Yellow Ledbetter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Yellow Ledbetter" | ||
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| Song by Pearl Jam | ||
| from the album Jeremy (Single) | ||
| Released | 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1991 | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 5:04 | |
| Label | Epic | |
| Writer(s) | Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder | |
| Producer(s) | Rick Parashar | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Jeremy (Single) track listing | ||
| "Footsteps" (Track 2) |
"Yellow Ledbetter" (Track 3) |
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"Yellow Ledbetter" is a song by the grunge band Pearl Jam. Although the song has never been released on one of their studio albums, it remains to this day one of their most popular songs, and is frequently performed at Pearl Jam concerts, generally as the last song of the concert.
"Yellow Ledbetter" was one of the first songs Pearl Jam wrote as a group, however the song was not included on Pearl Jam's debut album Ten. It was selected by the band to be the second B-Side to the single record of the song "Jeremy,"[2] which was where it first appeared. This same recording was included in the Pearl Jam compilation Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 and on the B-Side album Lost Dogs. A live version of "Yellow Ledbetter" was also included on the single for the song "Daughter." [3]
The song was written by aforementioned frontman Vedder and bassist Jeff Ament, as well as lead guitarist Mike McCready. [4] Mike McCready's guitar play in "Yellow Ledbetter" bears strong similarities the guitar style of Jimi Hendrix with the mimicking of Hendrix' "Little Wing" and "May This Be Love".
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[edit] Lyrical meaning
The song's name is derived from the actual name of an old friend of lead singer Eddie Vedder from Chicago, named Tim Ledbetter. The lyrics of Yellow Ledbetter have proved undecipherable when heard live and even on the early recorded version, as Eddie Vedder mumbles through much of the song with only certain parts being heard prominently, such as the infamous line "I said, I don’t know whether I was the boxer or the bag", with these parts of the song heard on almost every live rendition of the song. There are official lyrics for this song, as well as many unofficial ones on various websites. It is because of the freeform nature of this song that allows Pearl Jam to easily improvise the song and change it around as they see fit when performing it live. During performances, McCready often lengthens the outro and the guitar solo and Vedder almost always changes the lyrics around, sticking with the same rhythm as the original recording. Some would say it contains one of the best solos written by McCready.
Many fans have argued about the meaning of this song contained in the lyrics and have even questioned the existence of a central theme (although, one common theory is about someone receiving a letter and finding his brother had died overseas in war, [6] cited from the lyrics in the Live at the Garden version "I don't know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag"). This makes the song unique as it has managed to become a staple favorite among fans of one of the most important bands of the 90s, and yet has no real lyrics or meaning that can be attached to the song.
[edit] Trivia
- A snippet of the song was used in the final episode of the television series Friends. This marked the first time that Pearl Jam licensed a song for usage in a television show.
[edit] References
- ↑ Neely, Kim. Five Against One: The Pearl Jam Story. Penguin Books, 1998.
- ↑ Cohen, Jonathan. "Pearl Jam helps bid adieu to ‘Friends’". MSNBC.com. May 11, 2004.
