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.
Long Road
Eddie Vedder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the precious moments cannot stay.
It's not like wings have fallen cannot stay.
But still something's missing cannot say.
Holding hands of daughters and sons,
And their faiths are falling down.
I have wished for so long
Will I walk the long road? Cannot stay
There's no need to say goodbye
All the friends and family.
All the memories going round.
I have wished for so long.
How I wish for you today.
And the wind keeps rollin',
And the sky keeps turning gray.
And the sun is set
The sun will rise another day.
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today.
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today.
Will I walk the long road?
We all walk the long road
The song "Long Road" by Eddie Vedder and the Walmer High School Choir is a poignant and emotive ballad that explores the theme of loss and grief. The lyrics contain powerful imagery and metaphors that convey the pain of letting go of a loved one. The lines "And I wished for so long cannot stay. All the precious moments cannot stay" highlight the fleeting nature of life and how we must cherish the moments we have with those we love. Despite this, the singer still feels like something is missing and is unable to express what it is.
The chorus of the song is particularly moving as it talks about walking the long road alone and how all of us have to face difficult times in life. The lines "Will I walk the long road? Cannot stay There's no need to say goodbye" suggest that death is inevitable, but there is no need to say farewell because the memories we have of our loved ones will stay with us forever. The final verse talks about the passing of time and how life goes on despite the pain we feel. The singer wishes for their loved one to be with them, but knows that they cannot. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the reminder that we are all on this journey together and must support each other through the tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
And I wished for so long cannot stay.
Longing for something to remain forever, but knowing it's impossible to keep it that way.
All the precious moments cannot stay.
Moments of happiness and contentment are fleeting and cannot last forever.
It's not like wings have fallen cannot stay.
Life has not taken a tragic turn, but something still feels missing.
But still something's missing cannot say.
Despite not being able to identify what's wrong, a sense of emptiness persists.
Holding hands of daughters and sons,
Taking comfort in the bonds shared with loved ones, especially children.
And their faiths are falling down.
Witnessing the loss of innocence and optimism in the younger generation, which is disheartening.
I have wished for so long
Having long-held aspirations and hopes for the future.
How I wish for you today.
Thinking of someone longingly and yearning for their presence.
Will I walk the long road? Cannot stay
Questioning whether the path ahead will be challenging, but knowing running away from it is not an option.
There's no need to say goodbye
Despite the uncertainty, there will be no formal farewell because the hope is to meet again someday.
All the friends and family.
Thinking of the people closest to heart, who are like a support system.
All the memories going round.
Recalling memories, both good and bad, with nostalgia and wistfulness.
And the wind keeps rollin',
Life keeps moving forward, often in unpredictable ways.
And the sky keeps turning gray.
Times of gloom and despair can outlast the moments of sunshine and hope.
And the sun is set
Acknowledging the end of one phase of life, with all its joys and sorrows.
The sun will rise another day.
Believing that there will be new beginnings and fresh opportunities to start over.
Will I walk the long road?
Once again, questioning the future and the challenges that lie ahead.
We all walk the long road
Recognizing that the struggles and hardships of life are a universal experience shared by all humans.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDDIE VEDDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@1958Leslye
And I wished for so long cannot stay.
All the precious moments cannot stay.
It's not like wings have fallen cannot stay.
But still something's missing cannot say.
Holding hands of daughters and sons,
And their faiths are falling down.
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today.
Will I walk the long road? Cannot stay
There's no need to say goodbye
All the friends and family.
All the memories going round.
I have wished for so long.
How I wish for you today.
And the wind keeps rollin',
And the sky keeps turning gray.
And the sun is set
The sun will rise another day.
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today.
I have wished for so long
How I wish for you today.
Will I walk the long road?
We all walk the long road
@soumesh12
If you are here by searching this song,you have good taste in music.
@patriciagerbeau4689
2020? Is there still people listening 🌹?
@normanmcleod4493
Big time
@glorialozano7855
🙋🏻♀️
@carmengnagi3705
Yes!!!
@jesusmelovaldez2821
here !!!
@juanardila
Here!
@8ofwands300
This song will be on my funeral playlist. It's beautiful and soul piercing. Thank you to the artists of the world.
@bananabro8113
This song helped me through the grief of losing a loved one. The beauty of Vedder and Fateh Ali Khan's contrasting voices is just achingly beautiful. It makes you realize that you never know how long your own road will be, or others'. The song inspires peace, love and the knowledge that whoever you have loved will always accompany you on your journey.
@sevdenurdursun
Somehow, this became my quarantine song. Makes me feel relaxed and safe