Lightning Bolt: the official album thread

General Pearl Jam discussion.
Post Reply

Rank Lightning Bolt

5 stars
1
1%
4 stars
4
5%
3 stars
29
37%
2 stars
30
38%
1 star
14
18%
 
Total votes: 78

Release_Me
AnalLog
Posts: 1269
Joined: Mon July 15, 2013 10:01 am

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by Release_Me »

Reading through the lyrics (assuming they are free from errors), one feels an obvious sense of the protagonist being 'used' in the relationship. The chorus then becomes a desperate attempt to hold on even though what he wants to hold on to will be his downfall.

She comes on like a storm
but you don't know where from she was thrown
like a burning meteor
from miles high

She's looking for a place to land
She said, 'you got yourself some sand'?
And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'

Now she comes out to be
With her newly planted seeds
And soon you're thrown down on your knees
And then you're dead

And then before you know
The weeds are obesely overgrown
With all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Always something and never nothing
isn't that the way we're taught to dream? To dream
looking through the worn out pages
And stages when you knew not who to be
until the lightning strike, sets you free

you gotta know you'll never let her go
She's a lightning bolt
lightning boltx2

Crashing stormy waves
Erode her shoreline every day
Until the castle of her ways turns to sand

And then before you know

the weeds are obesely overgrown
With all the wild seeds she sows
in your sleep

And with no repair in sight
There is no God with such might
As you open her world wide with such a view
And your death will soon arrive
As she finally decides
That all the problems they will die with you

She's a lightning bolt
never let her go
Shes a lightning bolt
never let her go
Pearl Jam is the only band I'll spend money on.
Release_Me
AnalLog
Posts: 1269
Joined: Mon July 15, 2013 10:01 am

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by Release_Me »

Note that my interpretation may be way off. But I see this song and the mention of 'she's a lightning bolt, never let her go' as an obvious reference to Nothingman. In that song, the protagonist fucked up a good relationship. In this song, the relationship was never good to begin with but he's still desperately trying to hold on to it. The woman is not the victim here.
Pearl Jam is the only band I'll spend money on.
User avatar
WtOB?
Rank This Poster
Posts: 4831
Joined: Thu January 31, 2013 7:03 am
Twitter: https://twitter.com/humdinger_dman
Location: by the ocean
Contact:

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by WtOB? »

oh sorry, we're talking about lightning bolt here. i thought he was talking about future days.

it seems like a woman that has snuck up on you, planned a life with you, sowing seeds without you realising (in your sleep) and then one day you realise just how serious this is. i just kinda assumed that was eddie shitting on about his wife again.
Dev wrote:i love listening to the leaked pj song "last word".
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

It's a sonically happy song about death. Like Betterman, a happy pop song about something negative. We can only hope it sounds half decent in the studio, because there's the makings of a good song there and the lyrics aren't opaque.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

WtOB? wrote:oh sorry, we're talking about lightning bolt here. i thought he was talking about future days.

it seems like a woman that has snuck up on you, planned a life with you, sowing seeds without you realising (in your sleep) and then one day you realise just how serious this is. i just kinda assumed that was eddie shitting on about his wife again.
You don't do out-of-the-box thinking do you :lol:

This song is loaded with so much cosmic big-world imagery, it leads me to believe that it might be about a girl but it's about much more too. The aforementioned crashing on the waves and Lightning Bolt imagery suggest that. It's a much more interesting song than ATW, that's for sure.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
Release_Me
AnalLog
Posts: 1269
Joined: Mon July 15, 2013 10:01 am

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by Release_Me »

Yeah, FD is most likely about Ed and his wife on some level. There may be secondary meanings in the context of the album but even when taken at face value, a love song doesn't really put me off just because it's a love song. I'll wait for how it's treated in the studio before passing judgement. But I don't expect this to be one of the album's best songs.
Pearl Jam is the only band I'll spend money on.
User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by stip »

lets just hope it is not about surfing :) or at least not just about surfing
User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by stip »

what's wrong with writing a love song to your wife?
User avatar
WtOB?
Rank This Poster
Posts: 4831
Joined: Thu January 31, 2013 7:03 am
Twitter: https://twitter.com/humdinger_dman
Location: by the ocean
Contact:

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by WtOB? »

no, i don't do out-of-the-box thinking
Dev wrote:i love listening to the leaked pj song "last word".
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

Release_Me wrote:Yeah, FD is most likely about Ed and his wife on some level. There may be secondary meanings in the context of the album but even when taken at face value, a love song doesn't really put me off just because it's a love song. I'll wait for how it's treated in the studio before passing judgement. But I don't expect this to be one of the album's best songs.
:thumbsup:

I'm OK with Ed love ditties in general. If I've had any complaints about them, it's just that they were overproduced, or spoiled the momentum of the album, or whatever. This one won't do the latter at least.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

stip wrote:what's wrong with writing a love song to your wife?
Girls are eeeewwww.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

Lounge Lizard wrote:
harmless wrote:As of today I'm not listening to MYM, LB or FD anymore.
Image
I've already broken this vow by the way.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
stupidmop
Future Drummer
Posts: 2796
Joined: Wed May 01, 2013 4:29 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by stupidmop »

I'm with release_me on lightning bolt, I don't think its about a happy relationship, otherwise she'd be sowing flowers and shit as opposed to weeds.

And "And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'" implies she just attatched herself to the protagonist regardless of how they felt. The protagonist also dies twice in it, which i don't really get. Though I think the second death might be the relationships, she decides she'd be happier without him, so her problems die when she gets rid of him? Maybe. This and MYMs lyrics both seem kinda off (as in weird, not wrong)to me, maybe its just that im not used to them yet.
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

stupidmop wrote:I'm with release_me on lightning bolt, I don't think its about a happy relationship, otherwise she'd be sowing flowers and shit as opposed to weeds.

And "And whatever you reply, she took as 'yes'" implies she just attatched herself to the protagonist regardless of how they felt. The protagonist also dies twice in it, which i don't really get. Though I think the second death might be the relationships, she decides she'd be happier without him, so her problems die when she gets rid of him? Maybe. This and MYMs lyrics both seem kinda off (as in weird, not wrong)to me, maybe its just that im not used to them yet.
In their weirdness, might they fit the tone of the artwork? We'll have to see. If this is a Backspacer / Vitalogy / Yield / Riot Act mashup, then :thumbsup:
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
KurtLeon
AnalLog
Posts: 1399
Joined: Thu January 03, 2013 9:34 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by KurtLeon »

So, you guys think we'll get something this week? Maybe songs prev?
bodysnatcher wrote:Someone ban KurtLeon please
User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by stip »

We should get a listening party review if nothing else
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

Hopefully someone writes a huge track-by-track review even if it was forbidden by BO'B.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
stip
The worst
Posts: 42946
Joined: Thu December 13, 2012 6:31 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by stip »

I wish I was German :(
User avatar
harmless
10Club Complaint Department
Posts: 17337
Joined: Tue January 01, 2013 2:41 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by harmless »

Wait, the members going to the listening party (Mirella, is it, and one other?). Do we know their feelings about Backspacer? That's going to colour their review, for me. I'd like them to factor that in if possible.
Last edited by harmless on Mon September 02, 2013 1:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RisingTides wrote:There is more kindness on the internet than we would care to admit to ourselves. Sometimes we are so afraid of falling victim to a ruse, we miss out on actual opportunities.
User avatar
HardTI
AnalLog
Posts: 1459
Joined: Fri February 22, 2013 5:59 pm

Re: Lightning Bolt - October 15

Post by HardTI »

I reckon this will leak sooner rather than later. I just have that feeling that it's going to pop up out of nowhere soon.
You have to shave your nipples if you want to be with me.
Post Reply