Running

[Ms Harmless]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

[Thurman Murman]

I dont really like this song anymore today than i did yesterday, but i feel like the level of hate its getting from some seems a bit much.

If this was the old days and it had simply been released as a "B side" to Dark Matter i think most would have been ok-ish with it, or at the very least not making it the seem like the end of Pearl Jam as we know it.

[stip]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

the fixer’s lyrics are nigh perfect! i think you’re broadly right here though. it’s just that there are some moments of odd specificity - the victrola line. the gender switch in the shouty outro (forget exactly what it was. need to see the lyric video again)

[Strat]

I dont really like this song anymore today than i did yesterday, but i feel like the level of hate its getting from some seems a bit much.

If this was the old days and it had simply been released as a "B side" to Dark Matter i think most would have been ok-ish with it, or at the very least not making it the seem like the end of Pearl Jam as we know it.

The problem is, we wouldnt have been sick of these tracks in "the old days".

I think this is a great song and im having a lot of fun with it, but we have heard this PJ quite a bit now 30 years into their career. IT just comes with the territory of being a band this long.

I think its generally falling favorably amongst the jamily. Some of us just hate the produciton.

[Strat]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

the fixer’s lyrics are nigh perfect! i think you’re broadly right here though. it’s just that there are some moments of odd specificity - the victrola line. the gender switch in the shouty outro (forget exactly what it was. need to see the lyric video again)

It sickens me how much hate the Fixer gets though. Its a great song

[stip]

Here is where Id place this after day 2 alongside the tracks it is BROADLY similar too. Mid/late album cool downs or punk informed numbers

Again Today
Get Right
Running
Never Destinstion
Lukin
Let the Records Play
Big Wave
Ole
Supersonic

probably some other songs that should be on this list. one of the more successful versions of a song/song function they have insisited on for the back half of their career, even though folks don’t generally seem to favor it as one of the band’s modes


could go up, could go down. it’s certainly new. but get right took years to fully appreciate.

Im leaving TTLW off the list as I think it’s doing something else. but id sandwhich it between LTRP and Big Wave

[stip]

there are songs like GSMF, Breakerfall, God’s Dice, Got Some, Fixer, MYM, Superblood that are also musically similar (and often stronger) but I think their earlier presence on a tracklist speaks to a desire to subject the song to more scrutiny/expect it to shoukder more weight. That could just be an arbitrary distinction on my part

[stip]

I dont really like this song anymore today than i did yesterday, but i feel like the level of hate its getting from some seems a bit much.

If this was the old days and it had simply been released as a "B side" to Dark Matter i think most would have been ok-ish with it, or at the very least not making it the seem like the end of Pearl Jam as we know it.

The problem is, we wouldnt have been sick of these tracks in "the old days".

I think this is a great song and im having a lot of fun with it, but we have heard this PJ quite a bit now 30 years into their career. IT just comes with the territory of being a band this long.

I think its generally falling favorably amongst the jamily. Some of us just hate the produciton.

this is a good/interesting meta point. I wonder how other long standing bands superfans deal with catalog fatigue this far into a band’s career

[Ms Harmless]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

the fixer’s lyrics are nigh perfect! i think you’re broadly right here though. it’s just that there are some moments of odd specificity - the victrola line. the gender switch in the shouty outro (forget exactly what it was. need to see the lyric video again)

I did hesitate on The Fixer, I'd gladly remove it from my point

I didn't catch the gender switch, I'll have to look at that again

"Victrola! Controller!"

made me scratch my head at first but I Googled it, it's a record player right? so in the context of the song it felt like he was saying "you sound like a broken record, always controlling / manipulating the sound, hogging the aux (remote controller?), so that nobody else gets to play their own music (and then I think of "march to the beat of their own drum", i.e. the marginalised don't get a say, get spoken over etc.)"

suitably poetic and a nice metaphor for a tyrant, and it gets me playing word association in my head; and Ed's done it in the space of two words

modern PJ lyrics are probably never going to get as sophisticated as Corduroy again, but when he uses similar techniques (with brevity) he can still bring it

[stip]

also I said this one day and 60 pages ago, but this really feels like Horse to Water on REM’s accelerate. i like that comparison more than any direct 1-1 pearl jam comparison

[Strat]

I dont really like this song anymore today than i did yesterday, but i feel like the level of hate its getting from some seems a bit much.

If this was the old days and it had simply been released as a "B side" to Dark Matter i think most would have been ok-ish with it, or at the very least not making it the seem like the end of Pearl Jam as we know it.

The problem is, we wouldnt have been sick of these tracks in "the old days".

I think this is a great song and im having a lot of fun with it, but we have heard this PJ quite a bit now 30 years into their career. IT just comes with the territory of being a band this long.

I think its generally falling favorably amongst the jamily. Some of us just hate the produciton.

this is a good/interesting meta point. I wonder how other long standing bands superfans deal with catalog fatigue this far into a band’s career

Pearl Jam, within the realm of rock music, has explored many different pallets throughout their career. To me, at this point, i think id rather see them explore more of the experimental aspects of pearl jam that they were leaning into earlier on in their career. Im fine with old guys rocking, i hope to be that guy at 60 as well, but 30 years into their career i think i would be even more excited if they were as experiemental in their old age, as they were in their young age. Its not a devolving sort of thing, but often times can feel stunted and "yea we've heard this enough" by now.

Its PJ's fault really. Theyve given us a rich catalogue. Its why the fanbase can be so divded at times and thats a testament to how awesome this band is.

[stip]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

the fixer’s lyrics are nigh perfect! i think you’re broadly right here though. it’s just that there are some moments of odd specificity - the victrola line. the gender switch in the shouty outro (forget exactly what it was. need to see the lyric video again)

I did hesitate on The Fixer, I'd gladly remove it from my point

I didn't catch the gender switch, I'll have to look at that again

"Victrola! Controller!"

made me scratch my head at first but I Googled it, it's a record player right? so in the context of the song it felt like he was saying "you sound like a broken record, always controlling / manipulating the sound, hogging the aux, so that nobody else gets to play their own music (and then I think of "march to the beat of their own drum", i.e. the marginalised don't get a say, get spoken over etc.)"

suitably poetic and a nice metaphor for a tyrant, and it gets me playing word association in my head; and Ed's done it in the space of two words

modern PJ lyrics are probably never going to get as sophisticated as Corduroy again, but when he uses similar techniques (with brevity) he can still bring it

ohhh, nice insight on the victrola lyric. i knew what it was but didnt make that connection.


And I will continue to bang this drum but I think Eddie is as good a lyricist now as he ever was. I often think he is better. But his voice doesnt have the same commanding majesty it did in his prime, so the experience of the lyric as a lyric (voice + words) cant hit quite the same.

[stip]

okay - off to write the Running review. if anyonehas any more great insights they’d like to see incorporated share them now!

[Ms Harmless]

feels like another attack at a (vague) tyrannical power or leader, like Incubus' "Megalomaniac"

timeless theme. better to stay away from the specifics

I don't mind when Ed is specific, but I do think wide application is a strength in these songs; the problem is when Ed tries to make something widely applicable and it ends up bland and not saying anything (Got Some, Supersonic, The Fixer to a lesser extent); the DM and Running lyrics are using imagery, some concreteness, but they're also not telling too detailed a story (Unemployable, even though I love that song); so all in all, I feel like Ed's in his lyrical sweetspot here

the fixer’s lyrics are nigh perfect! i think you’re broadly right here though. it’s just that there are some moments of odd specificity - the victrola line. the gender switch in the shouty outro (forget exactly what it was. need to see the lyric video again)

I did hesitate on The Fixer, I'd gladly remove it from my point

I didn't catch the gender switch, I'll have to look at that again

"Victrola! Controller!"

made me scratch my head at first but I Googled it, it's a record player right? so in the context of the song it felt like he was saying "you sound like a broken record, always controlling / manipulating the sound, hogging the aux, so that nobody else gets to play their own music (and then I think of "march to the beat of their own drum", i.e. the marginalised don't get a say, get spoken over etc.)"

suitably poetic and a nice metaphor for a tyrant, and it gets me playing word association in my head; and Ed's done it in the space of two words

modern PJ lyrics are probably never going to get as sophisticated as Corduroy again, but when he uses similar techniques (with brevity) he can still bring it

ohhh, nice insight on the victrola lyric. i knew what it was but didnt make that connection.


And I will continue to bang this drum but I think Eddie is as good a lyricist now as he ever was. I often think he is better. But his voice doesnt have the same commanding majesty it did in his prime, so the experience of the lyric as a lyric (voice + words) cant hit quite the same.

that's a good point, it was as much about his very different delivery back then

hmmm... I watched the lyric video and the "so she can fuck off" line has thrown me for a loop

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[stip]

okay - off to write the Running review. if anyonehas any more great insights they’d like to see incorporated share them now!

It’s loud, it’s abrasive, it’s fast, it’s exhausting

I mean that's all mostly correct. Maybe not abrasive.

[Ms Harmless]

okay - off to write the Running review. if anyonehas any more great insights they’d like to see incorporated share them now!

It’s loud, it’s abrasive, it’s fast, it’s exhausting

why, it's Greased Lightning Bolt!

[Strat]

okay - off to write the Running review. if anyonehas any more great insights they’d like to see incorporated share them now!

It’s loud, it’s abrasive, it’s fast, it’s exhausting

I mean that's all mostly correct. Maybe not abrasive.

Sorry, he was referring to his posting lately.

[Thurman Murman]

Here is where Id place this after day 2 alongside the tracks it is BROADLY similar too. Mid/late album cool downs or punk informed numbers

Again Today
Get Right
Running
Never Destinstion
Lukin
Let the Records Play
Big Wave
Ole
Supersonic

probably some other songs that should be on this list. one of the more successful versions of a song/song function they have insisited on for the back half of their career, even though folks don’t generally seem to favor it as one of the band’s modes

This is almost certainly my least favorite of the band's modes as you say....but i mostly agree with your ranking and Running's placement on the list. Its the best version of this type of song that we've gotten on a Pearl Jam album in quite some time...but i'd still prefer they move on from these types of tracks.

[Ms Harmless]

I'll take Running, it's a good example of what it is, but every other metal door clip had something I'm potentially much more interested in