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 Your Head Up
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah...and you been so bad...
Don't let it get you down, you can take it, yeah...
And if it hurts, don't let them see you cry
You can make it...come on...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (2x)
Hod your head up...whoa now...
Yeah, hold your head high...I said...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
I said hold your head high...yeah...
Ha ha ha ha ha...
And if they stare...
Just let them burn their eyes on your movie
'Cause your movin' on
And if they shout...
Just let 'em, don't let 'em change a thing that you're doing...
Said...hold your head up...whoa now...
Sayin'...hold your head up...whoa now... (2x)
Sayin' hold your head high, yeah...
Hold you're head up...whoa now... (2x)
Ooh...sing...
Hold your head up...whoa now...
Yeah, hold your head high...come on...yeah...
I said...
And if they mess you 'round, don't let 'em change a thing that you're thinking, yeah...
And if they called you names, just tell 'em, "this is lovelock in the makings"
Hold your head up... (3x)
Yeah...hold your head up... (2x)
Hold your head up...busted...ooh yeah...
Let your pink flag fly...come on...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
Hold your head high, yeah...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
Yeah...hold your head high, come on...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I said to gimme, gimme, gimme...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
Yeah, yeah...
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x) } (2x)
Said hold your head high... }
Hold your head up...whoa now... (3x)
Hold your head high...
The lyrics to Pearl Jam's song Hold Your Head Up convey a message of perseverance and strength in the face of adversity. The opening lines, "Yeah...and you been so bad...Don't let it get you down, you can take it, yeah..." encourage the listener not to be discouraged by their missteps and instead to keep moving forward. The chorus, "Hold your head up...whoa now..." reinforces this message, urging the listener to maintain their pride and self-worth even in difficult circumstances. The lines "And if they stare...Just let them burn their eyes on your movie...'Cause your movin' on/And if they shout...Just let 'em, don't let 'em change a thing that you're doing..." further emphasize this idea of not allowing others to bring you down or alter your path.
The song's overall message of self-confidence and perseverance is a hallmark of Pearl Jam's music. It is meant to inspire listeners, especially those who may be struggling, to keep their head held high and continue moving forward in pursuit of their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah...and you been so bad...
Despite your faults and mistakes, don't let them bring you down.
Don't let it get you down, you can take it, yeah...
Even when things are tough, you have the strength to persevere.
And if it hurts, don't let them see you cry
Don't show your vulnerabilities to others who may use it against you.
You can make it...come on...
Encouragement to keep going and pushing through despite the difficulty.
Hold your head up...whoa now...
Stay confident and don't let anything bring you down.
Sing...
Express yourself and let your voice be heard.
Yeah, hold your head high...I said...
Reiterating the importance of maintaining self-confidence and esteem.
And if they stare...
Addressing potential negative attention from others.
Just let them burn their eyes on your movie
Embrace individuality and don't give in to conforming to others' expectations.
'Cause you movin' on
Moving forward and progressing in life, despite any setbacks.
And if they shout...
Acknowledging potential bullying or verbal attacks from others.
Just let 'em, don't let 'em change a thing that you're doing...
Don't let others dictate or control your actions and behaviors.
And if they mess you 'round, don't let 'em change a thing that you're thinking, yeah...
Don't let others influence your beliefs and values.
And if they called you names, just tell 'em, "this is love lock in the makings"
Stand up for yourself and don't tolerate being verbally attacked or belittled.
Let your pink flag fly...come on...
Embrace your true self and don't be afraid to show it to the world.
Hold your head up...busted...ooh yeah...
Hold your head up high regardless of any perceived flaws or shortcomings.
Yeah...hold your head high, come on...
An energetic and motivating call to action to stay confident.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I said to gimme, gimme, gimme...
An expression of enthusiasm and eagerness to keep pushing forward.
Said hold your head high...
Reiterating the importance of maintaining self-confidence and esteem.
Hold your head up...whoa now...
Stay confident and don't let anything bring you down.
Hold your head high...
The importance of maintaining self-confidence and esteem.
Contributed by James C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Samuel Pile
@jigrodrigues, Nirvana were absolute hacks, sellouts and rip off artists if you ask me. Kurt Cobain couldnt sing and couldnt play. Ive played for 35 years.. half the time his strings were out of tune and his voice always was. But somehow he garnered a fanboi following with his self hate, parental resentment and mtv vids.. . Watch the old Mudhoney vids, to me, its like "damn, this is where Kurt got his act"...
https://youtu.be/yun1IlBnDmY
I mean, really?
The best songs on their best album "unplugged 1994" were meat puppets. And yes, I realize the Kirkwood brothers playing with them.. but it should have said "Nirvana / Meat Puppets Unplugged 1994". Leadbelly probably rolled over in his grave.
I dont have anything against Pearl Jam except they lost any edge after Ten, which was mostly unreleased MLB material anyway.. they were the "safe" band.. alice in chains and soundgarden were the dangerous bands.. Stone Gossard and Ament obviously felt the same way, so they did Temple of the Dog with Chris and played some hard, raw shit like Times of Trouble.
Malfunkshun was bad ass too, L'Andrew the Love Child had the look, the creativity and the voice and charisma. By the time MLB formed, he was ready (they all were, Green River with Stone and Jeff were also very good and experienced by 88 or so.) And they were poised to drop.. then, some asshole peddles some bad dope one night and kills Andrew, damn near killed some other musicians in the same circle. Crazy shit. Huge, staggering loss for Rock.
Cindy Cassell Gilbert
Andrew was a great person..singer..performer and friend! Its always sad that he truly never got to experience the rockstar fame he craved for and deserved!!! But he definitely left his voice for us all to enjoy!!!
RIP ANDREW
ROCK IN PARADISE!!!!
srujan00
he was everyone's friend: Cornell, Staley, Cantrell - not sure if he knew Cobain.
MsKristineE5150
OMG, I can't believe I've never heard this before today! Thanks a million for posting this, this is sick! Some people were born to be stars, and Andrew Wood was one of them.
Fakename70
21 years on and to this day I STILL can't understand why this cover wasn't included on Apple. There are of course unreleased tunes from those sessions and from the 1989 tour ("Seasons Changing", in particular) that would've fit in quite nicely over the re-recorded "Capricorn Sister" and "Crown of Thorns" re-mix, but, THIS one should've been included without question. BIG mistake, that.
Rochelle Eskue
Love their arrangement on this classic 'Argent' cover.
Jonathan Roadley
"'cause you're moving up" - just gets me every time.
Pilar González
Good Looorrrrd!! It's like a Golden Oldie being all sauced up into actuality and Mother Love Boned <3 <3 <3 And it's 2019 .. hearing this for the first time!! Love Love LoveRock!!
Matt Fichter
Love rock awaits you. They're like soup. They're like nothing bad. Let me tell you that much.
Hells Bells
Easily the greatest loss in rock music
srujan00
Right up there with Steve Gaines, who only got to do 1 album with Skynyrd.