This week we have another in the "Ah, But You Never Know Files" as the tune was recorded during the sessions for, but was eventually left off of, the band's ginormous debut album, Ten. It would be resurrected as the B-side of the single "Jeremy" from said album, and through the years has become so popular that both fans and critics have ranked it in the band's all-time top ten songs. Every band should be so fortunate....
I wrote about Pearl Jam's song "Black" in 2018, and in the intervening years they have released another album and begun another tour. As there isn't much else to add to my original half-assed bio paragraph, I would like to note how amazing it is to me that four of the original five members of the band are still together more than thirty years down the road, and the fifth, drummer Matt Cameron, has been with the band since 1998. Not many bands (though U2 and REM come to mind, and of course the Rolling Stones) have that kind of commitment not only to making music but to each other for that many years. Kudos!
As noted above, "Yellow Ledbetter" was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until Pearl Jam released Lost Dogs (a collection of B-sides and outtakes) in 2003. It also appeared on Rearview (Greatest Hits 1991-2003).
Fun Fact: I am notoriously bad at hearing lyrics and was surprised to find as I did my half-assed research this week that the first line of the song does not contain the words "yellow ledbetter" and instead is just the words "yellow letter." Thank God for lyric sheets....
"Yellow Ledbetter" started with music by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder created lyrics on the fly as they were recording it. There is much debate over the song's meaning, though the most prominent theory is that it's about a friend of Vedder's whose brother was killed in a war the U.S. fought overseas. Vedder's vocals are somewhat mumbled, and he's been known to change the lyrics in concert--add it all together and it shows just how amazing the song truly is. I mean, no one is certain what it means, the lyrics can change, and the vocals are almost impossible to decipher, and still it's among the most popular songs Pearl Jam has ever done. I would be remiss if I did not mention McCready's gorgeous and otherworldly guitar work on the song, which further adds to the mystique of the song. In the end, it's one of those rare pieces of music that carry you away literally on its spirit--and, oh, what a beautiful journey it is.
Lyric Sheet: "Oh, yeah can you see them/Out on the porch/Yeah, but they don't wave/I see them.."
Enjoy:
Republicans = Nazis
Peace,
emaycee
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