I don't understand the negative feelings towards "The Fixer". I think it is a phenomenal song. Just beacause it's a pop song does not mean it's a bad song.
I love the lyrics. They're simple and straightforward, but there is nothing wrong with that. They are hopeful and longing. I love Ed's delivery to. The guitar intro is great. The bridge is awesome with the piano on top. The whole song is just so tight, concise, and meaningful. I'm not saying I'd want 11 of these types of songs on an album, but it is very refreshing.
I think people mistake simplicity for a lack of sophistication or meaning. Not every song should be some cryptic poem with a crazy time signature. Those kinds of songs are good in spots but I feel that there were too many of those songs on previous albums.
You have hit the nail on the head my friend. Great job!
Sometimes the best songs are the simple ones. Both The Fixer and Just Breathe are simple songs but they are also in my view amongst their best ever songs
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Dublin, Belfast, Hyde Park 2010
Manchester Arena 1 and 2, Stockholm, Oslo 2012
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Wrigley Field 1 and 2 2016 London 1 and 2 2018 Fenway Park 1 and 2 2018
I don't understand the negative feelings towards "The Fixer". I think it is a phenomenal song. Just beacause it's a pop song does not mean it's a bad song.
I love the lyrics. They're simple and straightforward, but there is nothing wrong with that. They are hopeful and longing. I love Ed's delivery to. The guitar intro is great. The bridge is awesome with the piano on top. The whole song is just so tight, concise, and meaningful. I'm not saying I'd want 11 of these types of songs on an album, but it is very refreshing.
I think people mistake simplicity for a lack of sophistication or meaning. Not every song should be some cryptic poem with a crazy time signature. Those kinds of songs are good in spots but I feel that there were too many of those songs on previous albums.
i agree totally about simplicity but i still cant stand the Fixer. i still thin PJ's simple rockers are awesome, but i dont put this one up there.
Just Breathe is one of the most requested song in the Netherlands on the biggest radio station
They have a special requestweek where you can buy a song for poor people...
Last 7 days since 15-12...
it's going the to the righ direction
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a random girl at work said to me yesterday that she'd heard the new pearl jam song and loved it. apparently it's being thrashed on the radio here. so it did it for her.
it does it for me.
sisters are doing it for themselves.
i love when random people tell you they like a certain pj song.
If the Billboard charts are the reference if Just Breathe is ''doing it", the single has been climbing steadily.
Has Guaranteed 'done it'? It received an award and I think it's generally liked, but what did the charts say? Maybe if Just Breathe accompanied a great movie, it would have been different.
My original post for this thread was regarding "Just Breathe" not being able to create a big sales spike for Backspacer. Since I made the original post back in mid-November, "Just Breathe", as you mentioned, has been doing ok on the charts. But to this point, Backspacer sales have not seen any sort of spike or surge since "Just Breathe" hit the airwaves. The only week the album went up the charts was clearly due to a two-day after Thanksgiving sale when Backspacer was $6.50.
Many have argued that "Just Breathe" will ultimately become a major crossover hit, possibly pushing Backspacer to platinum status, a level that no Pearl Jam album has reached since Yield. I just don't think the single or the album is going to get a whole lot bigger. Believe me, "Guaranteed" and "Just Breathe" have done it for me, which is what really matters... but they didn't spur on platinum albums.
You know, it's easy for us to forget that not everyone loves Pearl Jam or Eddie's solo stuff the same way that we do...it just consumes so much of our beings that we have difficulty fathoming why everyone else is not so deeply affected by their awesomeness....or how could anyone listen to Eddie sing a ballad like Just Breathe and not immediately fall in love?
I'm glad though, that they are not mainstream radio fodder for the most part, other than once in a while Jeremy or Black will squeeze on through, and now, of course, The Fixer. But if PJ gathered a mainstream fanbase, I just think that the shows would suffer...with a young crowd of Pop music fans that just don't understand what it's all about.
When I am talking among friends about the show or the band, or Eddie, and people don't know what I'm talking about and I have to explain, then it hits me, hey, this is something really special. We've got something great here, let's keep it the way it is. I understand that everyone needs to make a dime, and our boys are no different, but personally, I'd like it to stay just us, because it's so much a part of us. I need my PJ... to feel joy..to feel sorrow.. to laugh..to cry...to live...to breathe! Eddie makes my soul ache and sing at the same time, that's the only way I can explain it...I don't know what else to say.
And only my PJ friends can truly understand what that means.
And if they could play theatres, like the Tower in Philly, that would be so far out, I don't even know how to begin to describe how absolutely soul searing that would be!
We'll keep on jammin' regardless...our boys may not be for everyone, but, hey, we like it that way
this would make a lot more sense if they were not once the biggest band in the world who tried, with their last two albums, to climb back up the popularity ladder... but failed for the most part...
Amen to that, Jeagler. It's hard to read a sentence like "... "if PJ gathered a mainstream fanbase, I just think that the shows would suffer...with a young crowd of Pop music fans that just don't understand what it's all about." and NOT think about the quotes from the band members themselves about how Backspacer was deliberately a poppy, radio-friendly album. What's depressing for me - and this is why I felt Backspacer was a sell-out album, not because of the Target deal or anything like that - is that they blew up initially by going against the grain... they (along with Nirvana and Soundgarden) were the antidote to the hair metal bands, and people really latched onto that. Now they're trying to recapture past glories by doing the exact opposite, heading towards the mainstream sound instead of away from it.
And I listen for the voice inside my head... nothing. I'll do this one myself.
Why force yourself to be experimental? Bands should do what comes naturally. The approach on Backspacer happened to work for them. I'm sure they're not concerned with mainstream success - they probably wouldn't mind being successful, but that's not what drives the creative process. Their next record will probably sound completely different. It's the way making music always is.
Just letting you know that the song is doing great in Montreal where it's usually in the top 3 every day of this commercial radio station. For those who knows, it's CKOI 96.9. Never thought I'd see the day where I'd see Lady Gaga and Pearl Jam fighting for the top spot with the "commercial" people!!!!
You're not what you own - Ian MacKaye, Fugazi
98 - Montreal 00 - Montreal 03 - Toronto, Montreal 04 - Boston (Show #1) 05 - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto 06 - Toronto (Show #1) 09 - Toronto, Philly (Show #3-4) 10 - Cleveland 11 - Montreal, Toronto (x2), Ottawa 13 - London (ON), Philly (x2) 16 - QC - Ottawa
I don't think future success of Just Breathe or any other single will help album sales. I'm guessing most people who would've bought the album already have and if someone likes a single they'll just by that...in 1994 this wouldn't have been the case.
You know, it's easy for us to forget that not everyone loves Pearl Jam or Eddie's solo stuff the same way that we do...it just consumes so much of our beings that we have difficulty fathoming why everyone else is not so deeply affected by their awesomeness....or how could anyone listen to Eddie sing a ballad like Just Breathe and not immediately fall in love?
I'm glad though, that they are not mainstream radio fodder for the most part, other than once in a while Jeremy or Black will squeeze on through, and now, of course, The Fixer. But if PJ gathered a mainstream fanbase, I just think that the shows would suffer...with a young crowd of Pop music fans that just don't understand what it's all about.
When I am talking among friends about the show or the band, or Eddie, and people don't know what I'm talking about and I have to explain, then it hits me, hey, this is something really special. We've got something great here, let's keep it the way it is. I understand that everyone needs to make a dime, and our boys are no different, but personally, I'd like it to stay just us, because it's so much a part of us. I need my PJ... to feel joy..to feel sorrow.. to laugh..to cry...to live...to breathe! Eddie makes my soul ache and sing at the same time, that's the only way I can explain it...I don't know what else to say.
And only my PJ friends can truly understand what that means.
And if they could play theatres, like the Tower in Philly, that would be so far out, I don't even know how to begin to describe how absolutely soul searing that would be!
We'll keep on jammin' regardless...our boys may not be for everyone, but, hey, we like it that way
this would make a lot more sense if they were not once the biggest band in the world who tried, with their last two albums, to climb back up the popularity ladder... but failed for the most part...
Amen to that, Jeagler. It's hard to read a sentence like "... "if PJ gathered a mainstream fanbase, I just think that the shows would suffer...with a young crowd of Pop music fans that just don't understand what it's all about." and NOT think about the quotes from the band members themselves about how Backspacer was deliberately a poppy, radio-friendly album. What's depressing for me - and this is why I felt Backspacer was a sell-out album, not because of the Target deal or anything like that - is that they blew up initially by going against the grain... they (along with Nirvana and Soundgarden) were the antidote to the hair metal bands, and people really latched onto that. Now they're trying to recapture past glories by doing the exact opposite, heading towards the mainstream sound instead of away from it.
well no i actually disagree with everything you said from it being a sell-out album on down. i think backspacer is by far their best album since yield. i dont think they sold out with target at all. sony is a much bigger corporation than target. they're technically an independent band, so they're selling out to nobody at the moment. and no, they initially blew up by making videos and appearing on mtv all the time. they're trying to recapture some of that popularity by doing what's popular in today's world. they just went about it wrong with the whole target-exclusive thing.
Why force yourself to be experimental? Bands should do what comes naturally. The approach on Backspacer happened to work for them. I'm sure they're not concerned with mainstream success - they probably wouldn't mind being successful, but that's not what drives the creative process. .
no. they've all said they wanted to be more popular in the mainstream with this album. its not what drives their creative process, sure. but the end product came out sounding like something that would work with the mainstream. so they wanted to put it out there and sell more albums. they just went about doing it in the wrong way, i think.
Having said all that, my theory presumes that "Just Breathe" would actually be promoted to mainstream radio. I have seen no indications that "Just Breathe" has been worked to Top 40 radio. However, it typically takes months for a song to cross over. For example, Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" first hit rock radio in September 2008. It did not debut on the Hot 100 until February 2009, five months later.
I don't think stuff could be "promoted" for mainstream radio if it's not mainstream. That Kings of Leon track crossed over, as we've seen many rock band do (Foo Fighters, etc), but it's never intended. It's made for rock radio and then the people decide if it's "mainstream" enough to crossover. That's why Pearl Jam, being an alternative rock band, should release singles to intended for alternative rock stations...and if they crossover to the mainstream, it's a bonus.
They also stated they wanted to write more simple and fun songs that they could play live over and over again. They've done more than enough experimenting. They aren't Radiohead.
Its a nice change to hear them not bitching about politics and lost loved ones. They need more optimistic and catchy music in their catalog.
On the latest Billboard charts (listed as "Week of January 02, 2010), "Just Breathe", in its tenth week, moved up 3 spots on the Rock charts to #14. It also moved up 6 spots to #10 on the Alternative charts.
Backspacer made a modest jump of 11 spots to #123 on the Billboard 200.
I'm happy that "Just Breathe" has had modest chart success to this point. I still don't think this song will blow up and stick around the charts for something like 29 weeks like Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody". We'll see though. It's already performed a little better than I would have predicted.
As for Backspacer's sales, not sure on sales numbers but it still sounds like they're moving a few thousand copies per week. I just want to see it crack 500,000.
If the Billboard charts are the reference if Just Breathe is ''doing it", the single has been climbing steadily.
Has Guaranteed 'done it'? It received an award and I think it's generally liked, but what did the charts say? Maybe if Just Breathe accompanied a great movie, it would have been different.
My original post for this thread was regarding "Just Breathe" not being able to create a big sales spike for Backspacer. Since I made the original post back in mid-November, "Just Breathe", as you mentioned, has been doing ok on the charts. But to this point, Backspacer sales have not seen any sort of spike or surge since "Just Breathe" hit the airwaves. The only week the album went up the charts was clearly due to a two-day after Thanksgiving sale when Backspacer was $6.50.
Many have argued that "Just Breathe" will ultimately become a major crossover hit, possibly pushing Backspacer to platinum status, a level that no Pearl Jam album has reached since Yield. I just don't think the single or the album is going to get a whole lot bigger. Believe me, "Guaranteed" and "Just Breathe" have done it for me, which is what really matters... but they didn't spur on platinum albums.
"Guaranteed" was not a hit. It received no radio play of note. If "Just Breathe" is going to drive sales, it will only happen if it crosses over. That hasn't happened yet. (As I've said many times here, it will take months for that to happen.)
If the Billboard charts are the reference if Just Breathe is ''doing it", the single has been climbing steadily.
Has Guaranteed 'done it'? It received an award and I think it's generally liked, but what did the charts say? Maybe if Just Breathe accompanied a great movie, it would have been different.
My original post for this thread was regarding "Just Breathe" not being able to create a big sales spike for Backspacer. Since I made the original post back in mid-November, "Just Breathe", as you mentioned, has been doing ok on the charts. But to this point, Backspacer sales have not seen any sort of spike or surge since "Just Breathe" hit the airwaves. The only week the album went up the charts was clearly due to a two-day after Thanksgiving sale when Backspacer was $6.50.
Many have argued that "Just Breathe" will ultimately become a major crossover hit, possibly pushing Backspacer to platinum status, a level that no Pearl Jam album has reached since Yield. I just don't think the single or the album is going to get a whole lot bigger. Believe me, "Guaranteed" and "Just Breathe" have done it for me, which is what really matters... but they didn't spur on platinum albums.
When you posted this thread. Just Breathe was just starting to appear on rock stations playlists. Not many songs have big impacts like that. And as it was said before in this thread. The song needs to crossover to have any impact on sales. And they also need to perform the song on tv. Like Letterman, an awards show or get heavy rotation on MTV/VH1. Other than Austin City Limits on PBS. That was it.
"Just Breathe" slips from #14 to #15 on Billboard's Rock Songs chart this week, but continues to gain in airplay. As usual, radio playlists are essentially frozen, and there is very little movement on the Rock Songs chart. It is an accomplishment for "Just Breathe" to have continued to gain airplay even during this time of frozen playlists and year-end and decade-end retrospectives.
Comments
Sometimes the best songs are the simple ones. Both The Fixer and Just Breathe are simple songs but they are also in my view amongst their best ever songs
London Shepherds Bush Empire 2009, Manchester Evening News Arena 2009, London O2 Arena 2009
Dublin, Belfast, Hyde Park 2010
Manchester Arena 1 and 2, Stockholm, Oslo 2012
Amsterdam 1 and 2, Leeds, Milton Keynes Bowl 2014
Wrigley Field 1 and 2 2016
London 1 and 2 2018
Fenway Park 1 and 2 2018
lw tw
16 12 PEARL JAM Just Breathe 912 797 115 4.896
2010 Jazz Fest*Kansas City*St.Louis*Columbus*Noblesville*Bristow*
Hartford*Newark*MSG1*MSG2*Dublin*Belfast*HydePark*Nijmegen*
Berlin*WM3Little Rock*Bridge 1&2
2011 Eddie Vedder*Chicago*St Louis*San Diego*Long Beach*Los Angles*Santa Barbara
PJ20 1&2*Canada Tour*Montreal*Toronto 1&2*Ottawa*Hamilton*Winnipeg*
Saskatoon*Calgary*Edmonton*Vancouver
They have a special requestweek where you can buy a song for poor people...
Last 7 days since 15-12...
it's going the to the righ direction
i love when random people tell you they like a certain pj song.
Classy.
My original post for this thread was regarding "Just Breathe" not being able to create a big sales spike for Backspacer. Since I made the original post back in mid-November, "Just Breathe", as you mentioned, has been doing ok on the charts. But to this point, Backspacer sales have not seen any sort of spike or surge since "Just Breathe" hit the airwaves. The only week the album went up the charts was clearly due to a two-day after Thanksgiving sale when Backspacer was $6.50.
Many have argued that "Just Breathe" will ultimately become a major crossover hit, possibly pushing Backspacer to platinum status, a level that no Pearl Jam album has reached since Yield. I just don't think the single or the album is going to get a whole lot bigger. Believe me, "Guaranteed" and "Just Breathe" have done it for me, which is what really matters... but they didn't spur on platinum albums.
2000: 8/15, 8/18, 10/9, 10/11, 10/12
2003: 6/18, 6/21, 6/22
2005: 9/9, 9/28
2006: 5/16, 5/17, 6/26, 6/27
2007: 8/5
2009: 8/23, 8/24
2010: 5/3, 5/4, 5/21
2011: 9/3, 9/4, 9/11, 9/12
2013: 7/19, 11/16
2014: 10/3, 10/9, 10/12, 10/17
2016: 4/16, 8/20, 8/22
2018: 8/18, 8/20, 9/2
2022: 9/18
2023: 8/31, 9/2, 9/5
2024: 5/18, 6/29
Amen to that, Jeagler. It's hard to read a sentence like "... "if PJ gathered a mainstream fanbase, I just think that the shows would suffer...with a young crowd of Pop music fans that just don't understand what it's all about." and NOT think about the quotes from the band members themselves about how Backspacer was deliberately a poppy, radio-friendly album. What's depressing for me - and this is why I felt Backspacer was a sell-out album, not because of the Target deal or anything like that - is that they blew up initially by going against the grain... they (along with Nirvana and Soundgarden) were the antidote to the hair metal bands, and people really latched onto that. Now they're trying to recapture past glories by doing the exact opposite, heading towards the mainstream sound instead of away from it.
98 - Montreal
00 - Montreal
03 - Toronto, Montreal
04 - Boston (Show #1)
05 - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto
06 - Toronto (Show #1)
09 - Toronto, Philly (Show #3-4)
10 - Cleveland
11 - Montreal, Toronto (x2), Ottawa
13 - London (ON), Philly (x2)
16 - QC - Ottawa
well no i actually disagree with everything you said from it being a sell-out album on down. i think backspacer is by far their best album since yield. i dont think they sold out with target at all. sony is a much bigger corporation than target. they're technically an independent band, so they're selling out to nobody at the moment. and no, they initially blew up by making videos and appearing on mtv all the time. they're trying to recapture some of that popularity by doing what's popular in today's world. they just went about it wrong with the whole target-exclusive thing.
no. they've all said they wanted to be more popular in the mainstream with this album. its not what drives their creative process, sure. but the end product came out sounding like something that would work with the mainstream. so they wanted to put it out there and sell more albums. they just went about doing it in the wrong way, i think.
Its a nice change to hear them not bitching about politics and lost loved ones. They need more optimistic and catchy music in their catalog.
Backspacer made a modest jump of 11 spots to #123 on the Billboard 200.
I'm happy that "Just Breathe" has had modest chart success to this point. I still don't think this song will blow up and stick around the charts for something like 29 weeks like Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody". We'll see though. It's already performed a little better than I would have predicted.
As for Backspacer's sales, not sure on sales numbers but it still sounds like they're moving a few thousand copies per week. I just want to see it crack 500,000.
2000: 8/15, 8/18, 10/9, 10/11, 10/12
2003: 6/18, 6/21, 6/22
2005: 9/9, 9/28
2006: 5/16, 5/17, 6/26, 6/27
2007: 8/5
2009: 8/23, 8/24
2010: 5/3, 5/4, 5/21
2011: 9/3, 9/4, 9/11, 9/12
2013: 7/19, 11/16
2014: 10/3, 10/9, 10/12, 10/17
2016: 4/16, 8/20, 8/22
2018: 8/18, 8/20, 9/2
2022: 9/18
2023: 8/31, 9/2, 9/5
2024: 5/18, 6/29
"Guaranteed" was not a hit. It received no radio play of note. If "Just Breathe" is going to drive sales, it will only happen if it crosses over. That hasn't happened yet. (As I've said many times here, it will take months for that to happen.)
When you posted this thread. Just Breathe was just starting to appear on rock stations playlists. Not many songs have big impacts like that. And as it was said before in this thread. The song needs to crossover to have any impact on sales. And they also need to perform the song on tv. Like Letterman, an awards show or get heavy rotation on MTV/VH1. Other than Austin City Limits on PBS. That was it.
And it's #8 on Itunes Canada.
sweetness