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)
BLOOD
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fuckin' circus
Stab it down one way needle
Pulled so slowly
Drains and spills, soaks the pages fills their sponges
It's my blood
It's my blood
Painted, big turned into one of his enemies
It's my blood
It's my blood
It's my blood
Stab it down fill the pages suck the life out
Maker of my enemies
Take
My
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck
The song "Blood" by Pearl Jam is a powerful and intense track that touches on themes of self-destruction, addiction, and the pressure to conform to societal expectations. The lyrics are cryptic and fragmented, using violent and chaotic imagery to convey a sense of inner turmoil and hopelessness.
The opening lines "Spin me round roll me over, fuckin' circus" are a clear reference to the dizzying and disorienting nature of drug use, and the way it can turn one's life into a chaotic and unpredictable circus. The line "stab it down one way needle pulled so slowly" is a particularly powerful image, as it speaks to the slow and painful process of self-destruction that addiction often entails.
The chorus, with its repetition of the phrase "it's my blood," is a clear statement of ownership and responsibility: the singer is fully aware that the choices they are making are self-destructive, and they can't blame anyone else for the consequences. The phrase "painted, big turned into one of his enemies" is particularly interesting, as it seems to suggest that the singer is betraying their own ideals and values in order to fit in with a particular social group or scene.
Overall, "Blood" is a deeply introspective and raw piece of music that deals with some of the darkest aspects of the human experience. It speaks to the pain and isolation that can come from feeling like an outsider or a misfit, and the desperate search for connection and belonging that can lead us down dangerous paths.
Line by Line Meaning
Spin me round roll me over
Feeling overwhelmed and disorientated by life's ups and downs
Fuckin' circus
Life is chaotic and unpredictable
Stab it down one way needle
Overcoming pain and injecting oneself with reality
Pulled so slowly
Enduring pain with patience
Drains and spills, soaks the pages fills their sponges
Life is full of ups and downs and we are all affected by it
It's my blood
My experiences and emotions make up who I am
Painted, big turned into one of his enemies
Others can twist your words and actions to make you seem like the enemy
Stab it down fill the pages suck the life out
Trying to use life experiences to create art, but it can also be draining
Maker of my enemies
My actions or words can create enemies in my life
Take
An expression of frustration and anger
My
Emphasizing ownership of one's experiences and emotions
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck
An expression of frustration and anger
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Stone C. Gossard, Jeffrey Allen Ament, Eddie Jerome Vedder, Mike McCready, David Abbruzzese
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J L
SPIN me 'round (Spin magazine)
ROLL me over (Rolling Stone magazine)
fuckin' CIRCUS (Circus magazine)
Song's about fame.
About how Eddie kept seeing himself in all those myth-making magazines.
He got irritated with the saturation of publicity.
Those vampire reporters were out for his blood.
Then Ed turned into one of his own enemies.
Now he's friends with himself.
He's now fine with fame.
True story.
Limits98
Lyrics
Ooh
Spin me round,
Roll me over,
Fucking circus
Stab it down,
One-way needle,
Pulled so slowly
Drains and spills,
Soaks the pages,
Fills their sponges
It's my blood
It's my blood
Paint Ed big...
Turn Ed into...
One of his enemies...
It's my blood
It's my blood
It's my blood
Stab it down,
Fill the pages,
Suck my fucking life out,
Man
Maker of my enemies...
Take...my...
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Oswald Bates III, Esq.
As great as this song is, it's the energy that Dave Abbruzzese brought (especially to this song) that's been missing for a while now.
psymi 1981
oh snap
Byron Dean
@Thomas Dickinson
Matt Cameron is badass; but I'll always see him as the drummer for Soundgarden rather than Pearl Jam.
Dave Abbruzesse was PJ's best drummer by a long shot.
His drum work on VS and Vitalogy speaks for itself.
Shame him and Vedder couldn't co-exist for very long.
Brian Clark
Irons drummed it just as well....
Thomas Dickinson
Wow I never knew. Thought Matt Cameron was the ultimate. But I see your point bro.
Liamsmom 617
I will never ever ever get tired of this song, especially the part where you hear his voice get all hoarse!!
Gabriss
Eddie Vedder screams like Chris Cornell! Outstanding vocal line ever!
David Page
pearl jam stone temple pilots soundgarden and alice and chains all legendary bands with brilliant lead singers
Luke Boutte
@Richard Wellend nirvana’s whole career was literally, “ How can we make our music as shitty as possible?”. Why should people who know that AIC, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and STP are better than nirvana by loads, have to give a fuck about a one hit wonder? Only people who care about older music know any songs besides teen spirit. And people are honestly wasting their time defending a band who hates their best song. And it’s not even that good of a song.
Richard Wellend
@AreYouExperienced? what does that mean??