Origin and recording
"Light Years" features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard. The song was re-worked from its original demo version titled "Puzzles & Games", as the band felt the original version was too similar to the song "Given to Fly".
Vedder on the song:
With "Light Years", Mike McCready had written some music. We were excited about it for a while, but when we got down to recording it, it was too nice, too right there—it was a little too close to "Given to Fly". We changed the tempos, and then one night Mike and I, after working on it all day and getting frustrated, just flipped it backwards, and in about 35 minutes it became "Light Years", with words and everything. It still has a fairly contagious chorus and melody, but it's just sideways enough to make me happy.
McCready on the song:
It was originally kind of a different vibe to that song and it kind of sounded like a song I had written before so me and Eddie kind of sat down and jammed on it one day and just two guitars and out of playing for about an hour it turned into what it is now. And it's kind of a cool, I think, melodic song and lyrically it's pretty beautiful and I have my interpretation about what the song is about and I think everybody should get what they want to get out of it.
Bassist Jeff Ament on the song:
It sounded nothing like what it sounds like now. Mike had a couple of riffs, and Ed really sat down and tried to write to it. He initially had some problems, and one day he came in on his own and had some lyrics that were really heartfelt. He ended up completely rearranging the song. It got played a million different tempos and a million different angles on the drums. That was a hard song; probably more so on Matt's end just because it took so long.
Lyrics
At the Pinkpop Festival in 2000, Vedder dedicated "Light Years" to Diane Muus from Sony Music, a friend of the band who died at the age of 33 in 1997.[4] He said there are "times you have got friends that don't fuck up at all and are great people. And then you just lose them for some reason. They are off the planet and you never had a chance to say goodbye. I only mention this because there was a person we used to know here and that was Diane and ah, we never got a chance to say goodbye. This is goodbye. And if you've got good friends, love them while they're here."
Release and reception
"Light Years" peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Austria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, "Light Years" charted on the Rock Top 30 chart where it peaked at number 21 and stayed there for three weeks. "Light Years" reached the top 60 in the UK and the top 30 in Italy.
In Allmusic's review of the "Light Years" single, it was stated that "with [Pearl Jam's] more enduring and darker tones set in place, fans of Pearl Jam receive a raw and sincere taste of the band's new musical and melodic direction, perhaps ignited with the additional presence of newcomer Matt Cameron on drums." NME called the song "painfully beautiful" in its review of Binaural, while Keith Cameron of NME said in his review of the song, "The specifics of what "Light Years" is about—the death of a friend, apparently—get subsumed into the song's plangent distillation of regret, thereby rendering it perversely uplifting, a trick only the most accomplished and sincere bands can execute with anything approaching conviction."Christopher John Farley of Time described the song as "muted but passionate."
Live performances
"Light Years" was first performed live at the band's May 10, 2000 concert in Bellingham, Washington at the Mount Baker Theatre. Live performances of "Light Years" can be found on various official bootlegs.
Light Years
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have played games with pieces and rules
I've deciphered tricks at the bar
But now you're gone
I haven't figured out why
I've come up with riddles
And jokes about war
I've figured out numbers and what they're for
And I've understood words
But how could you be taken away
And wherever you've gone
And wherever we might go
It don't seem fair
Today just disappeared
Your lights reflected now
Reflected from a far
We were but stones
Your light made us stars
With heavy breath
Awaken regrets
Back pages and days alone they could've been spent
Together but we were miles apart
Every inch between us becomes light years now
No time to be void
Or save up on life
Uh you've got to spend it all
And wherever you've gone
And wherever we might go
It don't seem fair
You seem to like it here
Your lights reflected now
Reflected from a far
We were but stones
Your light made us stars
And wherever you've gone
And wherever we might go
It don't seem fair
Today just disappeared
Your lights reflected now
Reflected from a far
We were but stones
Your light made us stars
In "Light Years," Pearl Jam reflects on the loss of a loved one and the emptiness that remains in their absence. The opening lines suggest that the singer has tried everything in their power to cope with their grief but cannot seem to find solace or answers. They've "used hammers made out of wood," a metaphor for the tools they've employed to try and fix their shattered heart, but to no avail. They've "played games with pieces and rules" and "decoded tricks at the bar," perhaps turning to distractions and vices in an attempt to escape the pain. However, despite their efforts to come to terms with their loss, they cannot comprehend why their loved one was taken away.
As the chorus kicks in, the song takes a turn towards introspection. The singer acknowledges that the absence of their loved one leaves an immeasurable void. They yearn to know where they've gone and wish they could be there with them. The repetition of the stanza "and wherever you've gone / and wherever we might go / it don't seem fair" underscores the sentiment that the world feels empty and unjust without their presence. The bridge of the song reflects on the regrets and missed opportunities that they now cannot reconcile, as well as the emotional distance that may have separated them while their loved one was still alive. Every inch that separated them "becomes light years now," emphasizing the irreconcilable nature of loss.
At the end of the song, the singer seems to have found comfort in the memories of their loved one. They acknowledge that their light still shines on, reflected from afar. Pearl Jam ends on a note of hope, describing the loved one's light as having transformed people like "stones" into "stars." It's a poignant reminder that even when someone is no longer with us, their presence can still have a profound impact.
Line by Line Meaning
I've used hammers made out of wood
I've tried my best with what I had
I have played games with pieces and rules
I've followed society's constructs and played life's games
I've deciphered tricks at the bar
I've uncovered the truths behind life's illusions
But now you're gone
But since you're gone
I haven't figured out why
I can't understand why you had to go
I've come up with riddles
I've tried to puzzle out life's mysteries
And jokes about war
And even made jokes about the most serious issues
I've figured out numbers and what they're for
I've mastered the logical facets of life
I've understood feelings
I've tried to empathize and connect with others emotionally
And I've understood words
I've tried to communicate and express myself effectively
But how could you be taken away
But how could you leave us and depart from this world
And wherever you've gone
And wherever you might be now
And wherever we might go
And no matter where we'll end up
It don't seem fair
It doesn't feel just or right
Today just disappeared
Suddenly, everything changed and reality became harder to accept
Your lights reflected now
Your energy and memories are still present
Reflected from a far
But it's distant and blurry
We were but stones
We were insignificant and powerless on our own
Your light made us stars
But your influence and inspiration made us shine like stars
With heavy breath
With great difficulty
Awaken regrets
I feel the burden of remorse waking up
Back pages and days alone they could've been spent
Looking back, I regret the time wasted not spent together
Together but we were miles apart
Even when we were together, we were still far from each other
Every inch between us becomes light years now
The distance between us feels impossibly large and enduring
No time to be void
We shouldn't waste our time feeling empty and purposeless
Or save up on life
We shouldn't hoard or waste our precious life
Uh you've got to spend it all
We have to spend our lives wisely and fully
You seem to like it here
You seem to have found peace in the afterlife
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Eddie Jerome Vedder, Michael David Mccready, Stone C. Gossard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind