A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Infallible

General Pearl Jam discussion.
Post Reply
User avatar
Strat
Waiting for HVAC Repairman
Posts: 35407
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:48 pm
Location: Twin City Kisses

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Strat »

I didnt understand this song at first. I was taken aback by it pretty aggressively and thought it was a Sammy Hagar era Van halen kind of tune. My curiosity kept me coming back and with each listen I became more and more enthralled with the song.

Then I fell in love with someone (my best friend) who was diagnosed with Cancer and not given the best odd's. This song is it. This song is the real deal.
User avatar
Strat
Waiting for HVAC Repairman
Posts: 35407
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:48 pm
Location: Twin City Kisses

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Strat »

bottom paged. mwahahahahahahahaha
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

:lol:
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

I applaud this kind of honesty. There's a real finger on the pulse quality to it. I can totally see why people dislike it, I guess. It just hits me right in the sweet spot.
User avatar
McParadigm
NEVER STOP JAMMING!
Posts: 22393
Joined: Wed January 02, 2013 1:56 am

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by McParadigm »

I hear hints of Phil Collins at his rock bottom dullest, Springsteen's worst latter career habit-formed songwriting, and 1980's power ballad soloing.

I hear nothing Pink Floyd at all. Other than maybe it's mid-tempo and bombastic.

I consider MFS/Sirens to be the worst one-two punch in the band's career. The first has lyrics that should only be produced by massive head trauma, and the other sounds like Chris Martin's inevitable "folkier sound and session musician setup" solo career. They are impossible for me to listen to without wincing, feeling sad, and ultimately getting very, very bored.
(patriotic choking noises)
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

And I love Stip's analysis about coming out of the nightmare that is MFS into the sweaty terrified truth of Sirens. Makes all the sense in the world to me.
User avatar
Strat
Waiting for HVAC Repairman
Posts: 35407
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:48 pm
Location: Twin City Kisses

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Strat »

This song really draws a line in the sad between people who have and people who lack feelings.
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

McParadigm, ladies and gentlemen.
User avatar
Jorge
NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK
Posts: 36494
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Buenos Aires

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Jorge »

Not to bring the discussion back to "My Father's Son" now that we've moved on to "Sirens", but those lyrics are hardly the worst Ed has ever sung. I agree that they're bad and have clunky wording and are often nonsensical, but Ed's delivery tells me they're supposed to be at least a little silly. Ed has worse lyrical moments that are also 100% earnest.
Anders wrote:I do not have a «neoliberal assessment of geopolitics», so please stop writing that I do.
User avatar
Jorge
NYUCK NYUCK NYUCK
Posts: 36494
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Buenos Aires

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Jorge »

Not that "silly" excuses "bad". It just makes it a bit less cringey
Anders wrote:I do not have a «neoliberal assessment of geopolitics», so please stop writing that I do.
digster
Rank This Poster
Posts: 3972
Joined: Thu January 03, 2013 1:10 am

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by digster »

I've always felt like there was a better song hidden in the idea of this somewhere, but the song is filtered through some of Mike and Ed's worst attributes as musicians. These types of songs don't really have generate that nails-on-chalkboard reflexivity that they once did; it's more that they just exist as background. I feel like I can listen to Sirens and as soon as it's over forget I ever listened to it.

Did they ever do this at Bridge School or something? Maybe a much more sparing take could help. I also don't hear much Pink Floyd in this song. I don't doubt Mike that it was there at the song's inspiration, but I'm not sure how much made it to the finished product.
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

Guys, think like Momentary Lapse of Reason Pink Floyd. I'm not sure how people don't hear it. Just ignore Ed.
User avatar
Strat
Waiting for HVAC Repairman
Posts: 35407
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:48 pm
Location: Twin City Kisses

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Strat »

durdencommatyler wrote:Guys, think like Momentary Lapse of Reason Pink Floyd. I'm not sure how people don't hear it. Just ignore Ed.

But I still love Ed :( Dont tell me to ignore him!
User avatar
epilogue
We All We Got, We All We Need
Posts: 84855
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 5:33 pm
Location: Ghorman
Contact:

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by epilogue »

Strat wrote:
durdencommatyler wrote:Guys, think like Momentary Lapse of Reason Pink Floyd. I'm not sure how people don't hear it. Just ignore Ed.

But I still love Ed :( Dont tell me to ignore him!
:lol:

I just mean if you're trying to hear"the Pink Floyd of it all.
digster
Rank This Poster
Posts: 3972
Joined: Thu January 03, 2013 1:10 am

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by digster »

durdencommatyler wrote:Guys, think like Momentary Lapse of Reason Pink Floyd. I'm not sure how people don't hear it. Just ignore Ed.
I'm the first to admit I'm not too well-versed in all of Pink Floyd's catalog; I guess I was just talking about what I perceive to be their overall aesthetic musically. To be fair, I don't hear a whole lot of 80s power ballad here besides the solo, either; to me it's more reminiscent of modern Nashville pop/country with Ed singing.
User avatar
tragabigzanda
Production Police
Posts: 51634
Joined: Tue September 24, 2013 5:56 pm

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Fri January 02, 2026 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Strat
Waiting for HVAC Repairman
Posts: 35407
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 3:48 pm
Location: Twin City Kisses

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by Strat »

This version really nailed it for me:

User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by stip »

Same
User avatar
tragabigzanda
Production Police
Posts: 51634
Joined: Tue September 24, 2013 5:56 pm

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by tragabigzanda »

pearl jam sucks now
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Fri January 02, 2026 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: A Guided Tour of Lightning Bolt: Sirens

Post by stip »

:lol:

Sirens is one of many songs on LB harmed by its sterile production
Post Reply