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)
Parting Ways
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they've been closed to hide the flames
Remains
She know's there future's burning
But she can smile just the same
And though her mood is fine today
Standing like a statue
A chin of stone a heart of clay
Hey
And though he's to big a man to say
There's a fear they'll soon be parting ways
Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...
Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...
In Pearl Jam's song "Parting Ways," Eddie Vedder tells the story of two people, a woman and a man, who are in a relationship that is about to end. The woman appears calm and collected on the outside, but she is really struggling with the fact that their future is burning and they will soon be parting ways. Her eyes are like curtains that have been closed to hide the emotional turmoil she is feeling inside. She knows that their relationship is coming to an end, but she tries to remain positive and hide her fear by smiling.
The man in the relationship is portrayed as strong and stoic, with a chin of stone and a heart of clay. He may be too proud to admit it, but he also fears the impending end of their relationship. Both characters are depicted as drifting away from each other, and the song ends with the repetition of the phrase "drifting away."
Overall, "Parting Ways" is a poignant ballad about the end of a relationship and the fear that comes with it. The lyrics paint a picture of two people who are trying to hold on, but ultimately must let go.
Line by Line Meaning
Behind her eyes there's curtains
She conceals something behind her eyes, secrets or emotions, that she does not want the world to see
But they've been closed to hide the flames
The curtains behind her eyes have been shut to conceal her passion
Remains
There are remnants of something left, yet we don't know what it is
She knows there future's burning
She understands that their future burns - foreshadowing an eventual separation
But she can smile just the same
Despite knowing their fate, she smiles anyway, as if to maintain a facade of happiness
And though her mood is fine today
She may seem content in this very moment
There's a fear they'll soon be parting ways
Yet the fear of separation lingers in her mind
Standing like a statue
He is immobile like a statue, remaining unchanged as time passes
A chin of stone a heart of clay
He comes off as unreadable and unyielding to the world, but deep down he may be soft on the inside
Hey
This is just an interjection of sorts, not really contextually related
And though he's to big a man to say
Despite his size or status, he is too proud or unwilling to admit his fear of parting ways
There's a fear they'll soon be parting ways
Just like the woman, he too is afraid of the potential breakup
Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...Drifting away...
This refrain reinforces the idea of the two drifting apart, perhaps physically or emotionally
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDDIE VEDDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind