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)
Army Reserve
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the ground, it gives way
To an endless fall
She can feel this
War on her face
Stars on her pillow
She's folding in darkness
Begging for slumber
I'm not blind
Can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Violently shakes
My body
Her son's slanted
Always giving her
The sideways eye
And empty chair where dad sits
How loud can silence get?
And mom, she reassures
To contain him
But it's becoming a lie
She tells herself
And everyone else
Father is risking
His life for our freedoms
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm no frantic
I can feel it coming
Darling you'll save me
If you save yourself
The lyrics to Pearl Jam's song Army Reserve tell a story of a woman waiting for her husband to return from his service in the Army Reserve. She is overwhelmed by the weight of the situation as she stands anxiously, fearing the worst. She can feel the war on her face and it is causing her sleepless nights as she desperately seeks slumber. She looks for any kind of sign that her husband will return to her safely. She is trying hard to be strong for her son who seems to sense something is wrong but cannot put his finger on it. Despite being reassured that his father is risking his life for their freedom, he still worries about him and notices the empty chair where he should be sitting. The mother is trying to keep it together but finds herself telling lies to protect herself and her family. The song ends with the suggestion that the only salvation they can find is within themselves.
The lyrics of Army Reserve are deeply evocative and paint a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that families experience when their loved ones are at war. The song is a poignant tribute to the silent sacrifices that soldiers make and the toll that their service takes on the families they leave behind. The use of imagery in the lyrics is particularly notable - the reference to lightning in the child's eye and the stars on the mother's pillow are powerful metaphors for the anxiety and fear that families of soldiers experience.
Line by Line Meaning
How long must she stand
The woman is enduring a difficult situation
Before the ground, it gives way
The woman is on the verge of breaking down
To an endless fall
She will experience a never-ending emotional turmoil
She can feel this
The woman is aware of the impending doom
War on her face
The woman's external appearance is revealing the difficulties she is facing internally
Stars on her pillow
The woman is experiencing sleepless nights and is not at peace
She's folding in darkness
The woman is breaking down emotionally and is helpless
Begging for slumber
The woman is desperate for a good night's sleep
I'm not blind
The artist is aware of the situation
Can see it coming
The artist can predict what will happen
Looks like lightning
The situation is going to be explosive and quick
In my child's eye
The artist's child senses the situation and is affected by it
I'm not frantic
The singer is calm despite the situation
I can feel it coming
The singer has a sense of what is about to happen
Violently shakes
The singer's body is affected by the upcoming situation
My body
The artist's body is the physical manifestation of his emotions
Her son's slanted
The woman's son is suspicious and resentful
Always giving her
The son's behavior causes a strain on the relationship with his mother
The sideways eye
The son is giving his mother a suspicious look
And empty chair where dad sits
The absence of the father is felt
How loud can silence get?
The silence in the mother-son dynamic is deafening and uncomfortable
And mom, she reassures
The woman is trying to comfort her son
To contain him
The woman is attempting to keep her son under control
But it's becoming a lie
The woman's reassurance becomes less effective
She tells herself
The woman convinces herself
And everyone else
The woman also tries to convince others
Father is risking
The woman is justifying her husband's actions
His life for our freedoms
The husband's actions are to protect the family's freedom and well-being
Darling you'll save me
The artist calls upon their loved one for support
If you save yourself
The singer believes that by saving oneself, the other person will also be saved
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ECHOLS, EDDIE VEDDER, JEFF AMENT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
WickedParadise
Army Reserve - Lyrics
How long must she stand
Before the ground, it gives way
To an endless fall
She can feel this
War on her face
Stars on her pillow
Folding in darkness
Begging for slumber
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Violently shakes
My body
Her son's slanted
Always giving her
The sideways eye
An empty chair where dad sits
How loud can silence get?
And mom, she reassures
To contain him
But it's becoming a lie
She tells herself
And everyone else
Father is risking
His life for our freedoms
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my childs eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Darling you'll save me
If you save yourself
Laura Watters
I love this song, love Eddie's grit in his voice!! Totally awesome song!! Thank you so very much for sharing these lyrics, 😊💓🤘✌️
WickedParadise
Army Reserve - Lyrics
How long must she stand
Before the ground, it gives way
To an endless fall
She can feel this
War on her face
Stars on her pillow
Folding in darkness
Begging for slumber
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my child's eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Violently shakes
My body
Her son's slanted
Always giving her
The sideways eye
An empty chair where dad sits
How loud can silence get?
And mom, she reassures
To contain him
But it's becoming a lie
She tells herself
And everyone else
Father is risking
His life for our freedoms
I'm not blind
I can see it coming
Looks like lightning
In my childs eye
I'm not frantic
I can feel it coming
Darling you'll save me
If you save yourself
Joe Gravino
Masterpiece!
Márcio Silva
Thank you for It😄
Seán Wallace
Some of the best they've written
Natalia Carvalho
Pearl Jam...minha vida, meu mundo, minhas lembranças...!
I Am The Mic Drop.
I've always loved Eddie Veddar's voice.
shinystuffff
That guitar solo at the end...
Rachel Grohl
LOVE the background vocals on this one. Beautiful~
FourthOsprey
no dislikes? not surprised. FUCKIN PJ BABY. It honestly brings me comfort to know that there really is real, talented musicians left out there. Pearl Jam 'til the day i die!