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 aloneβexcept 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.
No More
Eddie Vedder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who gave for this land
Took a bullet in the back
For his pay
Spilled his blood
In the dirt and the dust
He's back to say
Is hard to believe
And it does no good
To just pray
He asks of us to stand
And we must end this war today
With his mind,
He's saying, "No more!"
With his heart,
He's saying, "No more!"
With his life,
He's saying, "No more war!"
With his eyes,
He's saying, "No more!"
With his body,
He's saying, "No more!"
With his voice,
He's saying, "No more war!"
Well nothing's too good
For a veteran
Yeah, this is what they say
So nothing is what they will get
In this new American way
The lies we were told
To get us to go
War criminal(?)
Let us be straight
Let's get to the point
Where our voices are heard
Behind the White House gates
With our minds,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our lives,
We're saying, "No more war!"
With our eyes,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our bodies,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our voices,
We're saying, "No more war!"
No more innocents dying
No more terrorizing
No more eulogizing
No more evangelizing
No more presidents lying
No more war
With our minds,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts,
We're saying, "No more!"
With our lives,
We're saying, "No more war!"
The song "No More" by Eddie Vedder is a powerful anti-war song that speaks on behalf of a man who fought for his country and is now advocating for an end to the senseless violence of war. The lyrics indicate that the man has witnessed and experienced the horrors of war firsthand, and wants to convey to others the urgency of the need to stop it. The man is imploring the government to take action and end the war for the sake of innocent lives.
Throughout the song, the phrase "no more" is repeated, which emphasizes the sense of urgency and the need for change. The lyrics are simple yet poignant, highlighting the pain and loss that war brings to the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. The song is a call to action for everyone to make their voices heard and to demand an end to the cycle of violence.
Overall, the lyrics of "No More" are an emotional and passionate plea for peace and show Eddie Vedder's dedication to using his music as a platform for social justice and reform.
Line by Line Meaning
I speak for a man
I represent a veteran who served this country
Who gave for this land
Who sacrificed everything for their country
Took a bullet in the back
Was injured in service
For his pay
For his salary
Spilled his blood
Was wounded in combat
In the dirt and the dust
On the battlefield
He's back to say
He has returned to tell us something important
That what he has seen
What he witnessed in combat
Is hard to believe
Is difficult to accept
And it does no good
It is not helpful
To just pray
To rely solely on prayer
He asks of us to stand
He requests that we take action
And we must end this war today
We need to bring the war to an immediate end
With his mind,
With his thoughts and beliefs
He's saying, "No more!"
He wants to send a message that war needs to stop
With his heart,
With his emotions
He's saying, "No more!"
He feels strongly that war has to end
With his life,
With his existence and experience
He's saying, "No more war!"
He is advocating for an end to war
With his eyes,
Through his sight
He's saying, "No more!"
He sees the destruction and wants it to end
With his body,
Through his physical presence
He's saying, "No more!"
He feels the impact of war and opposes it
With his voice,
Through his spoken words
He's saying, "No more war!"
He is vocalizing his opposition to war
Well nothing's too good
Veterans deserve the best
For a veteran
For someone who served their country
Yeah, this is what they say
This is what is often promised
So nothing is what they will get
Unfortunately, veterans often receive little help
In this new American way
In the current state of American politics and society
The lies we were told
The false information we were given
To get us to go
To convince us to support the war
War criminal(?),
Referring to those responsible for starting the war
Let us be straight
Let's be clear about what's really going on
Let's get to the point
Let's focus on what's important
Where our voices are heard
In places where our opinions actually matter
Behind the White House gates
In the places where political decisions are made
No more innocents dying
No more civilians killed in war
No more terrorizing
No more causing fear and destruction
No more eulogizing
No more mourning the dead
No more evangelizing
No more promoting the war as some sort of moral obligation
No more presidents lying
No more false statements from leaders
No more war
The message repeated throughout the song, advocating for an end to war
With our minds,
With our thoughts and beliefs
We're saying, "No more!"
We want to send a message that war needs to stop
With our hearts,
With our emotions
We're saying, "No more!"
We feel strongly that war has to end
With our lives,
With our existence and experience
We're saying, "No more war!"
We are advocating for an end to war
With our eyes,
Through our sight
We're saying, "No more!"
We see the destruction and want it to end
With our bodies,
Through our physical presence
We're saying, "No more!"
We feel the impact of war and oppose it
With our voices,
Through our spoken words
We're saying, "No more war!"
We are vocalizing our opposition to war
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Eddie Jerome Vedder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francesco Casaccio
I speak for a man
who gave for this land
Took a bullet in the back
for his pay
Spilled his blood
in the dirt and the dust
He's back to say
That what he has seen
is hard to believe
And it does no good
to just pray
He asks of us to stand
And we must end this war today
With his mind,
he's saying, "No more!"
With his heart,
he's saying, "No more!"
With his life,
he's saying, "No more war!"
With his eyes,
he's saying, "No more!"
With his body,
he's saying, "No more!"
With his voice,
he's saying, "No more war!"
Well nothing's too good
for a veteran
Yeah, this is what they say
So nothing is what they will get
In this new American way
The lies we were told
to get us to go
War criminal(?)
let us be straight
Let's get to the point
where our voices are heard
Behind the White House gates
With our minds,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our lives,
we're saying, "No more war!"
With our eyes,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our bodies,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our voices,
we're saying, "No more war!"
No more innocents dying
No more terrorizing
No more eulogizing
No more evangelizing
No more presidents lying
No more war
With our minds,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our hearts,
we're saying, "No more!"
With our lives,
we're saying, "No more war!"
Andy Kaufmann
Wow, what a strong song. "Bush lied, my son died" Eddie is genius.
Caleb Kallander
I so rarely cry from songs....But Eddie Vedder never ceases to take my breathe away..
MT
This sends chills down the core of my being. Imagine if we stood up with this message in masses
P M
Timeless and moving.
Dan Nordstrom
It's really refreshing to see a peace song supported by a major label. Thanks Warner Brothers.
Bren Ferris
I love you even more for this, Eddie Vedder. This brought tears to my eyes.
Questionauthority chawasa
Love & respect to my family members who served & all our brave veterans.
Makenzie Leanne
Powerful message.. But without Eddie singing it would be another peace loving hippie song. Only a voice like his could send such a powerful message.
Felipe Mondaca Pimentel
Eddie genio, mostro, capo, Γdolo. Las tiene todas.
Bill Stanton
This song is 15 years old and the first time I heard I was offended. I thought it was disrespectful to our service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. Over many years of reflection and growth Iβve come to realize how true this song is. Eddie was right to write it and Iβm grateful he did. We need to stop sending our best overseas to die for causes that are not important to Americans and our allies. Our leaders have failed us over and over again.