MM 6-24: Man of the Hour vs. Yellow Ledbetter

Post by **stip** » Sun March 31, 2024 11:45 pm

Man of the Hour vs. Yellow Ledbetter

Post by **stip** » Sun March 31, 2024 11:47 pm

Love both of these, but love Ledbetter even more. Everyone is just at the height of their powers, and the Man of the Hour era has Eddie holding himself back - like he's trying to do less but is not entirely sure how to just yet. I think he finally figures it out on Gigaton

Post by **epilogue** » Mon April 01, 2024 2:20 am

Fattie_Vedder · Post by **Fattie_Vedder** » Mon April 01, 2024 4:57 am

I totally understand the appeal of Ledbetter. I get that the riff is lovely. I think the joy it elicits is more a matter of nostalgia than anything. Man Of The Hour is so fucking powerful, it doesn’t need Eddie to do more. And it actually has a coherent message. MOTH for the vote.

Anders · Post by **Anders** » Mon April 01, 2024 5:48 am

Higgs · Post by **Higgs** » Mon April 01, 2024 11:03 am

Ledbetter.

liebzz · Post by **liebzz** » Mon April 01, 2024 11:16 am

Both songs say goodbye in different contexts. Ledbetter ends the show, but Man of the Hour is even more powerful than that.

wease · Post by **wease** » Mon April 01, 2024 11:18 am

stip wrote:Love both of these, but love Ledbetter even more. Everyone is just at the height of their powers…

You’re saying this about a song that doesn’t really have lyrics

Post by **stip** » Mon April 01, 2024 11:38 am

which shows how remarkable it is

lvc · Post by **lvc** » Mon April 01, 2024 1:53 pm

I think this is another match where it's legacy vs. songwriting. Yellow Ledbetter is, at heart, a sketch with an amazing guitar solo that has been attached to what it feels like to see Pearl Jam or listen to any of the countless bootlegs (which, I think, is where Pearl Jam actually cemented its legacy as one of the great rock bands). Man of the Hour is mature songcraft that has outgrown the rage against the father (or complete emotional breakdown over a girl as in Alone). In a lot of ways, pitting these two against each other is an illustration of why it's fundamentally silly to rank art.

So, since it's silly, I'll vote for Man of the Hour. I saw Big Fish in theaters to hear this song and it was fine. I was an unmarried college kid there with a girl I wouldn't end up marrying so I was more just watching Ewan McGregor's odyssey to win the girl. Then I watched Big Fish again much later with my wife. And when Albert Finney and Jessica Lange do that scene in the bath where they're both finally accepting that he's going to die soon, I was WRECKED. Time and experience completely change how art hits (and is even made) so I'll vote craft over legacy this time.

This was a very serious take that was supposed to argue that something was silly. I think maybe I'm depressed.

wease · Post by **wease** » Mon April 01, 2024 2:38 pm

stip wrote:which shows how remarkable it is

Remarkable it has achieved the status it has within fandom

E.H. Ruddock · Post by **E.H. Ruddock** » Mon April 01, 2024 2:58 pm

Does a song have to have lyrics to be remarkable?

wease · Post by **wease** » Mon April 01, 2024 3:08 pm

E.H. Ruddock wrote:Does a song have to have lyrics to be remarkable?

No. It doesn’t

Higgs · Post by **Higgs** » Mon April 01, 2024 3:12 pm

wease wrote:
E.H. Ruddock wrote:Does a song have to have lyrics to be remarkable?
No. It doesn’t

Its a paint by your own numbers. I never get the lyrics wrong.

E.H. Ruddock · Post by **E.H. Ruddock** » Mon April 01, 2024 4:52 pm

Post by **stip** » Mon April 01, 2024 11:54 pm

Red Mosquito