Song of the Moment: Lightning Bolt

General Pearl Jam discussion.
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Rate Lightning Bolt

5 Stars
34
24%
4 Stars
59
42%
3 Stars
22
16%
2 Stars
8
6%
1 Star
12
9%
Betterman (live)
4
3%
 
Total votes: 139

Release_Me
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Release_Me »

Then the lyrics to Porch would be dominated by yeah yeahs.
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stip
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by stip »

The fact that they named the album after this song gives me great confidence that the studio version will be very good
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Lament
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Lament »

stip wrote:The fact that they named the album after this song gives me great confidence that the studio version will be very good
I dunno. R.E.M. waited till their 13th album to name a record after a song, and Around The Sun was the song they deemed worthy of bestowing that honor upon. I hope you're right, but I'm not particularly confident one way or the other.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by stip »

Stop sucking the wind out of my sails!
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by HardTI »

Random thoughts about this song. I fucking love it. My 2 little girls (2 1/2 and 1 1/2) dance like crazy when it comes on. They literally come running into any room they hear it playing in.

To anyone that thinks this song sounds/feels like GTF, I totally get it. The song sounds like it's about to take off and soar... until the chorus. Not a big fan of the chorus, but I think the studio version may fix that. I also appreciate that they didn't take it fully into the GTF direction and tried something different. I hope it ends up working!

I think I have stated it here, but at the very least to my friends. I think a lot of this album is going to sound like garbage live, but I really think we're in for a special album.
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Lament
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Lament »

stip wrote:Stop sucking the wind out of my sales!
There's still the possibility that it will be one of the best title tracks ever.

London Calling
Purple Rain
The Queen Is Dead
Lightning Bolt
Rid Of Me
Born to Run
Stand!

See? It looks right at home there.
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Dr. Van Nostrand
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Dr. Van Nostrand »

stip wrote:The fact that they named the album after this song gives me great confidence that the studio version will be very good
I like that thought
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by epilogue »

stip wrote:The fact that they named the album after this song gives me great confidence that the studio version will be very good
Yeah, but, I mean.... no, no, you're right. Totally.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by elliseamos »

durdencommatyler wrote:
stip wrote:The fact that they named the album after this song gives me great confidence that the studio version will be very good
Yeah, but, I mean.... no, no, you're right. Totally.
:lol:
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by dprival78 »

is there good quality audio of this out there, aside from whats on youtube?
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by injuddstree »

HardTI wrote:Random thoughts about this song. I fucking love it. My 2 little girls (2 1/2 and 1 1/2) dance like crazy when it comes on. They literally come running into any room they hear it playing in.

To anyone that thinks this song sounds/feels like GTF, I totally get it. The song sounds like it's about to take off and soar... until the chorus. Not a big fan of the chorus, but I think the studio version may fix that. I also appreciate that they didn't take it fully into the GTF direction and tried something different. I hope it ends up working!

I think I have stated it here, but at the very least to my friends. I think a lot of this album is going to sound like garbage live, but I really think we're in for a special album.
Given To Fly is Top 10 PJ. Don't even go there.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by PHATJ »

I still love this song.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Got Some »

Release_Me wrote:Loving Ed's singing in this one, especially the parts where his voice soars after the low verses and then in the outro. He's in excellent form here. Made some headway with the lyrics today, especially the ending.

She comes on like a storm
but she don't know where from she was thrown
like a hurtling meteor
from miles high

She's looking for a place to land
She said, 'you got yourself some sand'?
And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'

Now she comes out to be
With her newly planted seeds
And soon you're thrown down on your knees
And then you're dead

And then before you know
The weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Always something and never nothing
isn't that the way we're taught to dream? To dream
looking through the worn out pages
And stages when you knew not who to be
until the lightning strike, sets you free

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Crashing stormy waves
Erode her shoreline every day
Until the castle of her ways turns to sand

And then before you know

the weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

And with no repair in sight
There is no God with such might
As you open her world wide with such a view
And your death will soon arrive
As she finally decides
That all the problems they will die with you


She's a lightning bolt
never let her go
Shes a lightning bolt
never let her go

Great job!!!
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Release_Me »

Thanks! The lyrics are still open to interpretation but the ending makes it clear that this isn't a 'happy' song. I keep bringing up the Betterman comparison because I can't think of a better one (excuse the pun). Uplifting, almost celebratory music but the theme is not that positive when you think about it. Huge fan of Ed's singing here especially. He's in full on Eddie mode like he was in the last section of Betterman.
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harmless
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by harmless »

This is growing on me quite a bit. I mean, I always liked the verses and I like the middle 8 / bridge part. The chorus is bad live, but then, so much of this band's material falls flat live anyway, so I need to find out whether anything they did in the studio improves it. It's very possible. And even if it doesn't, it's just a chorus and this band are very good at making great songs with slightly underwhelming choruses. I'm not sure why I ever detested the idea of this one; at the very least, hatred seems like a too strong reaction, especially set against something like Supersonic. The studio could make this one a forgettable rock song or a great one, but I very much doubt this will be the stinker of the album.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Tamar »

Got Some wrote:
Release_Me wrote:Loving Ed's singing in this one, especially the parts where his voice soars after the low verses and then in the outro. He's in excellent form here. Made some headway with the lyrics today, especially the ending.

She comes on like a storm
but she don't know where from she was thrown
like a hurtling meteor
from miles high

She's looking for a place to land
She said, 'you got yourself some sand'?
And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'

Now she comes out to be
With her newly planted seeds
And soon you're thrown down on your knees
And then you're dead

And then before you know
The weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Always something and never nothing
isn't that the way we're taught to dream? To dream
looking through the worn out pages
And stages when you knew not who to be
until the lightning strike, sets you free

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Crashing stormy waves
Erode her shoreline every day
Until the castle of her ways turns to sand

And then before you know

the weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

And with no repair in sight
There is no God with such might
As you open her world wide with such a view
And your death will soon arrive
As she finally decides
That all the problems they will die with you


She's a lightning bolt
never let her go
Shes a lightning bolt
never let her go

Great job!!!
I hear:

like a hurtling meteor > like a pretty meteor
from miles high > in my own sky
...
Now she comes out to be > Now she comes after me
...
That all the problems they will die with you > That all the problems they won't die with you

I believe in happy endings!
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by HardTI »

injuddstree wrote:
HardTI wrote:Random thoughts about this song. I fucking love it. My 2 little girls (2 1/2 and 1 1/2) dance like crazy when it comes on. They literally come running into any room they hear it playing in.

To anyone that thinks this song sounds/feels like GTF, I totally get it. The song sounds like it's about to take off and soar... until the chorus. Not a big fan of the chorus, but I think the studio version may fix that. I also appreciate that they didn't take it fully into the GTF direction and tried something different. I hope it ends up working!

I think I have stated it here, but at the very least to my friends. I think a lot of this album is going to sound like garbage live, but I really think we're in for a special album.
Given To Fly is Top 10 PJ. Don't even go there.
Went there and apparently you have a hard time comprehending what I actually wrote.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by Release_Me »

Tamar wrote:
Got Some wrote:
Release_Me wrote:Loving Ed's singing in this one, especially the parts where his voice soars after the low verses and then in the outro. He's in excellent form here. Made some headway with the lyrics today, especially the ending.

She comes on like a storm
but she don't know where from she was thrown
like a hurtling meteor
from miles high

She's looking for a place to land
She said, 'you got yourself some sand'?
And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'

Now she comes out to be
With her newly planted seeds
And soon you're thrown down on your knees
And then you're dead

And then before you know
The weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Always something and never nothing
isn't that the way we're taught to dream? To dream
looking through the worn out pages
And stages when you knew not who to be
until the lightning strike, sets you free

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Crashing stormy waves
Erode her shoreline every day
Until the castle of her ways turns to sand

And then before you know

the weeds are obesely overgrown
With the all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

And with no repair in sight
There is no God with such might
As you open her world wide with such a view
And your death will soon arrive
As she finally decides
That all the problems they will die with you


She's a lightning bolt
never let her go
Shes a lightning bolt
never let her go

Great job!!!
I hear:

like a hurtling meteor > like a pretty meteor
from miles high > in my own sky
...
Now she comes out to be > Now she comes after me
...
That all the problems they will die with you > That all the problems they won't die with you

I believe in happy endings!
I've thought a lot about these. 'Now she comes after me' doesn't fit because Ed is referring to 'you' throughout the song, there is no mention of 'me'.

If you see the lines before 'That all the problems they will die with you', it's clear that this is the only possibility because 'your death will soon arrive' doesn't make sense if the 'problems won't die with you' follows it. Also, I'm positive Ed wouldn't describe a meteor as 'pretty', though it could be something other than 'hurtling'. The 'my own sky' doesn't work again for the same reason: there is no 'me' or 'my', only 'you'. Ed's singing the whole song in third person. It's all 'she' and 'you'.

Hope that made sense!
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harmless
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by harmless »

I don't really trust Ed to be trained in POV. I can believe he's used all three in this song and that it makes no sense because of it. Who knows, I'm just saying I wouldn't put it past him.
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Re: New Song: Lightning Bolt

Post by VinylGuy »

i havent listened again since it came out, i think i want to wait for the studio version now they are not going to play live again after the release of the new album.
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