Formed after the demise of Gossard and Ament's previous band, Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream with their debut album, Ten, in 1991. Ten stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for nearly five years, and has gone on to become one of the highest-selling rock records ever, going 13× platinum in the United States. Released in 1993, Pearl Jam's second album, Vs., sold over 950,000 copies in its first week of release, setting the record for most copies of an album sold in its first week of release at the time. Their third album, Vitalogy (1994), became the second-fastest-selling CD in history at the time, with more than 877,000 units sold in its first week.
One of the key bands in the grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam's members often shunned popular music industry practices such as making music videos or participating in interviews. The band also sued Ticketmaster, claiming it had monopolized the concert-ticket market. In 2006, Rolling Stone described the band as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame."
Pearl Jam had sold more than 85 million albums worldwide by 2018, including nearly 32 million albums in the United States by 2012, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. Pearl Jam was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 in its first year of eligibility. They were ranked eighth in a readers' poll by Rolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time" issue. Throughout its career, the band has also promoted wider social and political issues, from pro-abortion rights sentiments to opposition to George W. Bush's presidency. Vedder acts as the band's spokesman on these issues.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam
Studio albums
Ten (1991)
Vs. (1993)
Vitalogy (1994)
No Code (1996)
Yield (1998)
Binaural (2000)
Riot Act (2002)
Pearl Jam (2006)
Backspacer (2009)
Lightning Bolt (2013)
Gigaton (2020)
12
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Far from lights of a city, the elements they speak to me
Whispering that life, existed long before greed
And balancing the world on its knee
Don't see some men as half empty, see them half full of shit
Thinking that we're all but slaves
There ain't gonna be
No middle anymore, it's been said before
Won't someone save?
Won't someone save the world?
Won't...
Won't...
The lyrics of Pearl Jam's song "12" describe the singer's feelings of being disconnected from society as he climbs a mountain and floats out to sea. The peacefulness of nature allows him to hear the whispers of life before the world was consumed by greed. The line "balancing the world on its knee" suggests that the singer views himself as a small but integral part of the world's delicate balance. The next lines are a critique of society's view of success and the hoarding of wealth, as the singer urges listeners to see those who seem to have less as still having value and not just as "half full of shit." He then laments the disappearance of the "middle," with the rich getting richer while still feeling unfulfilled. The song concludes with a plea for someone to save the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Climbing on the mountain, floating out on the sea
Going on an adventure beyond the normal day-to-day life.
Far from lights of a city, the elements they speak to me
Nature speaks to me more when I'm away from the noise of the city.
Whispering that life, existed long before greed
Nature existed before human greed, which has disturbed the balance.
And balancing the world on its knee
We're responsible for balancing the world.
Don't see some men as half empty, see them half full of shit
Don't just focus on people's negative qualities, but their flaws as well.
Thinking that we're all but slaves
We need to break free from society's norms that make us feel trapped.
There ain't gonna be
There's no possibility of
No middle anymore, it's been said before
The middle ground between two extremes is disappearing.
The haves be having more, yet still bored
Those who have everything are still unsatisfied, leading to more greed and imbalance in society.
Won't someone save?
Can somebody please help or make a change?
Won't someone save the world?
Can somebody please fix the world's issues?
Won't...
Repetition to express hopelessness or despair.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDDIE VEDDER, JEFF AMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tapan Desai
Climbing on a mountain
Floating out on the sea
Far from lights of a city
The elements, they speak to me
Whispering that life
Existed long before greed
Balancing the world
On its knee
Don't see some men as 1/2 empty
See them 1/2 full of shit
Thinking that we're all but slaves
There ain't gonna be
No middle anymore
It's been said before
The haves be having more
Yet still bored
Won't someone save?
Won't someone save the world?
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Rita Vancini
Eu ainda vou ouvir essa música ao vivo em São Paulo. Eu creio !! ❤💛💚
LAERTE VICENTE DA SILVA - ANDARILHO CULTURAL
MIL CANÇÕES PARA ALEGRAR TODOS OS CORAÇÕES 💕😍❤️💗💜💞😻💖💜💞, MIL POESIAS PARA A CURA DO MUNDO, MIL POESIAS PARA SEMEAR O AMOR, MIL POESIAS PARA A PAZ 🙏☮️🤩💕😍❤️💗💜💞, POETIZAR PARA MUDAR
Tapan Desai
Climbing on a mountain
Floating out on the sea
Far from lights of a city
The elements, they speak to me
Whispering that life
Existed long before greed
Balancing the world
On its knee
Don't see some men as 1/2 empty
See them 1/2 full of shit
Thinking that we're all but slaves
There ain't gonna be
No middle anymore
It's been said before
The haves be having more
Yet still bored
Won't someone save?
Won't someone save the world?
Woah, woah
Woah, woah
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Laura Watters
I love 2003 Pearl Jam era, there's nothing like a angry Eddie, Riot Act album is awesome and I really love this video!! Thank you so very much for sharing this awesome video 😊💓🤘✌️🔥
Jerry Park
Hello Laura I see happiness all around you, can I please share from it?
Laura Watters
@Matthew Allen that is awesome!! 😊🤘✌️
Matthew Allen
Very underrated for sure. Saw them twice on that tour - once on each leg.
MaryR
Really excited to see this! Thanks Pearl Jam! ❤🙌🏻
Aussie Mal
They get better & betterman! Please come back to Australia, especially Melbourne. Keep on rockin
Lore Ozuna
La mejor banda del universo, no me canso de escucharlos🎵🎵🎶