Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
Glorifed G
Got a gun, fact I got two That's ok man, cuz I love god Glorified version of a pellet gun Feels so manly, when armed
Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a pellet gun
Don't think, dumb is strength Never shot at a living thing Glorified version of a pellet gun Feels so manly, when armed
Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a pellet gun Glorified version of a...
Always keep it loaded Always keep it loaded Always keep it loaded
Kindred to be an American...
Life comes...I can feel your heart... Life comes...I can feel your heart through your neck... Life comes...I can feel your heart through your neck... Like some...I can steal your heart from your neck...
_________________ "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
Glorified G was Pearl Jam’s first on album attempt to write a loose, fun song (dirty frank was a b-side so I won’t count it). Musically it was quite successful. It has a great main riff and it just sounds like band is having a blast playing the song. It’s a bar band kinda song and you’d expect the lyrics to be about women, partying, or something like that based on the casual groove of the song
But it’s a pearl jam song, and Eddie has always had trouble writing casual songs. Just like he doesn’t do humor that well he can only really write effectively when he’s being serious. So you’ve got serious lyrics trying to sound casual over carefree music and the end result is not as strong as it could be. If the lyrics were stronger it might work a bit better, but Eddie has a tendency to lose the nuance he brings to songs about identity and love to social critiques, and this is one of those instances. GG is a bit too heavy handed to really work. Part of it may be the bushleaguer problem—the target is so massive and so easy to hit that it is easy to be sloppy about it.
So GG is really the first pearl jam song where I felt Eddie let the band down. His vocals are great (Vs is probably Eddie’s best overall vocal performance), and the music is top notch, if unspectacular (a band having fun, not a band making a statement), but what Eddie’s singing just isn’t worth listening to. The song never quite knows what it wants to be. Eddie can’t do sarcastic social commentary very well, can’t do casual very well, and that’s what this music really called for.
It works much better these days live though, where the overall atmosphere is infectious enough that it doesn’t much matter what he is singing
3 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
Can't sticky and do polls for some reason in the RM skin. Hopefully that'll be fixed soon
_________________ "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: Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:09 pm Posts: 10839 Location: metro west, mass Gender: Male
When I first got Vs, my sisters friends would come over, put this song on, and dance away. Even back then, I couldn't help but think there was something "goodie two shoes" about this song that separated it from the rest. I feel that the whole fun vibe behind the song is now lost, and the band always looks bored when they play it.
_________________ "There are two ways to enslave and conquer a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." -John Adams
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:40 am Posts: 399 Location: WI
I absolutely love Glorified G. I feel that even though it is a serious topic, it can still be done in a light way. I would compare it to The Daily Show or the Colbert Report. They handle extremely serious topics in a light/fun manner to rave reviews. I also think the song does a great job of adding variety to Vs., which helps make it a great album. 5 stars.
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 1:36 am Posts: 5458 Location: Left field
I like to look at GG as Do the Evolution in a prepubescent stage. It’s a bit immature, doesn’t know what it wants to, but there’s plenty of promise and potential.
_________________ 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?
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 2:48 pm Posts: 3115 Location: Edinburgh/Lincoln, UK
I actually think that this song is pretty good fun. From a song writing perspective it's FULL of hooks and catchy music and vocal parts. It makes it's point, and in fairness to Ed, i think the 'casual' nature works kinda well - it almost reflects the American attitude towards gun crime.
The cheesyness of that intro drum fill, and Stone's guitar all go hand in hand in helping to convey that false sense of security 'everything is totally fine!' attitude. I guess that wasn't what the band were thinking when they wrote the music, but i do like the way Eddie steered it that way.
The lyrics are a bit dodgy, and it hasn't stayed as strong over time...but it's still a good upbeat song, and waaay too fun to sing along with to give it anything less than 4 stars.
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
I have 2 memories of this song:
1. In April of '94, after the Phillies went to the World Series the previous fall, Channel 17 in Philly had a one hour special about the Phils and the new season, and if they could repeat the magic. They played this song during one segment, in which Lenny Dykstra (my favorite baseball player) was prominent. I thought that was awesome.
2. In the summer of 1999, I went to Atlantic City for the first time. On the way back, I popped Vs. into my buddy's CD deck, and he was telling me how much he loves Glorified G as the song played. While talking about it, I realized that he had been mishearing the "I love God" lyric as "I love guns."
"Got a gun, Fact I got two But that's okay, man 'Cause I love guns"
I haven't heard this one in years, and don't really care if I ever hear it again. I don't dislike the song, but it's really nothing special at all. Plus, I'm a gun-owner, so I'm much more biased nowadays than I was as a teenager. The music is great but the lyrics are immature, high school English 101 bullshit.
And Stip, I'm curious - why didn't you choose the "Kindred to be an American" lyric for the thread title? I've always thought that was the best lyric of the song, especially the way Ed delivers it.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 4:02 am Posts: 44183 Location: New York Gender: Male
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
And Stip, I'm curious - why didn't you choose the "Kindred to be an American" lyric for the thread title? I've always thought that was the best lyric of the song, especially the way Ed delivers it.
in part cuz I'm not quite sure what it means. it's kinda like the 'nothing for to say' lyric in WWS where the sentiment is clear but I don't like how the line is delivered.
At any rate I can change it if you'd like. I'm not invested in the choice that is there
_________________ "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: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:14 am Posts: 37778 Location: OmaGOD!!! Gender: Male
Worst song on Vs. Does nothing for me.
Like someone else said, it's like an immature DTE. I'd say it's like an immature Big Wave. Ed's attempt to work a serious subject into a throwaway riff (which I don't even find to be that much fun, unlike Leash, which I also don't like all that much, but the riff is super) is ham-handed and awkward.
I much prefer W.M.A.
2 stars.
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 5:47 am Posts: 27904 Location: Philadelphia Gender: Male
stip wrote:
dirtyfrank0705 wrote:
And Stip, I'm curious - why didn't you choose the "Kindred to be an American" lyric for the thread title? I've always thought that was the best lyric of the song, especially the way Ed delivers it.
in part cuz I'm not quite sure what it means. it's kinda like the 'nothing for to say' lyric in WWS where the sentiment is clear but I don't like how the line is delivered.
At any rate I can change it if you'd like. I'm not invested in the choice that is there
No, no. I was just curious.
_________________ It's always the fallen ones who think they're always gonna save me.
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:28 am Posts: 964 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
I love this song, this was the first PJ song I listened to and REALLY got them and felt a kindred spirit with them. I have always stood with bands like REM and U2 politically- but they were too wimpy or something musically....I need to identify with a hardass band, who musically sings on issues I can really relate to. PJ was the first band who fit this bill perfectly and this song was the embodiment of what I was looking for. I am an educated liberal from a long line of educated democrats and we have always been strangers in a strange world here in rural western Pa- where 50% are redneck gun toting republicans and 50% are SERIOUS religious right republicans. I always felt this song was me singing out to all my ridiculous neighbors who have their gun collection in the basement and have their confederate flag in their garage window, toting off their kids to the presbyterian church every Sunday to stand next to the professors of Grove City College and hear about how the godless Clinton administration was coming to get their 'guunnzz.' This song was and has always been very empowering to me in my situation. And unlike stip, I actually think Eddie does biting sarcasm well, as long as its infused with enough anger. Since I was always anger about having to listen to people around here, this song is fun, but at its heart is (my) anger.
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2006 7:04 pm Posts: 1875 Location: Atlanta, SE of Disorder Gender: Male
Ugh. Way too heavy handed lyrically. Musically it's only okay at best; I do like the opening though. But then starts to sound 80s hair band-ish. It would have made a tolerable B side but that's the best I can say of it. Of the songs they've brought back into the rotation this is one I have to ask "Why?". To me it's legacy is when ever I hear someone sound too full of themselves in a preachy neo-con way I think "that's okay man because I love God" I like the comparison to an immature Evolution. *
_________________ From under my lone palm i can look out on the day
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