Green River had little impact outside of Seattle, but their influence within Seattle's music scene would eventually be felt around the world. Their influence reached to both of their contemporaries (Soundgarden, The Melvins) and later Seattle bands (Nirvana, Alice in Chains) sharing the Sub Pop label. Green River's impact continued to live on through the bands who formed after their break-up in 1988: Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam, Love Battery, and Mudhoney.
They were possibly the first band in Seattle to mix metal, punk, and glam, leading to the sound known later as "grunge." Mark Arm, the group's singer, is widely credited as being the first person to use the term, although in a different manner that is widely used. He has since shown contempt for the label.
They were heavily influenced by the still-obscure Californian proto-grunge/hardcore punk band Tales of Terror, something Green River themselves were not ashamed of or subtle enough not to wear on their sleeves; as they covered Tales of Terror's song 'Ozzy' (re-titled 'Ozzie') from their sole album on their 1987 EP, Dry as a Bone. Tales of Terror, at some point; through touring, wound up in Seattle during the early 80s and played gigs Green River members attended. Apparently they were so 'blown away' by the band that they derived a significant amount of their own style from Tales of Terror. Kurt Cobain himself, as a fan of Green River; also ended up acknowledging Tales of Terror's music as an influence, as evidenced by their presence on his Top 50 albums ever. This influence even still reached Mark Arm and Steve Turner's subsequent band Mudhoney, as decades later, they named a song after Tales of Terror for their 2008 record 'The Lucky Ones'.
Green River had three official releases: Come On Down (EP, 1985), Dry As A Bone (EP, 1987), and Rehab Doll (Full-length 1988). They have an anthology album as well from 1990 entitled Dry as a Bone/Rehab Doll that as its name suggests, combines the two releases plus some bonus material. They have also been included on nine compilations, spanning from the late 80's to the mid 90's.
A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participating in the reunion were Arm, Turner, Gossard, Ament and Chuck Treece, who filled in on drums for Vincent, who at that time was living in Japan. The band performed the songs "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do" before leaving the stage.
Green River reunited for four shows in 2008. The line-up for the shows included Ament, Arm, Turner, Vincent, Gossard, and Fairweather. The first show was a warm-up show on July 10, 2008 at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle. The band next played on July 13, 2008 at Marymoor Park near Seattle to honor Sub Pop's 20th anniversary. Green River played another live show on November 28, 2008 at Dante's in Portland, Oregon. Afterward, the band played on November 29, 2008 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate The Supersuckers' 20th anniversary. Green River played on May 22, 2009 and May 23, 2009 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate the Melvins' 25th anniversary.
Green River was said to have tentative plans to record a new studio album when the band members' schedules permit, to possibly tour and to release remixed and remastered versions of the band's output containing bonus material.
So far only the latter has occurred. In 2016 they released a remixed and remastered version of their 1984 Demo Tape that was never officially released. Most notably, it contains the Green River original song 'Leech' that was subsequently given (or 'stolen' by) to the Melvins and re-titled 'Leeech' because they felt the song 'wasn't of much use' to them but that some people actually consider to be one of or simply their 'best' (hence the Melvins wanted it).
2018 saw the reissue of their debut EP, Come on Down with a demo version of their Deep Six compilation song 'Your Own Best Friend' from that same session as a bonus track. A year later, in 2019, Deluxe versions of Dry as a Bone and Rehab Doll were released; which included a good amount of unreleased material as well as a third release from their personal archive: A live recording from their 1984 era entitled 'Live at the Tropicana 1984'.
Tunnel of Love
Green River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About an old friend
He seemed pretty happy
But said he was missing something
Down on the street one day
He saw a shining light
He let his thoughts consume her
All through the night
To your tunnel of love"
She said "Maybe, only if you're
Willing to give it all up"
He smiled and said "Sure whatever you say"
That's when he started
To drain away
All he ever wanted was a taste of her love
You know he lost more than he ever got
A love so tender, a love so sweet
Two cannibals devouring each other's meat
Then one day he came over to my place
I opened the door to his greenish-white face
He fell down shaking, down on my floor
Writhing and screaming: "no more..."
That's when I began to understand
What he came here for
When she was young she was told
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
She didn't listen to her mom
She slipped in through his prick
He thought she was the girl of his dreams
She turned out to be the woman of his screams
Woman! come out...
He lost himself in a tunnel of love
He never learned how much was enough
You knw he gave her everything
Now she controls all of him
Woman! come out...
The song Tunnel of Love by Green River is a cautionary tale about a young man who goes through a tunnel of love to win the affection of a woman. The lyrics are sung from the perspective of a friend of the singer who witnesses his downfall. He tells the story of his friend who seemed happy but felt like he was missing something. One day he saw a shining light and became obsessed with the woman who was the source of the light. He begged her to take him to her tunnel of love, and she agreed on the condition that he gives up everything for her.
However, as he became more involved with the woman, he found himself losing more than he ever gained, describing their love as two cannibals devouring each other's meat. The singer's friend eventually lost himself in the tunnel of love, and when he went to his friend's house, he was shaking and screaming on the floor, having given everything to the woman he thought was the girl of his dreams but turned out to be the woman of his screams.
The song depicts a destructive, one-sided relationship and warns about the dangers of obsession and giving up everything for love. It explores the idea that love can be a trap, especially when we're not careful about who we give our love to.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me tell you a story
The singer wants to narrate a personal anecdote.
About an old friend
The story is about someone known to the singer.
He seemed pretty happy
The friend appeared content with his life.
But said he was missing something
The friend confessed that he felt incomplete.
Down on the street one day
At some point when he was outside,
He saw a shining light
The friend encountered an appealing opportunity.
He let his thoughts consume her
The friend allowed himself to become fully absorbed in the idea.
All through the night
The friend pondered the opportunity for a long time.
He said "Baby won't you take me
The friend expressed his desire to the person offering the opportunity.
To your tunnel of love"
He inquired about the location of the alluring opportunity.
She said "Maybe, only if you're
The person providing the opportunity responded conditionally.
Willing to give it all up"
They needed assurance that the friend was truly committed.
He smiled and said "Sure whatever you say"
The friend agreed to the person's terms without hesitation.
That's when he started
After he entered the enticing opportunity,
To drain away
He began to decline and deteriorate.
All he ever wanted was a taste of her love
The friend was only seeking a brief experience with the person offering the opportunity.
You know he lost more than he ever got
The friend came out of the experience worse off than before.
A love so tender, a love so sweet
The nature of the alluring opportunity seems gentle and endearing.
Two cannibals devouring each other's meat
The analogy suggests that the experience was destructive for both parties.
Then one day he came over to my place
At a later point, the friend visited the artist's home.
I opened the door to his greenish-white face
The friend appeared ashen upon arrival.
He fell down shaking, down on my floor
The friend experienced a strong physical reaction to the experience that took him to the ground.
Writhing and screaming: "no more..."
The friend was in intense emotional distress and vocally expressed it.
That's when I began to understand
The artist gained insight into what was happening to the friend.
What he came here for
The nature of the friend's visit was made clear to the singer.
When she was young she was told
The singer is now narrating details about the other person involved in the opportunity.
The way to a man's heart is through his stomach
The woman received a specific piece of advice regarding men.
She didn't listen to her mom
The woman didn't follow her mother's advice.
She slipped in through his prick
The woman used a sexual connection to get close to the man.
He thought she was the girl of his dreams
The man believed that the woman was his ideal partner.
She turned out to be the woman of his screams
The woman ended up causing the man significant distress.
Woman! come out...
A plea for the woman to make an appearance.
He lost himself in a tunnel of love
The friend was completely consumed by the opportunity offered to him.
He never learned how much was enough
The friend was unable to recognize when to stop pursuing the opportunity.
You knw he gave her everything
The friend was exceedingly generous with the person offering the opportunity.
Now she controls all of him
The friend has lost his autonomy to the person who offered him the enticing opportunity.
Contributed by Nathaniel E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.