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)
Black Unplugged
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay.
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
All five horizons revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed
Has taken a turn
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
And now my bitter hands
Shade beneath the clouds
Of what was everything?
Oh, the pictures seared all been washed in black,
Tattooed everything...
I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter,
So why do I sear?
And twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures seared all been washed in black,
Tattooed everything...
All the love gone bad
Turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be...yeah
Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life,
I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky, but why
Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine
The song "Black" by Pearl Jam is a depressing and romantic ballad where the singer expresses his anguish and heartbreak after the departure of his lover. The opening lyrics introduce a feeling of emptiness, as the sheets of canvas and clay symbolize the untouched potential of their relationship. The singer is surrounded by five horizons revolving around her soul, and his life revolves around her like the earth around the sun. However, everything changed, and the air he breathed turned bitter, and his hands became bitter as well as they grasp for what used to be everything, and now it is gone. Even the photographs are tainted and washed in black, as everything in his life and world has turned to black.
The chorus delves deeper into the singer's mental state, as he walks outside, surrounded by kids' laughter, yet all he seems to feel is pain and tumbling thoughts. His thoughts are twisted and turned, and he feels like he is spinning as the sun drops away. The broken glass is a metaphorical representation of their broken love, and everything he sees, he is, has tattooed into him, even if it hurts. All that is left from the love that has turned bad is blackness, and so he feels alone and cannot understand why it couldn't have been different, why they couldn't have made it work.
The closing of the song "Black" is a despairing plea to the lost lover as the singer expresses his resignation that his love will never be enough, and she will find a great and beautiful life with somebody else. However, he cannot help but ask countless times, why it had to be this way, why it couldn't have been his beautiful life with her. This song is an exploration of heartbreak, despair, and the aftermath of a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Sheets of empty canvas, untouched sheets of clay.
I found myself in a place where I had a new start or a fresh canvas to start again.
Were laid spread out before me as her body once did
I saw that my life could once again be filled with possibility, just as it was when I was with her.
All five horizons revolved around her soul
Everything in my life, all five directions, was focused on or influenced by her presence.
As the earth to the sun
She was the center of my universe, my sun and my earth.
Now the air I tasted and breathed
The atmosphere I experienced with her was pure and wonderful.
Has taken a turn
But things have changed and become difficult.
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
I shared everything I knew with her and tried to help her as best I could.
Ooh, I know she gave me all that she wore
She gave me all of herself, emotionally and physically.
And now my bitter hands/Shade beneath the clouds/Of what was everything?
My hands are bitter because I've lost everything that meant the world to me, and it's difficult to understand why.
Oh, the pictures seared all been washed in black/Tattooed everything...
All the beautiful memories of our time together are destroyed, tarnished, and tattooed with pain.
I take a walk outside/I'm surrounded by some kids at play/I can feel their laughter, So why do I sear?
My surroundings are filled with positivity, yet I can't get over the hurt and pain from my past.
And twisted thoughts that spin round my head/I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
I can't get the upsetting thoughts out of my head and feel as if my mind is spinning.
How quick the sun can, drop away
Life can change dramatically and in the blink of an eye we can suddenly lose what we hold dear.
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass/Of what was everything
I'm holding onto the little I've salvaged of my old life and each day feels like it's slipping further away.
All the pictures seared, all been washed in black/Tattooed everything...
All the images of a happier time are now covered in black and forever marked with a sense of loss.
All the love gone bad/Turned my world to black/Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be...yeah
The bad memories have colored everything in my world and tainted my perception of the present and future.
Uh huh...uh huh...ooh...
The weight of loss is weighing heavy on my mind and spirit.
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life/I know you'll be a star/In somebody else's sky, but why?/Why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine
I can accept the fact that she'll move on and be successful in the future, but why did it have to be over between us?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDDIE VEDDER, STONE GOSSARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Хар Сум
Sheets of empty canvas
Untouched sheets of clay
Laid spread out before me
As her body once did
All five horizons
Revolved around her soul
As the Earth to the Sun
Now, the air I tasted and breathed
Has taken a turn
Ooh, and all I taught her was everything
Ooh, How quick the Sun can drop away
And now my bitter hands
Cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures have
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything
I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by some kids at play
I can feel their laughter
So why do I sear?
Mm, and twisted thoughts that spin round my head
I'm spinning, oh, I'm spinning
How quick the Sun can drop away
And now my bitter hands
Cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures have
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything
All the love gone bad
Turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I'll be, yeah
Uh-huh
Uh-huh
Woo
I know that someday you'll have a beautiful life
I know you'll be a star
In somebody else's sky
But why, why, why can't it be
Why can't it be mine?
Ah, yeah
Uh, woo-hoo
We, we belong together, we belong, we belong together
Joshua Troyer
30 years later, still one of the best live performances ever
Bender
eddie vedder is a lyrical mastermind
Tom Kersey
I still remember watching this on TV when it aired so many years ago. Eddie is a genius.
Reza Rabbani
@DASO MILITIA Alice in Chains' is on another level though
No Way
I really didn't need to see that this song is 30 years old haha. I remember playing this album on repeat like it just happened last week... Damn
Ju Fatiga
Verdade, amigo. Pura adolescência
Gawf
"I know some day you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star. But in someone else's sky but why can't it be mine." will always be the line that hits me hardest....
Tania Zamora
I am bleeding
Lisa Nolan
yes the best
Dana Ruggia
@Tania Zamora u and me both buddy had to suffer this twice in my lifetime ....