(Aside) General thoughts on Ed’s writing, an argument for the early 2000s peak, link to SOTM:

Spoiler: show

Ed’s earliest offerings in Pearl Jam (up to and including Vitalogy) show a heavy reliance on rhythmic propulsion; straight forward chords strewn together with an emphasis on dynamics. Songs like Porch, Rearviewmirror, and Not For You have a driving force at the base, leaving room for the lyric to take centre spot, and/or allowing for the shift to a big chorus. From this period Better Man remains a slight exception to this, and the best example of Ed tapping into a writing approach he would later build on.

Merkinball and No Code showed Ed’s musical contributions taking on a different slant. Here the musical ideas at the core were often ‘simple’ and meditative, but a successful execution required a textured and layered accompaniment. This is perhaps why we won’t see Ed play songs like Who You Are and In My Tree in a solo environment – their charm is in their methodical, layered builds – the hand claps, harmonies and percussive pulse.

Fast forward 10 years and Ed releases Into The Wild. This is interestingly perceived as Ed’s first foray into solo writing, and more interesting is that people are surprised that this kid can write a decent song or two, let alone provide a score for a film. The soundtrack was critically acclaimed, and for the first time Ed was seen as a worthwhile solo artist. Into The Wild is a great spot for showing off Ed’s best traits, be it vocally in a cover like Hard Sun, rhythmically in a song like Far Behind, or melodically in songs like Rise or Guaranteed. In some form, we can see a stripped overview of the techniques he’d displayed in his previous PJ contributions. The technique in Long Nights and Guaranteed further showed Ed’s accomplishment with complex picking patterns that he would later explore with Just Breathe and The End.

In spite of all this, I would cite the Binaural era, and the early 2000s as Ed’s most important peak as an individual writer. Although his picking skills weren’t fully developed, his ear for melody, harmony, and general composition were at new heights. I would go on to argue that this period for Ed was more prolific (and even more rewarding) than the Into The Wild period. Binaural’s heavier offerings showed Ed developing his earlier play with rhythm and dynamics to fantastic results, with Grievance and Insignificance perfectly finding the balance between quirky, jarring arrangements, and tight hooks that keep the listener drawn in. In addition to this, Light Years and Parting Ways showed Ed’s skill as a lyricist, presenting tired themes in an interesting new light, with maturity and a masterful control of pathos. Parting Ways also displayed Ed’s use of a strong musical line to help frame his vocal melody (this is something he’d practiced earlier with the verses to Better Man, Who You Are and Around The Bend, and would continue to do with songs like Thumbing My Way, Man Of The Hour, Just Breathe and The End). Elsewhere, Soon Forget emerged. Although perhaps unremarkable, and easy to overlook, the song presents a charm on repeated listens, and shows Ed’s first ukulele composition and his delve into new phrasings (including a heavy use of seventh chords), and a nod to melodies and cadences straight out of 1930s pop music.

This brings me to the ukulele songs from 2001-2002. Based on threads here and throwaway comments, the general consensus of their worth is split. First, I’d like to consider the instrument: 4 strings, a sketchy reputation, and something that can fit in your hand luggage on a flight. This is not the instrument of choice for an artist typically lumped into the grunge scene, but while the ingredients don’t add up, but the result is sort of startling. Without the lower two strings of a guitar to flesh out the chords, the vocal melody line takes on a new importance. It can serve as an extra string, provide a 3rd or 4th note, and shape the chord in different ways. Ed appeared to have taken to this with general ease, writing beautiful, winding melodies and reaching far beyond basic major/minor shapes. I would go as far as to attribute the development of his melodic compositions, and the mature solo offerings that followed throughout the decade, in large part to this humble instrument. Let it also be noted too how Ed’s personality twisted the instrument into a new place; the contrast between his broken baritone and the ukulele’s playful, high chordal-phrasing made for a compelling and unique aesthetic. This was the true success: Challenging the notion of the ukulele being a happy, campfire instrument; reducing it instead to a small, vulnerable one, and creating these fragile songs that are tenderly held together by the voice and words of a man near collapse.

SOTM – Longing to Belong

[mp3]http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/3/31/2386428//Longing To Belong (uke).mp3[/mp3]

Context: This song dates back to the Royce Hall show, 3/15/02. As far as I’m aware, this is the only recording, and features a school kid from the area (who Ed met whilst surfing) accompanying on violin.

Lyrics:
I'm falling harder than
I've ever fell before
I'm falling faster, hoping
I'll land in your arms

'Cause all my time is spent here
Longing to belong
To you

I dream of circles perfect
Eyes within your face
My heart's an open wound that
Only you replace

And though the moon is rising
Can't put your picture down;
Love, it's a frightening way to fall

And when the time is right, I
Hope that you'll respond
Like when the wind gets tired
And the ocean becomes calm
I may be dreaming but I'm
Longing to belong
To you

Longing to Belong could easily be the follow up to Parting Ways. While Parting Ways took an external view of a relationship falling apart, Longing to Belong opts for a naked, first person account, taking the listener uncomfortably close inside. Its highest achievement lies in charting the sorrow connected with being in a position of free fall; the protagonist is entirely aware of his hopelessness, but unable to move on and left yearning for things to return to how they were.

Cyclical symbolism and the notion of falling are integral to the piece, and serve as a constant anchor to the lyrics. The music reflects this, with each section falling back to a C chord that stumbles back and forth between different phrasings. The underlying suggestion in the music mirrors the lyrical hopelessness; all attempts to move somewhere else essentially revert back to being in the same place.

The first verse addresses the idea of falling head on - the situation is presented with an immediacy that parallels the protagonist’s shock in finding himself in this position. The reiteration of 'falling' in the first three lines, is effective as a tool of emphasis, and also in evoking the actual feel of the fall into the 'arms' mentioned in the final line.

This leads us into the next section:

'Cause all my time is spent here
Longing to belong
To you.

A sort of anti-chorus, this section is just a brief, single statement. The protagonist is unable to gather momentum, which adds to the power and pathos. The sentence serves as a synopsis of the whole song, and is effectively the only thing he can clearly comprehend and express without need of symbol or metaphor. Particularly striking is the slight pause after 'longing to belong' - here we briefly contemplate the need to just belong to anything, to have some sort of purpose. The chord pattern pauses upon this thought, and the melody only resolves when '...to you' is added; the conclusion being the confirmation that his love (the ‘you’ of the song) is the missing component.

On first glance the second verse appears a little clunky, but the images used are concise and effective, and the fact that they are framed in an awkward manner is fitting considering the protagonist’s state of mind. He has confessed being in a situation he’s never been in, and his thoughts come sputtering out in semi-tangible fragments. His dreams of ‘circles perfect’ show his hope for neat, cyclical resolution; the idea that he can find a direction to follow, and ideally one that takes him back to how things once were. That he longs for such a neat and complex form (the perfect circle), only adds to his tragedy, as we perceive him to be trying to attain the unattainable. The 'eyes within your face' lyric, suggests the need to be seen again, or at least comprehended by his love, with the final lines justifying why.

The bridge section following this might just be my favourite part of the song. The violin hugs close to Ed’s vocal line, and the melody rises and falls so smoothly over the chords. Lyrically it touches on the themes already touched on. It’s easy to delve into cliché with 'moon' imagery, but its use here is tasteful and appears to be threefold. First, we can align the cycles of the moon with the cyclical themes established in the second verse. Second, the moon is an effective parallel to the protagonist here; it’s characteristically a solitary symbol, and entirely submissive to other forces (pull of the earth, light of the sun). Third, it suggests the passing of time – day to night, month to month. This is important when reading the follow up 'can’t put your picture down' in physically representing the prolonged distress of the protagonist. The section ends with the conclusive realisation 'Love, it’s a frightening way to fall'. As in the first chorus, the chords and melody resolve with the final line - this one all the more pathetic for linking back to the falling imagery at the start, yet being no closer to a solution.

The final section marks the close:

And when the time is right, I
Hope that you'll respond
Like when the wind gets tired
And the ocean becomes calm

Unlike the first chorus, here the protagonist gains momentum; the chords build and repeat, and the vocal melody and violin start high at the beginning of each line before gradually falling with each chord change (brilliantly). The 'wind/ocean' lines here appear at odds with the apparent patience shown in the first two. The parallel and symbolism here is smart, and presents the two individuals as natural forces, both in control of one another (wind dictating the tide, ocean dictating the sea breeze). The idea that they can both reach a mutual agreement appears as romantic at first, but is flawed for two reasons: First, because calmness from one requires tiredness from the other (unhealthy in a relationship). Second, the fact the forces are natural means they are susceptible to uncontrollable urges and actions, and therefore it is inevitable that problems will occur again. The protagonist is effectively striving towards a situation that seems vulnerable and prone to end again in sadness. The true sadness is that he understands this too, but cannot see an alternative. He has nothing else to say, and is left to repeat and settle on his earlier declaration:

I may be dreaming but I’m
Longing to belong
To you.

Thanks for taking the time to read.
This is my favourite of Ed’s ukulele songs, everything comes together so well.
5 stars.

Such a gorgeous song, it's a crying shame those early 2000's Ed songs haven't been released officially - maybe he's saving them for his debut solo record proper? I really, really hope so.

Five stars, it has to be.

Great write-up, btw.

This brings me to the ukulele songs from 2001-2002. Based on threads here and throwaway comments, the general consensus of their worth is split. First, I’d like to consider the instrument: 4 strings, a sketchy reputation, and something that can fit in your hand luggage on a flight. This is not the instrument of choice for an artist typically lumped into the grunge scene, but while the ingredients don’t add up, but the result is sort of startling. Without the lower two strings of a guitar to flesh out the chords, the vocal melody line takes on a new importance. It can serve as an extra string, provide a 3rd or 4th note, and shape the chord in different ways. Ed appeared to have taken to this with general ease, writing beautiful, winding melodies and reaching far beyond basic major/minor shapes. I would go as far as to attribute the development of his melodic compositions, and the mature solo offerings that followed throughout the decade, in large part to this humble instrument. Let it also be noted too how Ed’s personality twisted the instrument into a new place; the contrast between his broken baritone and the ukulele’s playful, high chordal-phrasing made for a compelling and unique aesthetic. This was the true success: Challenging the notion of the ukulele being a happy, campfire instrument; reducing it instead to a small, vulnerable one, and creating these fragile songs that are tenderly held together by the voice and words of a man near collapse.

I need to get my hands on that collection.

PM sent.

liar

you were supposed to play along.