Love Boat Captain
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| “Love Boat Captain” | ||||||||||||||
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| Single by Pearl Jam from the album Riot Act |
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| B-side | "Love Boat Captain" (live) / "Other Side" | |||||||||||||
| Released | February 18, 2003 | |||||||||||||
| Format | CD single | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | February 2002 (Music) and June 2002 (Vocals) at Studio X, Seattle, Washington | |||||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||||||||||||
| Length | 4:36 | |||||||||||||
| Label | Epic | |||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Boom Gaspar, Eddie Vedder | |||||||||||||
| Producer | Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam | |||||||||||||
| Pearl Jam singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"Love Boat Captain" is a single from Pearl Jam's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). It was released as a single on February 18, 2003.
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[edit] Origin and recording
The song features lyrics written by frontman Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and keyboardist Boom Gaspar. According to Boom Gaspar, the song initially developed out of a jamming session he had with Vedder after the two first met in Hawaii. He added, "He had a guitar. I had a keyboard. It was a small set-up. And we wrote." When they were done, Vedder asked Gaspar if he was "ready to go to Seattle."[1]
[edit] Release and reception
The single was exclusive to Australia, Canada, and Europe. While "Save You" was released as the second single for North America, "Love Boat Captain" was the second single for international markets.[2]
Louis Pattison of NME called the song "a gorgeous example of Pearl Jam's gnostic expansiveness done right" and stated that it "[ranks] with Pearl Jam's best."[3] Kyle Reiter of Pitchfork Media said, "The devastated lyrics of "Love Boat Captain"...are affecting, but the song itself is a standard rocker, which seems an odd choice to accompany Vedder's poetic remorse."[4]
[edit] Lyrical meaning
"Love Boat Captain" references the 2000 Roskilde tragedy with the line "Lost 9 friends we'll never know... 2 years ago today." When "Love Boat Captain" is performed in concert, Vedder modifies the lyric to reflect the passage of time since the tragedy (as of 2007, the lyric is "7 years ago today"). There is also a reference to The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love" with the lyrics "I know it's already been sung,...can't be said enough/Love is all you need,..all you need is love,..."
When speaking about the song, Vedder stated:
It feels a little strange talking about love that openly, but if you can't do it now, when can you do it? Love is one resource that the corporations aren't going to be able to monopolize. Which means there's hope for us human beings yet.[5]
[edit] Music video
A music video directed by James Frost was filmed for the song at Seattle's Chop Suey club in September 2002.[6] The video is a filmed live performance rather than a conceptual video. It was one of five videos shot at the club to promote Riot Act (including "I Am Mine", "Save You", "Thumbing My Way", and "1/2 Full"). Up to that point the band had not made any music videos since 1998's "Do the Evolution". The video was released in late 2002.
[edit] Live performances
The song was premiered live at the band's September 23, 2002 concert in Chicago, Illinois.[7] Live performances of "Love Boat Captain" can be found on the "Love Boat Captain" single and on the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. Performances of the song are also included on the DVDs Live at the Showbox and Live at the Garden.
[edit] Formats and track listing
Information taken from various sources.[8][9][10][11]
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[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[12][13][14]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Canadian Singles Chart | 16 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 23 | |
| Australian Singles Chart | 29 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 110 |
[edit] References
- ^ Paiva, Derek. "Friendship takes stage at Pearl Jam concert". The Honolulu Advertiser. December 1, 2006.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Rumor Pit #53". SonyMusic.com. January 28, 2003.
- ^ Pattison, Louis. "Pearl Jam: Riot Act". NME. November 12, 2002.
- ^ Reiter, Kyle. "Pearl Jam: Riot Act". Pitchfork Media. January 6, 2003.
- ^ Kot, Greg. "Pearl Jam Emerges from Adversity". The Baltimore Sun. November 16, 2002.
- ^ Pearl Jam: 2002 Concert Chronology. fivehorizons.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Love Boat Captain"". pearljam.com.
- ^ Love Boat Captain [Australia CD Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Love Boat Captain [Canada CD]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Love Boat Captain Single. Lukin.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ pjcollectors.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ PEARL JAM - LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN (SINGLE) (76133). Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Chart Log: 1994-2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
