Red Mosquito

I'd actually be a lot more interested to hear an argument for why the song is "great" or "PJ's best." That's certainly the more outlandish claim than Stip's position of this being a charming but insignificant minor work.

it's inventive enough to be experimental, yet catchy enough to be poppy. always a great combo, as it creates a song that's continually listenable while not becoming tiresome.

I agree, but think you can say the same things about many other significantly better-written middle period PJ songs.

yes, pearl jam has had a lot of great songs.

i think the writing is spot on; it isn't easy to compose a song where the hook is whale sounds that isn't completely a goof. and the sentiment that whales are gentle giants who don't fight back because their hearts are so big is just wonderful.

also never been played live, SO IT MUST BE THEIR GREATEST

it's a song about whales

Guys, spike is right.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:it's a song about whales

not grungy enough for you? perhaps a song about corduroy jackets then.

spike wrote:it's inventive enough to be experimental, yet catchy enough to be poppy. always a great combo, as it creates a song that's continually listenable while not becoming tiresome.

Yep. A lot like Happy When I'm Crying.

cutuphalfdead wrote:

spike wrote:it's inventive enough to be experimental, yet catchy enough to be poppy. always a great combo, as it creates a song that's continually listenable while not becoming tiresome.

Yep. A lot like Happy When I'm Crying.

I like both WS and HWIC. But I'd call HWIC great.

durdencommatyler wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:

spike wrote:it's inventive enough to be experimental, yet catchy enough to be poppy. always a great combo, as it creates a song that's continually listenable while not becoming tiresome.

Yep. A lot like Happy When I'm Crying.

I like both WS and HWIC. But I'd call HWIC great.

HWIC is a top ten Pearl Jam song for me.

"Whale Song" asks of the listener less than it gives back, and I think that minor songs capable of striking that balance have a way of feeling more roundly satisfying than songs that aspire to loftier heights. I agree that the song has a beautiful, unexpected sentiment. I also agree that the song -- perhaps by virtue of being a low-stakes track, sung by the drummer and featured on an obscure compilation album benefitting an environmental organization -- affords the band the opportunity to visit some sonic spaces that they otherwise might not have, and to successful effect. The song works. I like it a lot.

But, I couldn't see myself ranking it among PJ's truly top-tier material without feeling a little like my gradual desensitization to the band's core virtues over the years had at some point caused me to mistake novelty for greatness. It's a cool song that works on its own terms. But that's all it is for me.

fair enough, and you make an important point in your second paragraph. that being said, i've always thoroughly enjoyed the whale song, even back when i still liked evenflow.

I fully endorse both Kevin's and spike's posts. Absolutely.

Kevin Davis wrote:"Whale Song" asks of the listener less than it gives back, and I think that minor songs capable of striking that balance have a way of feeling more roundly satisfying than songs that aspire to loftier heights.

As an aside, I think "Smile" is the definitive example of this principle in PJ's catalog.

spike wrote:possibly the best thing pearl jam has done, and i'm not kidding.

they swim

I love The Whale Song, from first listen.

Sublime.

First the music, those opening notes generate chills, once again PJ take something seemingly simple and make it magical. It's powerful and delicate, not an easy thing to pull off, it's like Sometimes's cousin.

Jack's voice, nowhere near in Eddie's league contains an innocence, unstudied, not as potent and yet, that same quality matches the ethereal energy of the tune.

His voice contains a purity that flows perfectly with the music and the lyrics. When Eddie's voice joins Jack's, their askew harmony elevates the song, his voice measured, as if he knows he could blow Jack out of the water (pun intended) but doesn't, and that restraint makes it more powerful.

If Happy When I'm Crying feels like stumbling over a surreal art exhibit on a late night wander, The Whale Song feels like being in the water, swimming for a time in the shadow of a mammal that could pulp your bones with one chew of its jaw, could swat you into the depths with its tail, could drown you within its orbit, but never would.

It really is that lovely.

the thoughtfulness

the depth