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Vote
Release 45%  45%  [ 54 ]
Man of the Hour 46%  46%  [ 55 ]
Can't Decide 8%  8%  [ 10 ]
Total votes : 119
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 Post subject: The best....song for a father
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:47 pm 
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Release vs. Man of the Hour


Release

I see the world
Feel the chill
Which way to go
Windowsill
I see the words
On a rocking horse of time
I see the birds in the rain

Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself
Like you somehow
I'll ride the wave
Where it takes me
I'll hold the pain
Release me

Oh dear dad
Can you see me now
I am myself
Like you somehow
I'll wait up in the dark
For you to speak to me
I'll open up
Release me
Release me
Release me
Release me

Man of the Hour

Tidal waves don't beg forgiveness
Crashed, then on their way
Father he enjoyed collisions; others walked away
A snowflake falls in May.
And the doors are open now as the bells are ringing out
Cause the man of the hour is taking his final bow
Goodbye for now.

Nature as its own religion; gospel from the land
Father ruled by long division, young men they pretend
Old men comprehend.

And the sky breaks at dawn shedding light upon this town
They'll all come around
Cause the man of the hour is taking his final bow
Goodbye for now.

And the road
The old man paved
The broken seams along the way
The rusted signs, left just for me
He was guiding me, love, his own way
Now the man of the hour is taking his final bow
As the curtain comes down
I feel that this is just goodbye for now




Previous The Best…
1.existential album closer
2. failing love song
3.seize the day song
4. anti-war song
5. song for unrequited love

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Last edited by stip on Tue Oct 24, 2006 2:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:50 pm 
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even though Release is very strong, for me it will always be MotH. It was written the same night my father died, 3 years ago. And so much of the lyrics (and the movie) fit. Just unbelievable someone can write a song like that.

groetjes,
Mirella :)

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:50 pm 
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Some of Pearl Jam’s best music has a sense of loss about it, even if the song isn’t necessarily depressing. There is a space within it where something is missing, and the music is trying to fill it. Some of that sense must come from Eddie’s experience (or lack thereof) with his father, and his attempt to find a mentor to fill that void. In that light, this weeks the best…will look at songs for a father. Release first.

This is one of the true heavy hitters in PJ’s catalogue—the Ten song that even the haters will grudgingly admit to liking. The music is like an expansive lullaby—soothing and grandiose at the same time, and it fits the searching mood of the song really well. It is hard not to picture someone looking up at the stars, searching for the spirit of their father, feeling overwhelmed at the vast emptiness but needing to find a way to connect to it.

Vocally this may well be Eddie’s finest hour. His wordless moans color the beginning of the song beautifully and his voice just fills the entire space throughout. It is impossible not to get swept along with it. Lyrically the first verse is decent, but it is the second and third is where the song really starts shines. The sentiment is not a simple one, but Eddie cuts right to the heart of it and really makes it sublime with the power of his voice, and this is especially true of the chorus. Two simple words, but they convey so much—a desperate wish to be taken away from all this mixed with the sadness of knowing it will never happen and the pain of having to deal with it. It is the futility of it that makes it beautiful. He will wait up in the dark, but the dark is never going to speak to him.

I think Man of the Hour is the first song talked about in this space that hasn’t yet had a SOTM, so I don’t want to say too much (although looking back I guess I did). Musically the song is very solid. It doesn’t have the power of Release, but it is supposed to be a much more weary, meditative number, written by an older man reflecting on what he has learned and lost, rather than a song written by a younger man reflecting on what he has not been given. Even the moment of catharis is subdued, especially compared to the way Release explodes at the end. This is a strong late Eddie moment in terms of the vocals, although I am not a fan of the harmonies at the start of the second verse, and when you get to the climax of the song towards the end you can’t help (or at least I can’t help) compare it to Release and wish this song was ten years older so Eddie could really soar here. But he keeps it quiet, despite the way the music crests towards the end, and this may ultimatley be better for the song. This isn’t a song about release. It is about keeping something inside you, not letting it go.


Lyrically this song is superior. The opening line is quite possibly the best Eddie has ever written, and the images are wonderfully evocative. It might be because I’ve seen the movie, but it is so easy to picture this funeral the song was written for, and the music conveys the same haze that you find yourself in watching a loved one get lowered into the ground. And like Release, the main sentiment of the song is simply, powerfully expressed at the end. The central figure in the person’s life is lowered into the ground, taking his final bow. He says it is goodbye for now, but I’m not sure he means it. He knows he won’t ever see the person again. What he can do is take what he’s learned with him, and hope that it is enough.

I origianlly planned on voting for release, but at the last minute I switched to can't decide. I enjoy release more as a song, but in terms of the theme I actually think Man of the Hour is just as good.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:54 pm 
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addition: both songs make me cry, time and time again, from disc and live. Release as the Arnhem opener was absolutely beautiful!

groetjes,
Mirella :)

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:23 pm 
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I appreciate Release for its anthemic and nostalgic qualities, and Ed just sounds great on it. The lyrics are nice, but this is yet another Ten song where his immaturity really shows through. Some of the lyrics seem like he was just trying to say something in a cool way, and don't really make sense.

Man of the Hour is much more subdued and we don't get to hear Eddie soar, but the lyrics outshine Release in most every way. This is a seriously great song, and the final verse/chorus has some of the finest lyrics he's ever written. I love that rusted sign image he keeps using, I wish he would again, and the entire song is evocative and moving, it's really hard not to feel something, and it captures the movie perfectly.

I forgot to mention something I've talked about before. Release has the honor of being one of the few Ten songs that Ed can actually sing better now, b/c he actually sings it. This song is haunting and beautiful (Tokyo '03 is my favrotie) and it's an amazing opener.

Still, MotH takes this one. Its simplicity, better lyrics and theme really destroy Release in every possible way.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:29 pm 
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i don;t think i'd take either, i love both songs. it's not that i can;t decide it's that i won;t decide, and i would not choose either of these.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:34 pm 
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man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:59 pm 
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Release for the Tokyo 03 show, quite possibly PJ's finest hour.

One thing that troubles me about comparing these two thematically is the analyzing of lyrics as if they were poetry, which they're not. It's just as important to me that the vocals are delivered in a moving way as it is that they say something meaningful. I can understand why some people prefer the MOTH lyrics to Release, but Release still gives me goosebumps, the wails, the atmospheric guitars, the actual physical cathartic release I get at the end of the song as it climaxes, MOTH could never come close to making me feel like that.

I listen to a lot of PJ while I do housework, especially the aforementioned Tokyo show, and I often find I've drifted away from the washing up mumbling along and just moving around the kitchen, carried away on the wave, just like Eddie. MOTH is a lovely song, and it works beautifully in Big Fish, but putting it up against Release in a contest about addressing paternal issues is pitching a juggernaut against a minnow. Release is honest, open and touching, MOTH is merely a brilliantly crafted song.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:12 pm 
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stuzzo wrote:
Release for the Tokyo 03 show, quite possibly PJ's finest hour.

One thing that troubles me about comparing these two thematically is the analyzing of lyrics as if they were poetry, which they're not. It's just as important to me that the vocals are delivered in a moving way as it is that they say something meaningful.


I totally agree--I might give the lyrics a slight edge over delivery but they both have to be there. The music and the vocals are as integral a part of the song as the words, as they create the atmosphere needed for a song to take you some place. I thought my post reflected that. Did it not?

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:18 pm 
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stip wrote:
stuzzo wrote:
Release for the Tokyo 03 show, quite possibly PJ's finest hour.

One thing that troubles me about comparing these two thematically is the analyzing of lyrics as if they were poetry, which they're not. It's just as important to me that the vocals are delivered in a moving way as it is that they say something meaningful.


I totally agree--I might give the lyrics a slight edge over delivery but they both have to be there. The music and the vocals are as integral a part of the song as the words, as they create the atmosphere needed for a song to take you some place. I thought my post reflected that. Did it not?


It did, I was just putting my view over!

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 3:41 pm 
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Dear Man of the Hour fans,

I will remind you later of it, but please remember I have MOTH in my tournament picks. It's such an incredibly beautiful song. Stip is right that the not-so-very-much-in-love-with-Ten-and-Vs fans almost always still love Release (probably in my top-10), but MOTH is battling for a top-5 place. My vote is for Man of the Hour.


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:10 pm 
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warehouse wrote:
man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:21 pm 
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release is one of my all time favorites..but man of the hour is so damn beatiful..the imagery, the words, its perfect. my vote is for man of the hour


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:23 pm 
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Sunny wrote:
warehouse wrote:
man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile

what the fuck is wrong w/ these people sunny

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:56 pm 
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Both songs are strong and beautiful, but MotH's lyrics are really better, so my vote is for Man of the hour.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:01 pm 
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and the Ten haters are out in force...

Release by about 50 light years.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:03 pm 
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Sunny wrote:
warehouse wrote:
man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:16 pm 
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Juvenal wrote:
Sunny wrote:
warehouse wrote:
man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:21 pm 
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Angus wrote:
Dear Man of the Hour fans,

I will remind you later of it, but please remember I have MOTH in my tournament picks. It's such an incredibly beautiful song. Stip is right that the not-so-very-much-in-love-with-Ten-and-Vs fans almost always still love Release (probably in my top-10), but MOTH is battling for a top-5 place. My vote is for Man of the Hour.


:D

If my team makes it to the finals I think we'll have a Nothingman song of the moment and an Animal,Last Exit, Corduroy, RVM The Best... just to raise awareness :)

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:47 pm 
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pb21 wrote:
Juvenal wrote:
Sunny wrote:
warehouse wrote:
man of the hour is boring as fuck. release by a mile

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