Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
Long Road
And I wished for so long, cannot stay All the precious moments, cannot stay It's not like wings have fallen, cannot stay But still something's missing, I cannot say yeah
Holding hands are daughters and sons And their faiths are falling down down down down I have wished for so long How I wish for you today
Will I walk the long road (the long road) Cannot stay (the long road) There's no need to say goodbye (say goodbye) All the friends and family All the memories going round round round
I have wished for so long How I wish for you today And the wind keeps roarin' And the sky keeps turning grey And the sun is setting The sun will rise another day
Ahhhhhhh....
I have wished for so long How I wish for you today I have wished for so long How I wish for you today
Will I walk the long road (We all walk the long road) Will I walk the long road (We all walk the long road)
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
4 stars.
Long Road is a song about loss and memory of the departed. Most of us know that it was written in honor of one of Ed’s teachers in high school who had recently passed on, per the “For Clayton†scribbling on the back of the Merkinball single. But the song is widely open to personal interpretation; it doesn’t necessarily have to be about the literal death of a loved one, or even a death in the figurative sense. Long Road is about loss and how one deals with it, or, more importantly, how one finds hope in it.
“Holding hands are daughters and sons
And their faiths are falling down, down, downâ€
“And the wind keeps roarin'
and the sky keeps turning grey
and the sun is setting
the sun will rise another dayâ€
Let’s begin with the first. Daughters and sons holding hands, trying to keep each other strong. This is pretty powerful stuff. Instead of making it melodramatic, the narrator simply sings about what he observes. He does not focus on the sadness of the situation, but instead opts to comment on his point of view, and, next, how he interprets the feelings of the daughters and sons. There is a familial connection between the two that sprouts from a problematic situation, and despite the melancholy, they connect on an emotional level because of their blood-ties. It may very well be the death of a loved one, or, again, it may not be.
The second main visual point is purely symbolic. The grey sky and setting sun are obvious metaphors for loss, but, yet again, the narrator is hopeful. “The sun will rise another day†He will meet the departed in another sky or another time; it’s not so much a sense of loss that it is a sense of separation. This is reiterated in the chorus: “I have wished for so long, how I wish for you today.†The narrator will see this person again, but he doesn’t know when or how. His hope is the song’s salvation as well as his own.
One of the most chilling parts of the song is the very end, in which the young narrator (Ed) asks if he’ll walk the long road, only to have a callback from the otherwise vocally absent Neil Young answering that we all walk the long road. The dichotomy of their voices, and how we can tell their age difference by their pitch and timbre, is a perfect vocal coda to a song about such meditative issues the song approaches.
My lone critique of the song is the lead-up to the final chorus. Ed’s guttural wail should be further up in the mix. This is the narrator’s emotional catharsis, and we should be more privy to it than we are. What he chooses to not express in words, he expresses here, and the listener deserves to hear that baring of his soul. It’s not a huge issue, but something that would improve an already wonderful song.
Long Road is a gorgeous composition. From the simplicity and timing of the opening chords to Neil Young’s organ to the vocal performance, you really can’t find a better ballad from Pearl Jam. Though the band was in a state of flux when it was released, and it’s not a full-band recording, Long Road is a heavyweight among all the other songs in the entire Pearl Jam canon. As great as a song that I Got Shit is, it is matched by its b-side pound for pound, creating a perfect little single.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:33 am Posts: 35357 Location: Los Angeles, CA Gender: Male
Peeps wrote:
there will never ever ever ever be a better version than the one on TB2k
the one in SD with Ed's speech about his teacher was pretty good, don't know if I would put it on that level, or if I'm a fair judge. Good pick for SOTM though Frank, great song.
_________________ Winner, RM all-time NBA tourney.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:54 pm Posts: 12287 Location: Manguetown Gender: Male
I love the Porto Alegre version!!
I fuckin cry everytime i hear it
_________________ There's just no mercy in your eyes There ain't no time to set things right And I'm afraid I've lost the fight I'm just a painful reminder Another day you leave behind
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:54 pm Posts: 12287 Location: Manguetown Gender: Male
4 stars? are you fuckin kidding with me?
Its 5 and some more!
_________________ There's just no mercy in your eyes There ain't no time to set things right And I'm afraid I've lost the fight I'm just a painful reminder Another day you leave behind
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:56 pm Posts: 555 Location: Southern Cal via South Jersey
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
4 stars.
Long Road is a song about loss and memory of the departed. Most of us know that it was written in honor of one of Ed’s teachers in high school who had recently passed on, per the “For Clayton†scribbling on the back of the Merkinball single. But the song is widely open to personal interpretation; it doesn’t necessarily have to be about the literal death of a loved one, or even a death in the figurative sense. Long Road is about loss and how one deals with it, or, more importantly, how one finds hope in it.
“Holding hands are daughters and sons And their faiths are falling down, down, downâ€
“And the wind keeps roarin' and the sky keeps turning grey and the sun is setting the sun will rise another dayâ€
Let’s begin with the first. Daughters and sons holding hands, trying to keep each other strong. This is pretty powerful stuff. Instead of making it melodramatic, the narrator simply sings about what he observes. He does not focus on the sadness of the situation, but instead opts to comment on his point of view, and, next, how he interprets the feelings of the daughters and sons. There is a familial connection between the two that sprouts from a problematic situation, and despite the melancholy, they connect on an emotional level because of their blood-ties. It may very well be the death of a loved one, or, again, it may not be.
The second main visual point is purely symbolic. The grey sky and setting sun are obvious metaphors for loss, but, yet again, the narrator is hopeful. “The sun will rise another day†He will meet the departed in another sky or another time; it’s not so much a sense of loss that it is a sense of separation. This is reiterated in the chorus: “I have wished for so long, how I wish for you today.†The narrator will see this person again, but he doesn’t know when or how. His hope is the song’s salvation as well as his own.
One of the most chilling parts of the song is the very end, in which the young narrator (Ed) asks if he’ll walk the long road, only to have a callback from the otherwise vocally absent Neil Young answering that we all walk the long road. The dichotomy of their voices, and how we can tell their age difference by their pitch and timbre, is a perfect vocal coda to a song about such meditative issues the song approaches.
My lone critique of the song is the lead-up to the final chorus. Ed’s guttural wail should be further up in the mix. This is the narrator’s emotional catharsis, and we should be more privy to it than we are. What he chooses to not express in words, he expresses here, and the listener deserves to hear that baring of his soul. It’s not a huge issue, but something that would improve an already wonderful song.
Long Road is a gorgeous composition. From the simplicity and timing of the opening chords to Neil Young’s organ to the vocal performance, you really can’t find a better ballad from Pearl Jam. Though the band was in a state of flux when it was released, and it’s not a full-band recording, Long Road is a heavyweight among all the other songs in the entire Pearl Jam canon. As great as a song that I Got Shit is, it is matched by its b-side pound for pound, creating a perfect little single.
I love you.
_________________ First show: 4/17/94 The Paramount, NY City
Last show: 7/10/06 The Forum, Los Angeles
Joined: Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:08 pm Posts: 1440 Location: AAAAAAAAAAAAARIZONA Gender: Male
I've been waiting so long for this one to be a SOTM - it's one of my absolute favorite songs. I agree with everything Frank said and it would be impossible for me to say it any better.
The only difference is I would give it five stars instead of four.
Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:57 pm Posts: 5610 Location: Still in the D.
Wow, right on the heels of the LSOTM Hail Hail comes my favorite opener. Although I loved the encore placement of the song in San Diego this year. If you haven't heard that version, go GET IT!
As sad as this song really is it contains one of the most optimistic lyrics ever:
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
My lone critique of the song is the lead-up to the final chorus. Ed’s guttural wail should be further up in the mix. This is the narrator’s emotional catharsis, and we should be more privy to it than we are. What he chooses to not express in words, he expresses here, and the listener deserves to hear that baring of his soul. It’s not a huge issue, but something that would improve an already wonderful song.
Great write up Frank. This song works because of its simplicity and you got that exactly right. There is no melodrama here. It's a song about loss but you never here the words love, loss, death, or even something along the lines of I miss you, even though that's what the song is about. You just get the wish, which manages to contain all of the above without spelling it out.
The daughters and sons image is my favorite. It always conjures up a windy, rainy funeral. I picture it without umbrellas. The people are too lost in their own thoughts to notice the rain.
I'm not sure i agree with your critique. The catharsis in long road is quiet and meditiative (like man of the hour). If the cry was louder in the mix it might take us out of that moment.
I think my favorite live verson of this song is the 9-11 tribute to heroes version. Even thought it usually sounds lovely, I'm not a huge fan of hearing this one live. That might be because of its place in the set. There is too much nervous energy for the first song of a show, and I don't think its the right mood to really do the song justice. I'd rather see if open the first encore. Follow it up with man of the hour or thumbing my way or another song about loss.
Four stars.
_________________ "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
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
giventofly_88 wrote:
lol stealing stips fire....but its awesome...nice write up man...id giVE it five stars its a beautiful fucking song....great great song
Frank is filling in while I'm away. It looks like it is in good hands.
And I've said this in other SOTMs, but if there is ever a song you want to write the lead post for just pm me.
_________________ "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
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 109 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum