Song of the Moment: My Father's Son

[Vindicator]

Days later MFS has continued to grow and is by far my favorite moment on the album. It's just flat out awesome and is everything I want out of Pearl Jam. Intense vocals, great bass and guitar interplay, great drumming, crazy bridge. I love it all.

It stands tall next to Brain of J, Greivance, DTE, Last exit and Go as one of my favorite PJ rockers. The album stumbles elsewhere, but I'm satisfied with getting a track like MFS (and MYM and Getaway) every 4 years.

[harmless]

Can't believe Matt Cameron's speeding this one up so much live. What a numpty.

[Vindicator]

Can't believe Matt Cameron's speeding this one up so much live. What a numpty.

I think that whole performance was shaky. They need to workout the kinks.

[harmless]

Can't believe Matt Cameron's speeding this one up so much live. What a numpty.

I think that whole performance was shaky. They need to workout the kinks.

Yup.

[fishbob]

Today this song took on a whole new meaning to me, a theory I think you might enjoy.

Lyrically it seems to be about a person struggling with a harsh upbringing, pointing fingers at parents for putting them in a shitty position and being insanely pissed off for being their constant victim. The character wishes so badly to have had a chance upbringing in any different circumstance, and not have their fate sealed by genetics.

But then I started to think about the chorus line "From the moment I fail, I called on DNA".

Then my opinion completely changed. It went from the character being the one you're meant to sympathize with, to them being this pathetic, pissed off bag of nothing. Think about it, the song to me sounds like he's saying: every time I fucked up I blamed it on where I came from. This song is the rant of a person in denial so desperate to remain blameless for their shitty life. So openly sour about their circumstance, that even when they're trying to be optimistic, they're doing it in such an overly sarcastic tone you can't help but feel awkward.

Now father you’re dead and gone and I’m finally free to be me,
Thanks for all your fucked up gifts for which I’ve got no sympathy,
I’m living in a walled-up place in the bounds of 5th symphony,
Thanks for this and thanks for that, I gotta let go, learn to see

It's like the character has spent so long blaming his Dad for his shitty life, that now he's gone he's got nobody left to blame but himself. It's as though the character is oblivious to the fact that he's holed himself up in a shitty mind-frame for so long that he didn't realize it was up to him to change it, not his genetics.

May be over analysis, but this fairly simple song has completely transformed in my mind.

[stip]

I think that's probably right, fishbob. What did you think it was about before?

[fishbob]

I watched the Eddie interview with Mark Richards (I think, could've been the Judd Apatow one) and he only approached the song's meaning from the viewpoint of it being about the characters fate being in his genetics, and how much of that he could control. That to me only scrapes the surface of what this song is about, and I hadn't really thought about it further until today.

[harmless]

Today this song took on a whole new meaning to me, a theory I think you might enjoy.

Lyrically it seems to be about a person struggling with a harsh upbringing, pointing fingers at parents for putting them in a shitty position and being insanely pissed off for being their constant victim. The character wishes so badly to have had a chance upbringing in any different circumstance, and not have their fate sealed by genetics.

But then I started to think about the chorus line "From the moment I fail, I called on DNA".

Then my opinion completely changed. It went from the character being the one you're meant to sympathize with, to them being this pathetic, pissed off bag of nothing. Think about it, the song to me sounds like he's saying: every time I fucked up I blamed it on where I came from. This song is the rant of a person in denial so desperate to remain blameless for their shitty life. So openly sour about their circumstance, that even when they're trying to be optimistic, they're doing it in such an overly sarcastic tone you can't help but feel awkward.

Now father you’re dead and gone and I’m finally free to be me,
Thanks for all your fucked up gifts for which I’ve got no sympathy,
I’m living in a war-torn place. Hear the bombs, a 5th symphony,
Thanks for this and thanks for that, I gotta let go, learn to see

It's like the character has spent so long blaming his Dad for his shitty life, that now he's gone he's got nobody left to blame but himself. It's as though the character is oblivious to the fact that he's holed himself up in a shitty mind-frame for so long that he didn't realize it was up to him to change it, not his genetics.

May be over analysis, but this fairly simple song has completely transformed in my mind.

Fixed But good points. I also think it's an ironic angst song, possibly retrospective. And the war-torn place / bombs line is another one that takes the angst to a parody level.

[Juvenal]

I know I mentioned the whole "being handed a pina colada" feeling of the bridge, but it's such a refreshing bit of the song. Not that the you need refreshed after the verses or choruses, but they are meaty and the bridge cleanses the palate. It reminds me of video game BGM - like The Secret of Monkey Island or Sonic 3's Angel Island Zone.

[harmless]

I know I mentioned the whole "being handed a pina colada" feeling of the bridge, but it's such a refreshing bit of the song. Not that the you need refreshed after the verses or choruses, but they are meaty and the bridge cleanses the palate. It reminds me of video game BGM - like The Secret of Monkey Island or Sonic 3's Angel Island Zone.

Yeah, definitely. So it ends up being one of the most interesting "fun" moments on the record.

[yofismom]

Glad I waited a few days to vote on this one. It wasn't clear to me how great it was until quite a few listens. I didn't find it as accessible right away some of the others but it's brilliant.
I assume somebody has already compared it to push me pull me with the baseline?

This whole album is sort of a revelation. (Not to mention of relief after Backspacer!) I can understand why people are saying it could've been the album after riot act. How cool is that?!

[stupidmop]

,
I’m living in a war-torn place. Hear the bombs, a 5th symphony,

That's the line? Awesome that's way better than what we had before

[McParadigm]

,
I’m living in a war-torn place. Hear the bombs, a 5th symphony,

That's the line? Awesome that's way better than what we had before

Yup.

Too bad he was a psychopath, though.

[stupidmop]

,
I’m living in a war-torn place. Hear the bombs, a 5th symphony,

That's the line? Awesome that's way better than what we had before

Yup.

Too bad he was a psychopath, though.

Yeah.....its an odd choice of word. He could have gone with something less loaded and still put the same image across. Hell insane might have even worked better, rat-bastard perhaps, no good very bad man.

Maybe its got something to do with the character kinda reveling in the fact that he's apparently 'crazy', like dumbass kids who go around saying omg I'm so PCs, when they really mean they're neat, or omg I'm so bipolar after yelling 'omg I hate you mom' mid conversation.

Guys I'm so fucked up! Or maybe they're both actually serial killers. Dirty franks backstory?!

Or, Ed mentioned in a couple of the recent interviews how he's making sure his kids don't have a psycho for a dad, so maybe its just a word he's.....using a lot these days...Maybe that's me being crazy lol

[Juvenal]

Well psychopath has a wealth of meanings. Mayhap Edward will change it like he did to "Mommy" and "Daddy" in Jeremy down the line.

"...my father was a very, very bad man!"

[harmless]

I reckon this is a deliberately sarcastic teen angst song. He's almost taking the piss out of his former self. Hence the "psychopath" word and the embarrassing cliched accusations about bad DNA.

[McParadigm]

I assume the song is conceptually about Scotty Evil.

[Juvenal]

I assume the song is conceptually about Scotty Evil.

[stupidmop]

Well psychopath has a wealth of meanings. Mayhap Edward will change it like he did to "Mommy" and "Daddy" in Jeremy down the line.

"...my father was a very, very bad man!"

You know, I think mommy and daddy works better in Jeremy. It emphasis that its about a child.

[harmless]

Well psychopath has a wealth of meanings. Mayhap Edward will change it like he did to "Mommy" and "Daddy" in Jeremy down the line.

"...my father was a very, very bad man!"

You know, I think mommy and daddy works better in Jeremy. It emphasis that its about a child.

Yup. Same with Alive.