Post subject: SOTM #172: If reality is what I see...
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:54 am
Red Mosquito, my libido
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am Posts: 91597 Location: Sector 7-G
Happy When I'm Crying
i need a song to help along when it feels wrong it seems so long to get to the light we live in homes talk on phones hear the tone can you hold moving fast as light tv's on at night does peace come out of fighting? can truth come out of lying? i'm happy when i'm crying if reality is what i see newspapers magazines tv tell us what's going on leading us along it's not absurd to all get heard put our feelings into words you have to reach inside no feelings to hide does peace come out of fighting? can truth come out of lying? i'm happy when i'm crying bring children into the world we couldn't have done it by ourselves stop and wonder why there's more than meets the eyes somewhere inside i did believe i can't belong i was wrong i have gained insight i will see the light truth isn't lying peace isn't fighting love isn't dying
To me, this song is everything right about the Jack Irons era of Pearl Jam. I've always looked at the No Code/Yield era as the calm after the storm for Pearl Jam. Ten, VS, and Vitalogy, though all in their own unique ways, all represented a very tumultuous state of being. Some of it being trite, but almost all of it full of angst.
Enter the post Vitalogy era of Pearl Jam.
There's a clearness, if not a sense of enlightenment then at least the clarity to seek it. But it's also the really first time we see them able to write fun songs. Happy When I'm Crying isn't the absolute first, but it might be the best example of that time. And with Jack behind the kit, they were able to do that without sounding incredibly cheesy (The Fixer) or in a way that asinine lyrics are obviously out of place (Supersonic).
There's not much to this song, it's a funky, beat driven toe tapper that's hard not to sing along to. The lyrics are almost pointless, but still contain elements of the inward looking, somewhat more spiritual Pearl Jam that dominated the more serious songs of the Jack era. And they work well enough that you're not worried about them being juvenile. Musically, it's got everyone in the band having fun and stepping out of their comfort zone at the same time. The subtle, yet ringing and almost shrill tones to the guitar are mixed with a simple driving beat with plenty of stops to catch you off guard. It proves that this band can let their hair down without losing any credibility.
The lyrics don't go anywhere but it isn't a song about nothing. It's a snapshot of thought. It's this resignation of an increasingly modern environment that's able to be embraced with this incredibly well grounded sense of self. It fucking screams 1997. In short, it's everything quirky Pearl Jam should be. There's an element of manic madness to this song, but just enough to be refreshing. There's no loss of agency.
I also think of this as the forgotten Pearl Jam song. It never showed up on Lost Dogs and I don't remember hearing anyone wonder why. Eh, they probably would have re recorded it with Matt anyway.
Apparently Pearl Jam Chat is the only part of RM that my limited mod powers do not work, so I will have to let stip or B make the poll.
5 stars: Jack Irons! 4 stars: love isn't fighting 3 stars: truth isn't lying 2 stars: hear the tone 1 star: can you hold 0 stars: stop and wonder why
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Last edited by cutuphalfdead on Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:12 am, edited 2 times in total.
Post subject: Re: SOTM #172: If reality is what I see...
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 6:14 am
Red Mosquito, my libido
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 2:02 am Posts: 91597 Location: Sector 7-G
I really like how the sample of "if reality is what I see" starts Push Me Pull Me. Both weird Pearl Jam songs from the same era, and parts of Happy When I'm Crying are very similar thematically to PMPM. I'd say Push Me Pull Me is the more serious brother to this song.
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Post subject: Re: SOTM #172: If reality is what I see...
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:12 pm
Global Moderator
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Live for Today is a better song. This is pretty forgettable. I listen to it once every now and then if it randomly comes up and then remember why I don't usually bother listening to it. I actually like Bookshelf's cover from the first tournament we hosted here more. It's not bad, and the far more enjoyable than a song like hitchhiker or leatherman, but it just ended and I don't really feel the need to listen to it again.
_________________ "Better the occasional faults of a Government that lives in a spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a Government frozen in the ice of its own indifference."--FDR
Post subject: Re: SOTM #172: If reality is what I see...
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:01 pm
Unthought Known
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 4:33 am Posts: 8422 Location: Berthier-sur-Mer Gender: Male
love this song, although not so much for the song itself but for its idiosyncrasies. it's a shame that i feel like this band won't allow itself to stray away from what the "casual fans" expect from them like this anymore.
that's what Jack Irons brought to Pearl Jam - a sense that they could widen their musical spectrum and yet keep their integrity intact.
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nah it had a different sleeve..kinda green i've heard
