who thinks Johnny Guitar was not a very good song?

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  • ceska
    ceska New York Posts: 1,137
    Good music, ncec idea, just a hard song to get into as it's not easy to sing along with like most all the rest of PJ songs.
  • Seahawksean80
    Seahawksean80 Raleigh, NC Posts: 9
    PJStatTracker wrote:
    I love Johnny Guitar - great live song, and in my top five on the album. Amongst the Waves is probably my least favorite.

    I started playing Amongst the Waves today and listened to it a bunch and realized it's a really good song. Different tuning but deep meaning to it. And yes, I also really like Johnny Guitar. I was kind of going thru a similar situation as interpreted in the song at the time so that may have something to do with it.
    Boston II '94, Charlotte '96, Hartford '96, Raleigh '98, Columbia, MD '98, Greensboro, NC '00, Raleigh '03, Denver I '06, Denver II '06, Columbia, SC '08, Bristow, VA '10, Los Angeles I '13, Los Angeles II '13, Amsterdam I '14, NYC Central Park '15, Greenville, SC '16, Hampton '16, Columbia, SC '16, Wrigley I '16, Wrigley II '16
  • Wilds
    Wilds Posts: 4,329
    Big Bank Hank wrote:
    I just think it is lyrically not Eddie's finest work


    Johnny Guitar Watson staring at me

    More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/pearl_jam/#share
  • PJStatTracker
    PJStatTracker Posts: 2,400
    Seahawksean80 wrote:
    PJStatTracker wrote:
    I love Johnny Guitar - great live song, and in my top five on the album. Amongst the Waves is probably my least favorite.

    I started playing Amongst the Waves today and listened to it a bunch and realized it's a really good song. Different tuning but deep meaning to it. And yes, I also really like Johnny Guitar. I was kind of going thru a similar situation as interpreted in the song at the time so that may have something to do with it.

    well, it's not say that I dislike Amongst The Waves, just my least favorite. I think it's the first PJ song I've heard where I felt like they were actively trying to write a big anthem with a soaring chorus. Feels forced to me.

    When I first heard Johnny Guitar, I really didn't like it. Thought it was...well...weird. Now I love it. It's definitely different and interesting, but I really dig it.
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  • martin g
    martin g Posts: 105
    Didnt like it when the album came out and still dont like it now!! the only PJ song on any album i always skip!!
    London 29/05/00, Dublin 23/08/06, London 18/06/07, London 18/08/09, Manchester 21/06/12, EV London 30/07/12, Milton Keynes 11,07,2014
  • Meg8686
    Meg8686 Posts: 1,234
    Maybe your not playing it loud enough :) Good Summer tune.
    Sometimes I speak of nothing at all.
  • mysticweed
    mysticweed Posts: 3,710
    rpech'e wrote:
    I always skip it :yawn:

    ditto
    no love for jg here
    fuck 'em if they can't take a joke

    "what a long, strange trip it's been"
  • RW8297
    RW8297 Posts: 1,617
    I skip Backspacer,.. :lol::lol::lol:
  • deserteddotse
    deserteddotse Posts: 1,276
    Great tune from a mediocre album...
    Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the center of the Universe...
  • TroubledSoul
    TroubledSoul Posts: 1,374
    johnny guitar is a horrid song. one of pearl jam's worst songs they've ever written... IMO (now I've said IMO I can't get flamed... clever).

    ok the intro maybe promises something.. then ed just jumps in ranting in that first line..

    then it gets to "Now Johnny he be having lots of women.. oh the reason he'd be smiling known to him".. that line.. ok all the lines.. there's no melody anywhere, it's rushed, it's disjointed. there isn't even a decent mike solo that can try and redeem it.

    and what's with that crap rap interlude at the 1:03 mark?.. into that shit bridge about the light on.

    "I'll hide my disappointment cause for years I have been hoping"
    interesting line in the context of the discussion of pearl jam's recent works, although i haven't hidden my disappointment in this song.
    Yeh I've seen Pearl Jam, too. But I can't remember the dates.
  • danny
    danny Posts: 2,283
    i disagree!
    danny d
  • BinFrog
    BinFrog MA Posts: 7,314
    Don't love it. Don't hate it.
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
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  • smanchac1
    smanchac1 Posts: 2,256
    veddertown wrote:
    I actually love Johnny Guitar. It has that very 70's sounding riff similar to the way Unemployable does. It's very Ace Frehley I think and although it's not a classic it's great fun to hear live and gets you jumping around. I prefer it to the singles from the album along with The End and Force Of Nature. I don't think the album has enough quality to rate anything as a classic but JG is really underrated for me.

    I would agree with this but we can't forget unthought known.. That will be a live show staple from now on..

    Then again so is just breathe so what do I know? :oops:
  • FrankieG
    FrankieG Abingdon MD Posts: 9,100
    rpech'e wrote:
    I always skip it :yawn:

    +1
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  • deserteddotse
    deserteddotse Posts: 1,276
    smanchac1 wrote:
    Then again so is just breathe so what do I know? :oops:

    I hope the play Just Breath at every show I attend this year, cause then I know I'll always have time to go to the toilet...
    Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the center of the Universe...
  • smanchac1
    smanchac1 Posts: 2,256
    I'll say I agree about Johnny Guitar. I always skip it or don't pick it for a setlist - but if it comes up at random i don't skip it.

    I can say its tough on bass. Took me quite a few tries but once I got it I destroyed it on rock band 3 expert bass and am ranked in the top ten for that song.

    Fun song to play on bass.

    Can we also say its the same feeling for most of backspacer? The post earlier speaking about how Amongst The Waves feels forced I couldn't agree on more. Unthought Known is a good song - but I'll never go bananas for Gonna see my Friend, the fixer, got some, Johnny guitar, Amongst The Waves, Just Breathe, Supersonic, Speed of sound, force of nature or the end.

    I'll say I do like most songs and speed of sound w Ed solo is great...

    This is from someone who saw 6 shows on the backspacer tour as well as owning the cd, vinyl and full cd for rock band 3. It just, for me, doesn't touch their other albums. I'm actually excited for the shows I'm heading to because I know I'll hear less backspacer than usual and I'm not forced to hear 4-8 songs I don't know.
  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,907
    TroubledSoul wrote:
    johnny guitar is a horrid song. one of pearl jam's worst songs they've ever written... IMO (now I've said IMO I can't get flamed... clever).

    ok the intro maybe promises something.. then ed just jumps in ranting in that first line..

    then it gets to "Now Johnny he be having lots of women.. oh the reason he'd be smiling known to him".. that line.. ok all the lines.. there's no melody anywhere, it's rushed, it's disjointed. there isn't even a decent mike solo that can try and redeem it.

    and what's with that crap rap interlude at the 1:03 mark?.. into that shit bridge about the light on.

    "I'll hide my disappointment cause for years I have been hoping"
    interesting line in the context of the discussion of pearl jam's recent works, although i haven't hidden my disappointment in this song.

    pretty much agree 100% with you here. i expect way more from Ed than these lyrics.
  • SVRDhand13
    SVRDhand13 Posts: 26,996
    In the bottom 10% of pearl jam songs for sure
    severed hand thirteen
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  • foriginalsin
    foriginalsin Posts: 713
    DewieCox wrote:
    On a mostly pretty boring album, I think this one sticks out in a positive way. Think PJ brought something fresh and cool compared to their usual forays into punkier territory.


    Thank you. Its so different than any pj song. This is one of the few songs that strays from regular pj territory. Also the time signature is unique and not 4/4. Its more interesting to play than other songs. And the vocals and lyrics are GREAT. Do you guys see how eddie had to write vocals that intertwined with the odd time signature? And one my favorite Eddie tactics when write lyrics is his ability to create new words like foriginalsin :D. He has done this in many other songs too and its awesome.

    I swear sometimes I think a lot of pj fans just want them to write Jeremy and even flow 12 times on an album. You guys are boring.
  • Soulfire42
    Soulfire42 Posts: 404
    I find it to be a breath of fresh air on an album that mostly bores me. Pearl Jam has usually had a knack for tossing in some surprises. Sometimes they didn't work (see stupid mop), but Johnny Guitar is a nice little surprise that I think works just fine.

    I think it does point out a problem that Backspacer has as an album though. It's not an album that works very well as a whole or that has great flow.

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