Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Oceans vs. Smile vs. Wishlist vs. Thin Air vs. You Are vs. Parachutes
Oceans Hold on to the thread The currents will shift Glide me towards you Know something's left And we're all allowed to dream of the next Oh the next... time we touch..........
You don't have to stray Though oceans away Waves roll in my thoughts Hold tight the ring... The sea will rise... Please stand by the shore...
I will be... I will be... There once more.........
Smile Don't it make you smile? Don't it make you smile? When the sun don't shine, it don't shine at all Don't it make you smile?
Don't it make you smile? Don't it make me smile? When the sun don't shine, it don't shine at all Don't it make me smile?
I miss you already... I miss you always I miss you already... I miss you all day This is how I feel...
I miss you already... I miss you always Three crooked hearts and swirls all around... I miss you all day
Wishlist I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off I wish I was a sacrifice, but somehow still lived on I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky
I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good I wish I was the full moon shining off your Camaro's hood
I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on I wish I was the verb 'to trust' and never let you down
I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up I wish... I wish...
Thin Air There's a light,... when my baby's in my arms... There's a light,... when the window shades are drawn Hesitate .. when I feel I may do harm to her... Wash it off,... cuz this feeling we can share...
And I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air
Byzantine... is reflected in our pond... There's a cloud,... but the water remains calm... Reaching in,... the sun's fingers clutch the dawn to pass... Even out,... it's a precious thing to bear...
And I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air Yes I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air
It's not in my past to presume... Love can keep on moving,... in both directions... How to be happy and true... Is the quest we're taking on together...
Taking on,.. on, on, on, on... Taking on,... on, on, on, on...
There's a light,... when my baby's in my arms...
And I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air And I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air Yes I know she's reached my heart,... in thin air
Yes I know she's reached my heart.
You Are This broken wheel is coming undone And the roads exploding But you're keeping me strong Rolling along with you,...
Love is a tower And you're the key Leading me higher When you let me in
Keeping us close,... so close On down the line
Sometimes I burn like a dot on the sun With no one knowing But you're keeping me strong Rolling along with you
You are a tower of Strength to me The darkening hour Sees light again
Ooh wah, ooh wah, ooh wah, ooh wah, ooh wah Ooh wah, ooh wah, you are... you are
Love is a tower Of strength to me I am the shoreline But you're the sea
You are.
Parachutes Why deny All the troubles when combined With the missing links It don't feel like Home now,...
That you're gone All the troubles suddenly explained infinitum You're always wishing and Never here at Home
You All the dreams we shared and Lights we turned on But the house is getting dark
And I don't want to know your past But together share the dawn And I won't need
Nothing else Cause when we're dead We would've had it all
And died I would've fallen from the sky Til you Parachutes have opened now
Heaven knows if there's a ceiling come so low with the kneeling Please know that I got
All the friends I'm needing Before my light goes out As the doors are closing now
And far away will be my home And to grasp this, I don't know And I don't need
Further back and forth, a wave will break on me today And love,... Wish the world could go again with love One cant seem to have enough And war,.... Break the sky and tell me what it's for I'll travel there on my own And love,.... What a different life Had I not found this love with you
_________________ "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
A lot of options this week, but I couldn’t really think of any criteria to exclude some of these
To be clear about this right away, this is about songs where both people love each other—not a breakup song, or a song about a relationship that has ended
Oceans might have the best music of the bunch here. Other than the end of parachutes and the second solo in wishlist it is the only one that really takes the listener anywhere. The sound is rich and full, Ed sounds beautiful, and the music rolls around like waves. You can picture someone standing at the edge of the water, looking off in the distance to wherever their lover is. The moaning during the outro gives you a sense that something is at stake, but it isn’t a moan of loss—just longing
It’s a song for lovers that are separated, but not parted—about reaching out across distance to hold onto the other, maintaining a connection in the absence of the other, a reminder of love and commitment and a hope and a promise that the two will be together again soon, which peaks beautifully at the end of each verse. It’s a song for long distance relationships, which you don’t see too often.
Smile is a little too simple to be profound. It’s a fun crunchy number that should be played live much more than it is, since it is meant to combat loneliness by celebrating it. A live setting captures perfectly what the song is trying to do. The music is loud and driving, almost trying to drown out the pain of missing the person. The harmonica gives the song a bluesy wail, but it is too playful to be sad. Eddie is too muted in the mix (a problem with a lot of No Code for me) but his vocals capture this sentiment well too. He misses the person he loves, but he refuses to let that bring him down.
If I had married my college girlfriend Wishlist was going to be the song we danced to. It’s always been one of my favorites on Yield. The music has a simple, meditative quality with just a touch of urgency. It’s something to listen to while you’re trying to figure out what it is that love actually means beyond passion and lust. Plus it has that absolutely wonderful solo that just lifts the song off the ground
Lyrically this one has always been one of my favorites, with a number of really great images, and the message, that love is about trust and being able to be there for someone else when they need you, is one that doesn’t appear in music as often as it should. I also like how (parachutes is the same way) his thoughts about love are so carefully woven together with his meditations about himself, which is also very smart. I’ve seen too many friends ruin their relationships by not knowing and understanding themselves and what they want, and not being able to give their partner what they needed as a result
I’ve said this in numerous places before, but the sentiment in the ‘verb to trust’ lyric is one of my all time favorites, even with its slightly clunky delivery
Thin Air
One of these things is not like the other. The music is pleasant enough, with a nice rich tone to it, although it is slightly generic. The lyrics and vocals are going to have to do the heavy lifting here. Eddie’s voice is similarly rich, although like the music, there is never really anything about it that grabs me, It’s pleasing, albeit unspectacular. The outro really lets the song down here as it never takes you, or the music, anywhere of consequence
You Are has great music that doesn’t quite fit the song. It’s got a gritty, world weary quality to it, and I’ve always really liked it, but it doesn’t quite sit right with the rest of the song for me. The lyrics and vocals don’t match up. Eddie really lets You Are down, and it is pretty rare that he is the problem. But the vocals are a bit too slurred and muddled. They especially need lift and clarity during the ‘you are a tower’ lyrics since they are the main message of the song, and they sound confused and muddled instead. This is a song for someone who doesn’t know what he thinks, not for someone asserting that love is the most important thing in the world for them
Parachutes is also a bit tricky, since parachutes has a few different things happening in it, but like Oceans, it is primarily about managing to get by when your lover is gone. It’s not clear to me if the person is just far away, or dead. I’ve always taken it as being about the person you love being in harms way, but not actually dead. The song is celebrating how important that person is, but also has that element of worry and uncertainty (the music captures that) since it isn’t sure if the person is going to be okay in the end. But what is clear is how important the person missing is to the one left behind. A number of great images, like the lights in the home and especially the line about parachutes. That one in particular is really amazing—the sense of being trapped in a free fall (and the risk of injury from the landing) only to be saved at the last minute by the presence of the person you love. But there are some awkward moments in here too, especially towards the beginning.
Parachutes is an example of love being used well in a song. It is clear why he loves the person and what they mean to him before he actually uses the word, so he’s earned it. Plus the music is climaxing when he finally gets there, so love is the payoff, not the crutch
This is a tough call. Defintiely not thin air or you are. I think my vote goes to Wishlist, although oceans and parachutes are also worthy choices
_________________ "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
_________________ "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
I'd probably pick Thin Air *hears Stip's snort of derision from across the atlantic*
It knocked the cat across the room
_________________ "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
YieldInHiding wrote:
Parting Ways should have been in there. At least it deals with being in love and then knowing it's over, I believe that's what Ed said it was about.
parting ways was in the 'best of' thread with hail hail. The failing love thread.
_________________ "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
Parting Ways should have been in there. At least it deals with being in love and then knowing it's over, I believe that's what Ed said it was about.
you know, I never really paid much attention to parting ways. but now it just blows me away... I guess that's what happens when you can relate to the song.
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:36 am Posts: 5458 Location: Left field
I have to go with Wishlist. I love the music, the atmosphere, and the lyrics. The solo is perfect for the song and its surrounding mood. A lot of my friends that aren’t into Pearl Jam dig this song because I think they can relate to it. Also, by focusing on a aspect of love instead of the huge, abstract ideal of love as a whole, a lot of people can come up with their own, unique perspectives on the song.
It’s one of the bands more accessible songs because like Stip said, it discusses aspects of love that not many songs do and discusses them very clearly which can be an issue with the writing in the band.
_________________ seen it all, not at all can't defend fucked up man take me a for a ride before we leave...
Rise. Life is in motion...
don't it make you smile? don't it make you smile? when the sun don't shine? (shine at all) don't it make you smile?
i'm wishing you a-well
mind at peace within your cell
covers up, i cast you off
i'll be watching as you breathe
i lie still, you move
i send you off around the bend
i hold your head deep in my arms
my fingertips they close your eyes
off you dream, my little child
there's a sun around the bend (yes)
there's a sun around the bend
all the evenings close like this
all these moments that i've missed
please forgive me, won't you, dear?
please forgive and let me share...
with you around the bend
you're an angel when you sleep
how i want your soul to keep
on and on around the bend
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
conoalias wrote:
i'm wishing you a-well mind at peace within your cell covers up, i cast you off i'll be watching as you breathe i lie still, you move i send you off around the bend i hold your head deep in my arms my fingertips they close your eyes off you dream, my little child there's a sun around the bend (yes) there's a sun around the bend all the evenings close like this all these moments that i've missed please forgive me, won't you, dear? please forgive and let me share... with you around the bend you're an angel when you sleep how i want your soul to keep on and on around the bend
isn't that supposed to be a lullaby for jack's kid?
_________________ "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
Junco Partner wrote:
Where is U?
I went with parachutes. all good choices though.
I forgot about you. Probably because it is so terrible
_________________ "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 17 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
