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)
Let Me Sleep
Pearl Jam Lyrics
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Heaven knows nothing of me
I'm lost, nowhere to go
Oh when I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Oh please let me sleep, it's Christmas time
Flowered winds was where I lived
Thought you burned, not froze for your sins
Oh when I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Oh please let me sleep, it's Christmas time
Oh when I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Oh please let me sleep, it's Christmas time
Oh oh when i... if I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Oh please let me dream, it's Christmas time
The lyrics to Pearl Jam’s song “Let Me Sleep” are a reflection of the singer’s loneliness, desperation, and longing for past memories during the Christmas season. Pearl Jam is known for their thought-provoking and insightful lyrics, and this song is no exception. The first verse of the song opens with the singer being exposed to the cold wind blowing on the soles of his feet, feeling lost and nowhere to go. He begs heaven to pay attention to his existence, but it seems that he is “nowhere to be found” and is left feeling incredibly isolated. The second verse brings up childhood memories and how magical the holiday season used to be when he was younger. There seems to be a clear separation between the singer’s past and present, and he holds onto hope that perhaps he can revisit a time in his life where everything seemed simpler and perhaps more magical.
The chorus is the singer's repeated plea to sleep and escape from his current reality, indicating that he wants to be able to dream of better times, even if just for a little while. The line “Flowered winds was where I lived” appears in the second verse, which is a reference to a location and a metaphor for a time in his life. It seems that the singer finds comfort in recalling these memories of the past, however distant they may be, and wants to be able to experience such joy again.
In conclusion, the lyrics to Pearl Jam's "Let Me Sleep" are a poignant reminder of how the holiday season can be a challenging time for those who feel isolated, lonely, and disconnected from the world around them. The song is a melancholic and reflective piece with a clear message that we should all try to remember, no matter what our circumstances are. The important thing is to hold on to our memories of happier times, and the hope that we can channel them to create a better future for ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold wind blows on the soles of my feet
Feeling alone and vulnerable in the harshness of the world
Heaven knows nothing of me
Feeling disconnected from spirituality and a higher power
I'm lost, nowhere to go
Feeling directionless and without purpose in life
Oh when I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Reflecting on the innocence and wonder of childhood
Oh please let me sleep, it's Christmas time
Desperately seeking rest and respite during a hectic holiday season
Flowered winds was where I lived
Recalling a time and place of beauty and calm
Thought you burned, not froze for your sins
Questioning traditional beliefs about punishment and justice
Oh I'm so tired and cold
Expressing physical and emotional exhaustion
Oh oh when i... if I was a kid, oh how magic it seemed
Longing for the simplicity and enchantment of childhood again
Oh please let me dream, it's Christmas time
Desiring an escape from reality and a return to a place of imaginative wonder
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDDIE JEROME VEDDER, MICHAEL DAVID MCCREADY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind