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)
Hold On
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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Whatever prize there was
I could only observe where the trouble starts
Where does it end?
I cannot be cured
Before it ends
I know life would be different if I held on (held on)
Gave her love away
Put it in my pocket when it should've been framed
Oh, it lost its shine
Gotta get this out of my head
Out of my brain
How could it end
End like this?
How could it end?
I know life would be different had I held on (held on)
I know I could be something had I held on (held on)
I know I could be something if I held on (held on)
I know life would be different if I held on, held on (held on)
Held on
Held on, if I held on
Held on, if I held on
Held on, if I held on
(Held on)
In the song "Hold On" by Pearl Jam, the lyrics suggest a feeling of despair and hopelessness as the singer reflects on lost opportunities and the inability to change the past. The imagery of "doom riding on top a black horse" implies a sense of darkness and foreboding that pervades the song, while the line "whatever prize there was, I could only observe where the trouble starts, where does it end?" hints at a sense of resignation to one's fate. Throughout the song, the singer laments his inability to hold on to what he has lost, be it love or other opportunities, and the regret he feels for not having done so. Yet despite this sense of hopelessness, the chorus offers a glimmer of optimism, as he acknowledges that if he had held on, things could have been different.
The imagery of the horse also suggests a sense of powerlessness and being carried away by something greater than oneself. The lyrics "I cannot be cured before it ends" further emphasize the singer's sense of helplessness in the face of his circumstances, reflecting a sense of fatalism or acceptance of his fate. The image of the lost love that could have been "something" if only he had held on implies a sense of regret and longing for what could have been.
Overall, "Hold On" explores themes of regret and missed opportunities, as well as the powerlessness of the human condition. Despite this, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that holding on could lead to a different outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
I was doom riding on top a black horse
I was in a hopeless situation, feeling like I had no control over my circumstances.
Whatever prize there was
No matter what I thought I wanted or needed out of life.
I could only observe where the trouble starts
All I could do was watch as things went wrong and try to figure out why.
Where does it end?
I couldn't see how my situation would ever improve or come to an end.
I cannot be cured
There was no easy fix for what I was going through.
Before it ends
I wanted to make changes before it was too late.
Gave her love away
I gave away something valuable that I now regret losing.
Put it in my pocket when it should've been framed
I didn't appreciate what I had and kept it hidden away instead of celebrating it.
Oh, it lost its shine
The thing I gave away lost its value and beauty to me over time.
Gotta get this out of my head
I need to move on from this and stop dwelling on the past.
Out of my brain
I need to let go of the memories and thoughts that are holding me back.
How could it end
I'm struggling to accept that something I valued is now over or lost.
I know life would be different if I held on (held on)
I know that if I had held on to what I lost or let slip away, my life would be different now.
I know I could be something if I held on
If I had held on, I could have achieved or become something more.
Held on
I wish I had held on to what I lost.
Held on, if I held on
If only I had held on, things could have been different.
(Held on)
I keep repeating the phrase 'held on' as a reminder of what I wish I had done.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind