take on what rock music means to the band, or Ed in particular. Musically, this is again an obvious Stone song that harkens back to Mankind with a new twist. The bridge to this song is some of the band’s finest work on this album. After doing a LOT of thinking in the songs Just Breathe, Amongst The Waves, and Unthought Known (the trilogy that really represents the heart and soul of this album to me), it’s nice to just let loose and have some fun with this song. A song that just happens to about how great rock music can be. I couldn’t agree more.
Speed Of Sound
This is another song about longing for something, but life moving by so quickly you can’t reach it. “Yesterdays, how quick they change. All lost and gone now. It’s hard to remember anything moving at the speed of sound. And yet I’m still holding tight to this dream of distant light, and that somehow I’ll survive. But this night has been a long one, waiting on a sun that just don’t come.”
So not only is Ed longing for something, but he is also scared that the setting moon we discussed in Unthought Known may not be bringing a new dawn. And if the setting moon doesn’t bring the rising sun, then we are left with nothing. From the autobiographical point of view, the line “Why deny this drive inside? Just looking for some peace” is very telling to me. Perhaps Ed is saying that he wishes he could reach back to the way he was in his 20s, but he has to try to realize that now he is older, more at peace with himself, and just trying to make good music. “But this night has been a long one, waiting on a word that never comes. A whisper in the dark…is that you or just my thoughts? Wide awake and reaching out.”
Force Of Nature
Plenty more of our common themes can be found in this song. Once more, we have a realization of The End and a sense of longing and waiting for reconciliation. You even have some more drug references with references to Alice In Wonderland and contraband. But again, just as Alice In Wonderland is one of the greatest metaphorical stories ever written, so too are these songs metaphors for something deeper. “Somewhere there’s a siren singing a song only he hears. All the strength that you might think would disappear, resolving. One man stands alone, awaiting for her to come home. Eyes upon the horizon in dark before the darkness meets the dawn.” More darkness and waiting for daylight, and longing for someone or something to come to him.
This song is more powerful imagery as far as I’m concerned. Some may find it cheesy, but I find it to be relatable material and the power of Ed’s vocals, particularly in the chorus, really moves me. Standing on the shore of some great ocean, looking out for something that might or might not be out there, it’s a picture I have painted in my head many times in my life. It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite songs of all times, “The Great Below” by Nine Inch Nails: “Staring at the sea, will she come? Is there hope for me after all is said and done? Anything at any price, all of this for you…..Ocean pulls me close and whispers in my ear. The destiny I’ve chose, all becoming clear. The currents have their say, the time is drawing near. Washes me away, makes me disappear. And I descend from grace, in arms of undertow. I will take my place in the great below.” It’s staggering to me how much these 2 songs line up together. Longing for something on the horizon, all while sensing the closing in of The End.
Ed goes back to the moon again when he says “Last I saw, he was out there waiting. A silhouette in the black light, full moon glow. In the sand he stands upon the shore, forevermore.” I’ve read a couple reviews say they felt Ed’s lyrics were lazy on this album because they were so repetitive. That could be, and maybe I’m reading too much into things like I always do, but for me these lyrics are so profound even despite the repetition. Repetition doesn’t have to be lazy, it can sometimes be a device to drive home a point, and there’s a sense of urgency in this repetition that tells me that Ed is being more sincere on this album than anything else he’s done in a long time.
The End
The somewhat-climactic finish to this album. I say somewhat-climactic because we’re not given any answers. Just more questions are left lingering. The words themselves are so desperate on this song. This is one of the shortest songs on the album, but it has more lyrics than most songs. Ed had a lot to say in a short period of time on this song.
Ed is pleading for reconciliation and redemption on this song. “More than friends I always pledged, ‘cause friends they come and go. People change as does everything. I wanted to grow old, just want to grow old. Slide on next to me, I’m just a human being. I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me. You see, believe, I’m better than this.” Ed is practically begging in this song, asking for another chance. “Don’t leave me so cold or buried beneath the stones. I just want to hold on and know I’m worth your love. Enough. I don’t think there’s such a thing.”
You get the feeling that Ed senses this is his last shot at redemption with whoever this song is about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about a romantic relationship, either. A lot of the same sentiments can be applied to any platonic relationship that is important to us. The moral, though, that seems to be driven home is to not waste your opportunities to tell people what they mean to you and how important they are to you.
We also get one last take from the would-be autobiographical point of view, when Ed says “It’s my fault, now I’ve been caught. A sickness in my bones. How it pains to leave you here, with the kids on your own. Just don’t let me go.” When you read these lyrics, you wonder if Ed is beginning to tire of touring and being in a band. Perhaps it’s weighing on him more than we can tell. Were it not for all of Ed’s talk about how much he loves where the band is at now on a personal level, and how much fun he’s having with the band, and how happy he is with their process of making music, I would wonder if Ed was writing his farewell to the fans and explaining why he was leaving us.
Instead, Ed finishes with “Before I disappear, whisper in my ear. Give me something to echo in my unknown future’s ear. My dear, The End comes near. I’m here [gasp] but not much longer.” And with that jarring gasp, The End has come. I simply love the way this album closes like that. We’ve reach The End, and now what? It’s up to us to decide. It depends on our unique interpretation of these songs, and this is precisely what I have been missing from Pearl Jam’s music for so long.
In Ed’s case, I think The End represents not the end of the band, not the end of his marriage, not the end of his life…..but instead, I think it represents The End of the time he gets to spend with his family. It’s a tearful goodbye to his loved ones as he leaves them once more to head back out on tour.
Summary/Conclusion
If you think about what the title “Backspacer” represents, I think it could be more symbolic than I initially realized. The Backspacer key on a typewriter is used to go back and make changes to something you wrote. It represents the ability to offer up a second take. In life, we often long for a Backspacer key that could allow us to go back and have a second chance. And that’s what redemption gives us. Redemption is the ability to wash away the mistakes of yesterday and to have a second life, or a second chance.
Backspacer, the album, covers a lot of ground and there are hundreds of different topics and themes that I didn’t cover here. Some of it is nonsense and some of it beyond my grasp. But when you have one lyricist delivering all of the lyrics, it can be fun to try to decipher the artist’s mindset, and from there you can begin to piece together the central themes of what the album is really all about. If YIELD is an accidental concept album, I would say Backspacer is a pretty good contrast to that. On Backspacer, I don’t get the sense anything is accidental, hence the recurring themes and imagery.
Most importantly to me on a personal level, Backspacer represents Pearl Jam getting a second chance with me. I’ve been waiting for so long for an album like this from Pearl Jam. It’s finally something I can find ways to relate to, and musically it eliminates the muddiness of the past few albums where the band often tried too hard or did too much.
The most essential element that remains for me is the test of time. As of right now, Backspacer is unquestionably my favorite Pearl Jam album since YIELD. For the first time since around 2000 I feel like I’m back on the same page both musically and lyrically with the band. Will it last? Will these songs hold up? Only time can answer that question.
For many fans, it was always that balance, that melting pot of conflict between optimism and despair that made Pearl Jam so essential. But even more importantly, it was this balance and conflict that made Pearl Jam so intriguing and the reason so many fans spent so much time pouring over lyrics and trying to decipher the true meanings of the songs. This ambiguous nature behind all context of this mainstream band is what made them who they were. It was a band that wore their heart on their sleeves, and yet it was a band that most fans really didn’t know anything about. Stories were fabricated about the origin of the name Pearl Jam. The story of how the band found Eddie Vedder is told with the same vigor and feeling of chance as the greatest of folklore tales or the legends of ancient Greek mythology. A reverence for Andy Wood, a person 99.9999% of the fans never ever knew existed while he was still alive was held up as a tragic but necessary figure in the history of Pearl Jam.
It was under this backdrop of mystery and intrigue that so many of us came to develop our own understandings and interpretations of what this band was all about and who they really were. Ed’s song spoke to us on such a personal level, not because Ed knew our situations and what we were going through, but because he was able to be vague enough to allow us to apply our own scenarios to his words without being so obscure as to not give us a central point to anchor everything. It’s easy to understand why this was the most important band in the world to so many diverse people. Pearl Jam could speak to the well off upper class suburban spoon fed kids just as much as the middle class rebellious punks and the lower class survivors. We all had a stake in this band, and they genuinely made us care about their music.
When Pearl Jam went through the phase of deconstructing themselves and their fans with No Code, they dismantled their own empire. They pulled the rug out from underneath the structure as it existed at that time and left everything in a pile of rubble. They then took the ruins of their empire and what was left, and through the album YIELD, they rebuilt themselves into something completely different. And as is often the case, when you make your masterpiece, things will never be the same. The transition of No Code and YIELD was important to the longevity of the band, and it’s what gave us their greatest album, YIELD. But you sometimes can’t help but wonder how different their legacy would have been had they just let themselves burn out and explode like the supernova that they were. Perhaps I’m getting off point here, but beginning with Binaural, the band was different.
Suddenly, the windows into the world of Pearl Jam were opened. Songs that contained overtly political overtones such as “Soon Forget”, “Rival”, and “Grievance” started popping up. This was a band that no longer cared about ambiguity. This was a band who suddenly wanted to make a very specific difference in the world, and they were now going to create a vibe of either with us or against us that would begin to alienate even more fans.
But even among those of us who were generally “with them” in terms of their politics, there was a feeling of unease. It wasn’t so much that we disagreed, but it was more that we didn’t want to spoken down to like that. We didn’t want to be told what was right and wrong. We missed the lyrical nebulous of the first phase of the band’s career. But things were only going to get worse with the advent of Riot Act and PJ8. Suddenly there was no mystery left whatsoever, just an in your face political message and a spacious disconnect between the life of glamour the band seemed to be living and the daily strife the band seemed to be speaking to.
So it was under this pretense that the band gave us Backspacer. For the first time since YIELD, the band delivered an album free of clear political messages. Sure, you’ve got the line “Are you getting out? Are you dropping bombs? Have you heard of diplomatic resolve?” But it comes to us as a throwaway line in a song about a band being able to deliver a rock song to jump start your day. In its entirety, Backspacer is a very introverted album, and it’s refreshing to once again have some puzzles that we as fans can, not necessarily solve, but fit into our own lives.
The music of Backspacer is very lighthearted and fun, but there are some lyrics and songs on the album that have some meat on them. By no means is it a concept album of any kind whatsoever, but you see the recurring themes of longing and reconciliation. Once a band full of life and vigor, Pearl Jam seems to be a band staring at its own mortality and trying to set things right before we reach The End. There is a constant feeling on this album of someone trying to reach for something that is just beyond our reach. But it also feels like its Ed coming to terms with what it means to be in a band. So many of these songs seem to be talking about Pearl Jam themselves as a band rather than external forces. Of course, this is all open to interpretation as this really is a pretty ambiguous album. But it is worth noting that Ed is the sole lyricist on this album, getting credit for every single word on the album, and as a result, the message seems to be concise and consistent.
Gonna See My Friend
Pearl Jam has never been a band to struggle with finding ways to open their albums. They tend to know how to kick things off, and this song is no exception. This is Ed writing a raucous Who song that Pete Townshend himself would probably love to play. Lyrically, Ed is already taking on a sense of mortality. “Wanna hear something sick? We are but victims of desire. I’m gonna shake this thing, I wanna shake this pain before I retire.” I’ve read where some have wondered if this is a song about addiction and getting a fix from a dealer. “Buona sera, won’t be long before we all walk off the wire. I’m gonna see my friend, gonna see my friend for what I require.” It’s easy to see how that could fit, and maybe that is what Ed’s going for here, but as I am prone to do, I tend to find a more figurative meaning.
“I’m gonna see my friend, make it go away” is followed by “Wanna feel withdrawal. Want an overhaul. Wanna be there, hard as a statue, black as a tattoo, never to wash away.” Wow. At this point, nailing down this song become tricky. Ed wants to see his friend for what he requires, but yet he also wants to feel withdrawal? He wants to make it go away, yet he wants it to be there black as a tattoo, never to wash away? These are seemingly contradictory sentiments. On the other hand, maybe it just shows some doubt and reservations. Whatever it is that the protagonist here needs or wants to do is pretty unclear, but we can apply it to just about anything.
What this means is that the point of this song is not the person or thing that Ed is trying to reconcile with. Instead, the point of the song, to me, is that Ed is ready to start fixing things. Something in Ed’s life seems to be broken, or perhaps something has been wronged, and before we reach The End, Ed is going to make things right.
Got Some
Lyrically this is probably the least interesting song on the album. It really doesn’t say anything. The only thing that I find worth noting about it is that it does have a few lines that fit into my central theme for this album.
Overall, I guess this song is supposed to be about being able to write a good rock song that can get you going when you’re having trouble getting your day started. “Every time you can try but can’t turn on your rock song. Got some if you need it. Get it now, get it on, before it’s gone. Lets everybody carry on, carry on. Get it now, set it off, before it’s gone. Get everybody, carry on, carrying on.” So again it fits in with the theme of this being an autobiographical narrative about being in a band. You also have a reference to The End in this song, in the line “Turn it up, set it off, before we’re gone.”
The Fixer
Going back to the possibility of this album being about drugs, you certainly have a good trio of songs to start things off with Gonna See Me Friend (the dealer), Got Some (the dealer has drugs if you need them), and now The Fixer (aka, the dealer). When you have issues, and when you need something to make things seem better, the fixer can help you. The joke would truly be on us if this literal interpretation really was what these songs are about. However, I just don’t see it. To me, these lyrics seem purely allegorical in nature.
Stone has said in interviews that he thought this song was about Ed always working to make Pearl Jam’s songs “better”. I’m not sure it’s that specific. I think this song is just, again, about someone who wants to make things right. Whatever the issue is, that’s not really important. The message I take away from this is about reconciliation and redemption. Longing to make things right, fighting to get it back again. Once more, we also have a loose nod of the head to The End in “I’ll dig your grave. We’ll dance and sing. Who knows, could be our last lifetime.” Things are in motion and The End is getting closer, and we’re running out of time to make things right. Fight to get it back again.
Johnny Guitar
Johnny Guitar gives us our first break from the theme of the album that the first 3 songs set up. This song is one of my favorite songs lyrically, though. Even musically, I think this one is great. It’s quirky, it’s different, and it’s catchy. There’s no real verse-chorus-verse structure here. Lyrically it’s about someone seeing a picture of a girl on an album cover and becoming infatuated with her. Who is she? Why is she there? What events in her life led here to that moment when she was captured on the album cover. Our protagonist applies attributes and characteristics to this person, and he begins to fall in love with her, only to be disappointed that when she finally comes to him in his dreams, she’s actually looking for Johnny Watson.
This song is totally relatable to me as someone who grew up looking at girls on magazine covers, album covers, TV shows, music videos, whatever, and developing an infatuation and a fascination with them. Just like the guy in this song, I too have imagined what certain fictional girls were like, so I think this song is a classic piece of storytelling.
The one way this song does tie in to the central themes of this album is through this sense of longing. Waiting and hoping for someone or something to come. We’ll see this idea expanded later in Force of Nature, but whereas the first 3 songs have been primarily about redemption, this one talks a bit about reconciliation and longing. This isn’t the main point of the song, but I find it interesting that these themes are still present even in a fun little song like this.
Just Breathe
In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful songs Ed has ever written. And the way Brendan O’Brien put it together with all the orchestration is perfect, in my opinion. Reconciliation is the theme here. We have our reference to The End in this song when Ed says “Nothing you would take, everything you gave. Hold me till I die, meet you on the other side.” So again, Ed is looking at The End and it’s weighing on his mind, and he wants to make sure someone important to him knows how much he loves her.
“Did I say that I need you? Did I say that I want you? Oh, if I didn’t, now I’m a fool you see. No one knows this more than me as I come clean.” Ed wants to set things straight and make things right. “As we sit alone, I know someday we must go. I’m a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love.” I’m not sure where this fixation on The End comes from, nor do I know what The End necessarily is. It doesn’t have to be death. It could be The End of the band, The End of his marriage, The End of some other phase of his life. Whatever the case, it’s becoming quite clear that Ed is seeking redemption before he reaches The End.
Amongst The Waves
This may be my favorite song on the album. Musically, it’s Stone Gossard doing what he does best from a song writing standpoint. Definitively the most soaring song on the album, the chorus evicts the same feelings within me as a song like In Hiding or Given To Fly does. In fact, I think the music of this song would be able to fit right at home on YIELD, if not the lyrics. I don’t hear a whole lot of YIELD on Backspacer, but this is one song where I hear it in spades.
For the first time on this album, Ed is really allowing himself some peace. He’s reflecting and realizing the redemption he has achieved. “Riding high amongst the waves, I can feel like I have a soul that has been saved. I can feel like I put away my early grave.” So here Ed is looking at The End, but for the first time he really seems to be pushing it away and instead recognizing that the mortality that The End represents doesn’t have to be coming so soon.
Waves represent peaks and valleys, and I think Ed is allowing himself to embrace that fact. “Remember back the early days when you were young and thus amazed. Suddenly the channel changed the first time you saw blood. Cut to later, now you’re strong. You’ve bled yourself, the wounds are gone. It’s rare then when nothing’s wrong. Survived , and you’re among the fittest. Love ain’t love until you give it up, riding high amongst the waves.” Such powerful stuff there. Maybe my favorite lines of this entire album. We’ve been up, and we’ve been down, but when you’re riding the peaks of the waves, life couldn’t be better. “Gotta say it now. Better loud than too late.” Embrace it before it’s too late.
Unthought Known
As we are now getting ever closer to The End, Ed begins to symbolize this finite realization by talking about the setting moon. In most common usages of its symbolism, the moon represents the counter acting agent to the sun. Darkness to the light. However, in Tarot readings, the moon card represents life of the imagination independent of the life of the spirit. This is fascinating because if you do a Google search on the term ‘Unthought Known’, you’ll find that in 1987 a British psychologist named Christopher Bollas wrote a book called “The Shadow of the Object. Psychoanalysis of the Unthought Known.” I found an article published by Michael Robbins in the “Systems Centered News” in July 2008 in which he talks about what, exactly, Unthought Known really means:
“What then is the “unthought known”? Christopher Bollas first coined this provocative phrase in 1987 (Bollas, 1987). Basically it refers to what we “know” but for a variety of reasons may not be able to think about, have “forgotten”, “act out”, or have an “intuitive sense for” but cannot yet put into words. In psychoanalytic terms, it refers to the boundary between the “unconscious” and the “conscious” mind, i.e. the “preconscious mind.” In systems-centered terms, it refers to the boundary between what we know apprehensively, without words, and what we know, or will allow ourselves to know, comprehensively with words.”
This relates to the tarot’s interpretation of the moon as in the separation of the spirit of the imagination from life itself. If you think about this, it can apply to almost anything in life. I have always said that technology advances not at the rate of achievement, but at the rate of imagination. For example, we’ve known how to have satellites orbit the earth for 40 years, but we never fully imagined, or realized, what that advancement could mean to us in our daily lives. It wasn’t until someone had the imagination to create objects that could harness this technology that we saw advancements in cell phones, TV signals, radio signals, etc. So, too, does personal growth advance not at the rate of achievement, but at the rate of imagination. There’s this unthought known inside of us all, but until we realize it, we’re walking through life with blinders on.
“Dream the dreams of other men, you’ll be no one’s rival.” In other words, unlock your own unthought known and you will achieve more than you ever dreamed. “Feel the sky blanket you with gems and rhinestones. See the path cut the moon, for you to walk on.” As the moon is setting, it’s bringing about The End. We don’t know what’s on the other side, but what if it’s another sunrise? Perhaps the key to it all is to set things right with those you love, and only then can you have the redemption represented by a new dawn.
Supersonic
After the lyrical depth of Unthought Known, it’s time for us to take a little break. So Ed wrote a little love song. Not about a girl, but about rock music. So once more we have an autobiographical take on what rock music means to the band, or Ed in particular. Musically, this is again an obvious Stone song that harkens back to Mankind with a new twist. The bridge to this song is some of the band’s finest work on this album. After doing a LOT of thinking in the songs Just Breathe, Amongst The Waves, and Unthought Known (the trilogy that really represents the heart and soul of this album to me), it’s nice to just let loose and have some fun with this song. A song that just happens to about how great rock music can be. I couldn’t agree more.
Speed Of Sound
This is another song about longing for something, but life moving by so quickly you can’t reach it. “Yesterdays, how quick they change. All lost and gone now. It’s hard to remember anything moving at the speed of sound. And yet I’m still holding tight to this dream of distant light, and that somehow I’ll survive. But this night has been a long one, waiting on a sun that just don’t come.”
So not only is Ed longing for something, but he is also scared that the setting moon we discussed in Unthought Known may not be bringing a new dawn. And if the setting moon doesn’t bring the rising sun, then we are left with nothing. From the autobiographical point of view, the line “Why deny this drive inside? Just looking for some peace” is very telling to me. Perhaps Ed is saying that he wishes he could reach back to the way he was in his 20s, but he has to try to realize that now he is older, more at peace with himself, and just trying to make good music. “But this night has been a long one, waiting on a word that never comes. A whisper in the dark…is that you or just my thoughts? Wide awake and reaching out.”
Force Of Nature
Plenty more of our common themes can be found in this song. Once more, we have a realization of The End and a sense of longing and waiting for reconciliation. You even have some more drug references with references to Alice In Wonderland and contraband. But again, just as Alice In Wonderland is one of the greatest metaphorical stories ever written, so too are these songs metaphors for something deeper. “Somewhere there’s a siren singing a song only he hears. All the strength that you might think would disappear, resolving. One man stands alone, awaiting for her to come home. Eyes upon the horizon in dark before the darkness meets the dawn.” More darkness and waiting for daylight, and longing for someone or something to come to him.
This song is more powerful imagery as far as I’m concerned. Some may find it cheesy, but I find it to be relatable material and the power of Ed’s vocals, particularly in the chorus, really moves me. Standing on the shore of some great ocean, looking out for something that might or might not be out there, it’s a picture I have painted in my head many times in my life. It reminds me a lot of one of my favorite songs of all times, “The Great Below” by Nine Inch Nails: “Staring at the sea, will she come? Is there hope for me after all is said and done? Anything at any price, all of this for you…..Ocean pulls me close and whispers in my ear. The destiny I’ve chose, all becoming clear. The currents have their say, the time is drawing near. Washes me away, makes me disappear. And I descend from grace, in arms of undertow. I will take my place in the great below.” It’s staggering to me how much these 2 songs line up together. Longing for something on the horizon, all while sensing the closing in of The End.
Ed goes back to the moon again when he says “Last I saw, he was out there waiting. A silhouette in the black light, full moon glow. In the sand he stands upon the shore, forevermore.” I’ve read a couple reviews say they felt Ed’s lyrics were lazy on this album because they were so repetitive. That could be, and maybe I’m reading too much into things like I always do, but for me these lyrics are so profound even despite the repetition. Repetition doesn’t have to be lazy, it can sometimes be a device to drive home a point, and there’s a sense of urgency in this repetition that tells me that Ed is being more sincere on this album than anything else he’s done in a long time.
The End
The somewhat-climactic finish to this album. I say somewhat-climactic because we’re not given any answers. Just more questions are left lingering. The words themselves are so desperate on this song. This is one of the shortest songs on the album, but it has more lyrics than most songs. Ed had a lot to say in a short period of time on this song.
Ed is pleading for reconciliation and redemption on this song. “More than friends I always pledged, ‘cause friends they come and go. People change as does everything. I wanted to grow old, just want to grow old. Slide on next to me, I’m just a human being. I will take the blame, but just the same, this is not me. You see, believe, I’m better than this.” Ed is practically begging in this song, asking for another chance. “Don’t leave me so cold or buried beneath the stones. I just want to hold on and know I’m worth your love. Enough. I don’t think there’s such a thing.”
You get the feeling that Ed senses this is his last shot at redemption with whoever this song is about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about a romantic relationship, either. A lot of the same sentiments can be applied to any platonic relationship that is important to us. The moral, though, that seems to be driven home is to not waste your opportunities to tell people what they mean to you and how important they are to you.
We also get one last take from the would-be autobiographical point of view, when Ed says “It’s my fault, now I’ve been caught. A sickness in my bones. How it pains to leave you here, with the kids on your own. Just don’t let me go.” When you read these lyrics, you wonder if Ed is beginning to tire of touring and being in a band. Perhaps it’s weighing on him more than we can tell. Were it not for all of Ed’s talk about how much he loves where the band is at now on a personal level, and how much fun he’s having with the band, and how happy he is with their process of making music, I would wonder if Ed was writing his farewell to the fans and explaining why he was leaving us.
Instead, Ed finishes with “Before I disappear, whisper in my ear. Give me something to echo in my unknown future’s ear. My dear, The End comes near. I’m here [gasp] but not much longer.” And with that jarring gasp, The End has come. I simply love the way this album closes like that. We’ve reach The End, and now what? It’s up to us to decide. It depends on our unique interpretation of these songs, and this is precisely what I have been missing from Pearl Jam’s music for so long.
In Ed’s case, I think The End represents not the end of the band, not the end of his marriage, not the end of his life…..but instead, I think it represents The End of the time he gets to spend with his family. It’s a tearful goodbye to his loved ones as he leaves them once more to head back out on tour.
Summary/Conclusion
If you think about what the title “Backspacer” represents, I think it could be more symbolic than I initially realized. The Backspacer key on a typewriter is used to go back and make changes to something you wrote. It represents the ability to offer up a second take. In life, we often long for a Backspacer key that could allow us to go back and have a second chance. And that’s what redemption gives us. Redemption is the ability to wash away the mistakes of yesterday and to have a second life, or a second chance.
Backspacer, the album, covers a lot of ground and there are hundreds of different topics and themes that I didn’t cover here. Some of it is nonsense and some of it beyond my grasp. But when you have one lyricist delivering all of the lyrics, it can be fun to try to decipher the artist’s mindset, and from there you can begin to piece together the central themes of what the album is really all about. If YIELD is an accidental concept album, I would say Backspacer is a pretty good contrast to that. On Backspacer, I don’t get the sense anything is accidental, hence the recurring themes and imagery.
Most importantly to me on a personal level, Backspacer represents Pearl Jam getting a second chance with me. I’ve been waiting for so long for an album like this from Pearl Jam. It’s finally something I can find ways to relate to, and musically it eliminates the muddiness of the past few albums where the band often tried too hard or did too much.
The most essential element that remains for me is the test of time. As of right now, Backspacer is unquestionably my favorite Pearl Jam album since YIELD. For the first time since around 2000 I feel like I’m back on the same page both musically and lyrically with the band. Will it last? Will these songs hold up? Only time can answer that question.
--"I'm like an opening band for the sun"
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
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This could easily be one of the best reviews I read in the last few weeks; def. a lot better (and a lot more thought out) than the reviews I read in magazines. I like the way you tied things together; lyrically, symbolically but also how you put the theme of this album in context of other albums...
Think I'm going to listen to BackSpacer again, with your comments in the back of my mind...
One thing though: we all know that Vitalogy is their definite masterpiece!
PBM
Wishlist Foundation: http://wishlistfoundation.org
Well, I was only referring to the lyrics. I never mentioned anything about who wrote the music for The Fixer, but Ed wrote all the lyrics on this album.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
I jest, of course. This was a great read. I don't agree with many of your interpretations as far as all of these songs being pretty autobiographical, but I still appreciated your viewpoint and thoroughly enjoyed the read!
Thanks. I was mostly hoping to spark a conversation about how different people interpret these songs. I actually agree with you about being skeptical about the autobiographical nature of these songs. I was merely trying to point out that if you look for it, that connection can be found. However, to me, this album is much more about personal relationships with other people. It's a common theme, it seems, even if the tone isn't always consistent.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
Cannot wait for the Philly shows. my first 10c tickets and I am stoked....
thank you for your review.
I had to think about your post all day today (so you def. made some impact there) and I do agree with your comment about personal relationships (I hadn't notice this before). All songs are interlinked with that theme. Some songs do stand out though; Supersonic for example,I think is more about the relationship with music.
For the songs being autobiographical, I'm not sure. I think we make them autobiographical. The songs Just Breathe and The End for example are for me two sides of the same coin. The End from the perspective of someone who is dying, Just Breathe (especially if you take into account the first two lines) from the perspective of someone who is sitting next to someone in a dying bed. (That gives the line "just breathe..." a complete different meaning.) There is no reason why I think this except for my own personal experiences; my father in law died a few years ago and I witnessed his struggele against (lung and bone) cancer. I remember looking at my mother in-law and my girlfriend during those last days and how they held his hand and begged him to "just breathe".
I cannot listen to those two songs without thinking about these moments or getting chills. (In a good way, for even though it was painful, it was equally beautiful.) The fact that the two songs are layered with strings, strengthen my opinion.
I'm not sure what (or whom) Ed had in mind when he wrote those two songs and lyrics, or what he meant by it, I do know that my interpretation is completly and utterly embedded in my personal experiences. I can't look beyond that. That is the power of music I suppose. What I'm trying to say is that *we* personalize music. Trying to link them to Eddie is always a slippery slope.
Anywayz, just to keep the debate going; my two cents.
Ps: I also had a comment about your statements regarding the political side of PJ. (You see, I really thought about your post!) I do think PJ was always political; way before Binaural. ST was an album, in the political climate that existed, that they had to make... I applaud them for that. (Even though I like the personal songs on Backspacer better.)
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. While, in my own personal opinion, I do believe some of these songs are actually referring to Pearl Jam itself, I think the thing that has always made Ed such a brilliant lyricist was his ability to give us a shove in the direction he wants us to go, but ultimately he allows us to make the art that he creates and turn it into something we can own. We personalize it and relate it all to our own experiences, and it gives us a deeper connection with the music than we would otherwise have. Just as the best books are the ones that allow you to imagine yourself inside that world, so too are the best songs the ones that we can feel inside us.
And I think Ed realizes this and that's part of why PJ stopped doing videos and why Ed rarely says more than 2 sentences about the meaning of any one song. While these songs ARE unquestionably personal to Ed, he doesn't want us to experience HIS feelings....he wants us to experience our own feelings inside his art. And that's why I said that for so many of these songs, I don't think the important point to figure out is what "The End" is. It could be anything. They can be about death, but they don't have to be. I think the point Ed wants us to get is that what is important in life is how we deal with any personal relationship we have with others before that relationship no longer exists, for whatever reason. That's how I see it, anyway.
Don't get me wrong, I realize PJ was always political. But they found ways to be political without making the songs themselves overtly political. Before Binaural, the message wasn't being shoved down our throats. As I'm sure you can tell, I love to think about art and music more abstractly, so I prefer it when there is some room left for interpretation. I guess I understand why they made the albums they did during the Bush era, I just wish for my own selfish sake that they hadn't.
I missed albums like Backspacer, and I'm truly excited to be able to have open discussions about this kind of stuff again.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
Thanks for the time and effort on this, good fun.
You make some interesting points but I disagree here - I felt the "in your face political message" was warranted. I was thrilled to be supporting a band that, come hell or high water, popular opinon or not, was going to stand behind thier beliefs - no matter the cost. I also don't feel they lead the "life of glamour" in the sense you portray. As fans we have put them on a pedestal, so to speak, and if they are living a glamourous life - it's not the world they are trying to create for themselves - thier goal is to communicate a message and make incredible music - and this goal happened to make them very popular - and has given them the lifestyle that comes along with that notoriety. The way I see it they were never striving to live glamourously, it's just something that comes with the positon they're in. So I don't see the disconnect between the strife they are\were speaking to and the lifestyle that was thrust upon them on thier rise to the top. Just my opinion
Could Got Some be about the motivation to carry on or to choose??? "This situation which side are you on?" - When he says "I got some if you need it" - is IT the motivation to DECIDE which side you're on?
"Every night with the lights out were you gone - what's wrong?" - This sounds like someone is hiding from something - a decision maybe?
"Lets everybody carry on, carry on. Get it now, set it off, before it’s gone. Get everybody, carry on, carrying on" - get everybody motivated to overcome a problem and get on with living??
Fascinating! I love that take on it, and it was something I had never considered, but I can totally see that fitting. In that way, it could almost be another love song to rock music, talking about its power to save lives. If you think of the reference to the lights out being symbolic of some kind of confusion, then it TOTALLY fits with the concept of "Which side are you on" being a reference to that confusion and indecision.
I suppose it doesn't even have to be a rock song that saves you. The song's protagonist has got something that can help you, but only if you choose to accept it. Hmmm, good stuff, Bulldog, and that definitely puts this song in a different light to me.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
Great read.
2010 - Newark 5/18 MSG 5/21
2011 - PJ20 9/3-9/4
2012 - MIA Festival 9/2
2013 - Wrigley Field 7/19 Brooklyn 10/18-10/19 Philly 10/22
2015 - Colbert show - 9/23 Global Citizens Festival 9/26
2016 - Philly 4/28-4/29 MSG 5/1-5/2
Ahhhh yes! And at the end where he says "Precipitation which side are you on? Are you drying up? Are you a big drop? Are you a puddle full of detriment" - this could be a reference to someone so filled with indicision and confusion or doubt that they can't decide at ALL? Someone who won't take the 'helping hand' that will motivate them to decide and move forward - "Get everybody, carry on, carrying on". Maybe it means - I've got your inspiration, now get up out of your dark hole of indicision and get on with your life before we're all gone?
Yes, I think you may be onto something here, a second take...kind of like they are reinventing themselves a little with this album? The whole going back to move forward theory? Maybe, maybe not - I do really like the album though
My review of Backspacer is that some of the songs are stuck bouncing around in my head, which isn't typical of a PJ song. The only negative I see, is I haven't been able to put the songs into the context of being performed live. It seems that some of the layering of the songs and effects on some will be lost in the translation live. I also have noted that it really isn't a guitar driven album either.
Overall, I agree with the original post. While some recent albums have had good songs. I haven't found myself longing to hear Binaural...
Anyway, my favorite band has made me smile again when I think about them. Now if we could get them to play Alpine Valley next summer I would be set.
Alpine Valley: 6/26/98, 10/8/00, 6/21/03, 9/3/11 Target Center: 6/30/98
Summerfest: 6/30/06 Music Midtown: 9/22/12 Wrigley Field: 7/19 & 7/20/13, 8/20/16
Charlotte: 10/30/13
Greenville: 4/16/16, Columbia 4/21/16, Wrigley Field: 8/20/2016
Pinkpop: 6/18/2022
That's it?
Pearl Jam bootlegs:
http://wegotshit.blogspot.com
OTOH I think you guys are missing the point of Got Some. It's quite frankly about sex. Your "rock song" is about firing up your libido and getting it on. If you're not doing that regularly then you may become a puddle full of detriment. Which side are you on speaks of a couples interest in each other and whether they are the partner who isn't getting any or the one not wanting any. Either way there is a problem and it is an epidemic among married couples nationwide. If you aren't getting any from your partner then there is a problem with the relationship that goes beyond the physical. Sometimes I think we try to hard to find symbolic meaning behind every single line that we lose sight of the message.
ive had other thoughts on that song such as lost ones and even my own last moments, one of the deepest songs they have
anyway good read, tho i believe that some of these songs are more straightfoward than we think but like all of PJ's music its open to interpretation and debate
You present an interesting argument.
Just for the record I understand you were referring to the name.
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good point..
I believe this discredits the entire 'novel'
"You didn’t have to look much further beyond their song and album titles for clues to what Pearl Jam was all about."
if you're going to just leave a snarky reply, at least make sure you read what I actually wrote. I was referring to both song AND album titles, as I quoted above. But I appreciate your sarcastic response. Thanks.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH
notice how below i said i understand you were referring to the album title as prefaced in the sentence above, it was a joke my good man, more about the length of the post then anything, which I actually did read. no need to be a dick about it.
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I was just "joking" too. I'm only a dick when others are a dick first.
--"We’re taking pills to get along with life… the pills are YIELD and PJ’s music. Then we create words to call our own = our analysis of YIELD." - YIH