Vedder is known for his powerful baritone vocals. He was ranked number 7 on a list of "Best Lead Singers of All Time", based on a readers' poll compiled by Rolling Stone.
In 2007, Vedder released his first solo album as a soundtrack for the film Into the Wild (2007). His second album, Ukulele Songs, and a live DVD titled Water on the Road were released in 2011. His third solo album Earthling was released in 2022.
In 2017, Vedder was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pearl Jam.
Early life
Vedder was born Edward Louis Severson III in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, on December 23, 1964, to Karen Lee Vedder and Edward Louis Severson, Jr. His parents divorced in 1965, when Vedder was an infant. His mother soon remarried, to a man named Peter Mueller. Vedder was raised believing that Mueller was his biological father, and he went by the name Edward Mueller for a time. Vedder's ancestry includes Norway (Severson) and Dutch, German and Danish (Vedder).
While living in Evanston, Vedder's family fostered seven younger children in a group home. In the mid-1970s, the family, including Vedder's three younger half-brothers, moved to San Diego County, California. It was at this point that Vedder, who had received a guitar from his mother on his twelfth birthday, began turning to music (as well as surfing) as a source of comfort. He particularly found solace in The Who's 1973 album, Quadrophenia. He said, "When I was around 15 or 16... I was all alone—except for music." His mother and Mueller divorced when Vedder was in his late teens. His mother and brothers moved back to the Chicago area, but Vedder remained with his stepfather in California so he would not have to change schools.
After the divorce, Vedder learned the truth about his parentage: Mueller was really his stepfather. Vedder had met his biological father briefly as a child, but had believed that Severson was merely an old friend of his parents. By the time Vedder learned the truth, Severson had died of multiple sclerosis. During his senior year at San Dieguito High School, Vedder moved out to live on his own in an apartment, supporting himself with a nightly job at a drug store in Encinitas. Because of the pressure of work and school, Vedder dropped out of high school. He joined the rest of his family in Chicago, and it was at this time that he changed his name to Vedder, his mother's maiden name.
In the early 1980s, while working as a waiter, Eddie earned his high school GED, and briefly attended a community college near Chicago. In 1984, Vedder returned to San Diego, with his girlfriend Beth Liebling and his friend Frank. He kept busy recording demo tapes at his home and working various jobs, including a position as a contracted security guard at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla. Vedder had several stints in San Diego area bands, including Surf and Destroy and the Butts. One of those bands, called Indian Style, included future Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave drummer Brad Wilk. In 1988, Vedder became the vocalist for the San Diego progressive funk rock band Bad Radio. The music of the original incarnation of the band was influenced by Duran Duran; however, after Vedder joined Bad Radio, the band moved on to a more alternative rock sound influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Musical style and influences
Critic Jim DeRogatis describes Vedder's vocals as a "Jim Morrison-like vocal growl". Greg Prato of AllMusic said, "With his hard-hitting and often confessional lyrical style and Jim Morrison-esque baritone, Vedder also became one of the most copied lead singers in all of rock." Vedder has inducted the Doors, Neil Young, the Ramones, and R.E.M. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in his induction speeches he has cited them all as influences. Other influences that Vedder has cited include The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, U2, the Who, Pink Floyd, the Jackson 5, Frank Zappa, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Tom Waits, Huey Lewis, Bob Dylan, and the Pixies.
Vedder was heavily inspired by the early Jethro Tull sound, stating that: "I'm a big fan of Jethro Tull, and I listen to this record [Stand Up] every night before I go on stage!"
Vedder's lyrical topics range from personal ("Alive", from Ten; "Better Man", from Vitalogy) to social and political concerns ("Even Flow", from Ten; "World Wide Suicide", from Pearl Jam). His lyrics have often invoked the use of storytelling and have included themes of freedom, individualism, and sympathy for troubled individuals. Other recurring themes include the use of water metaphors, as well as the idea of leaving everything behind to start again (featured in such songs as "Rearviewmirror", from Vs.; "MFC", from Yield; "Evacuation", from Binaural; and "Gone", from Pearl Jam).
Although best known as a vocalist, Vedder also plays guitar on many Pearl Jam songs, beginning with the Vs. songs "Rearviewmirror" and "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town". When the band started, Gossard and McCready were clearly designated as rhythm and lead guitarists, respectively. The dynamic began to change when Vedder started to play more rhythm guitar during the Vitalogy era. McCready said in 2006, "Even though there are three guitars, I think there's maybe more room now. Stone will pull back and play a two-note line and Ed will do a power chord thing, and I fit into all that." Vedder's guitar playing helped the band's sound progress toward a more stripped-down style; the songs "Rearviewmirror" and "Corduroy" (from Vitalogy) feature Vedder's raw, punk-influenced guitar playing. As he had more influence on the band's sound, Vedder sought to make the band's musical output less catchy.
He said, "I felt that with more popularity, we were going to be crushed, our heads were going to pop like grapes." He has also contributed performances on the ukulele, harmonica, accordion, and electric sitar to various Pearl Jam recordings.
Dream a Little Dream
Eddie Vedder Lyrics
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Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me
'Cause I’m alone as blue as can be
Stars fading but I linger on
Oh craving your kiss
I’m longin’ to linger till dawn
Just saying this
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me
The lyrics to Eddie Vedder's song Dream A Little Dream are a sweet and romantic call to dreaming of someone. The first verse sets the scene of a beautiful night with stars shining and a gentle night breeze that sounds like it whispers "I love you". The second verse has an intimate tone with the suggestion to say "nighty-night" and kiss each other, holding tight, and telling each other that they'll miss each other, with the underlying sentiment that the singer is alone and feeling blue. However, the chorus is a reassurance of the power of dreams, encouraging the listener to dream of the singer, even if they have to be apart.
The third verse reveals more longing from the singer, holding on despite the stars fading because they crave a kiss, and wanting to stay until dawn. The final verse is again a reassurance that the listener will have sweet dreams until the sunbeams find them, and they should leave all their worries behind in their dreams. The song ends with the suggestion to dream of the singer, no matter what happens in their dreams.
Overall, the lyrics to Dream A Little Dream express a yearning for a deep connection with someone that transcends physical distance and time. The dream motif suggests a transcendence of normal boundaries, an escape, and an affirmation of hope and possibility. It's a sweet and timeless representation of romantic desire and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars shining bright above you
The stars above bring brightness into your life
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
The gentle night winds carry the message of love to you
Birds singin’ in the sycamore trees
The birds perch high up and fill the air with melodious songs
Dream a little dream of me
Close your eyes and let yourself be taken to an ideal world
Say nighty-night and kiss me
Bid me goodnight and kiss me goodbye
Hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me
Give me a lasting embrace and promise to miss me
'Cause I’m alone as blue as can be
I feel utterly lonely and depressed
Dream a little dream of me
Escape reality and enter a world of fantasy
Stars fading but I linger on
The stars start disappearing but I am still here
Oh craving your kiss
I yearn for your loving kiss
I’m longin’ to linger till dawn
I want to stay with you until the break of dawn
Just saying this
I am expressing my deepest feelings
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you
May good dreams accompany you till the next morning
Sweet dreams leave all worries behind you
May your dreams free you from all your troubles
But in your dreams whatever they be
Whatever you dream, let it be
Dream a little dream of me
Allow yourself to dream of me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fabian Andre, Gus Kahn, Wilbur Schwandt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind