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)
Public Image
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You only seen me
For the clothes I wear
Or did the interest go so much deeper
It must have been
The length of my hair
The public image
What you wanted was never made clear
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
You hide behind this public machine
Still follow the same old scheme
Public image
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
I will not be a property
Public image
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
It's not a game of monopoly
Public image
Public image
You got what you wanted
The public image belongs to me
It's my entrance
My own creation
My grand finale
My goodbye
Public image
Public image
Goodbye
The lyrics of Pearl Jam's song "Public Image" express frustration with the way the public only sees the surface of who the singer is. Despite their efforts to communicate with their listeners, they feel misunderstood and pigeonholed based on their appearance rather than substance. The singer criticizes those who care more about the image they present to the world than the truth behind it, suggesting that such people are ignorant and cowardly. The repeated refrain of "public image" underscores the importance of how we present ourselves to others and the effect that has on our interactions with them.
However, the song also offers a message of empowerment. The singer acknowledges that there are two sides to every story and that their own experiences have changed them over time. They refuse to be reduced to a mere property or player in someone else's game, insisting that they are more than their image. In the final lines of the song, the singer asserts that their public image belongs to them and that they are the ones who control how they are perceived. They take ownership of their own identity, declaring that they will have the final say in how their story comes to a close.
Line by Line Meaning
You never listen to a word I said
You have never paid attention to my thoughts or opinions
You only seen me
You only perceive me visually
For the clothes I wear
Based solely on my attire
Or did the interest go so much deeper
Or perhaps you were interested in who I really am
It must have been
This deeper interest must have been
The length of my hair
The attribute that caught your interest was my hair's length
The public image
A representation of myself that is easily received by the public
What you wanted was never made clear
Your desired outcome was never articulated
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
Concealed behind this persona was confusion and terror
You hide behind this public machine
You conceal yourself with the tool of the media
Still follow the same old scheme
Despite this, you persist in your traditional methods
Two sides to every story
There are two distinct perspectives to consider
Somebody had to stop me
Someone felt it necessary to put a stop to me
I'm not the same as when I began
I have changed since the beginning
I will not be a property
I refuse to be an object that can be owned or controlled
It's not a game of monopoly
This is not a game where property and assets are the goal
You got what you wanted
You have acquired your objective
The public image belongs to me
However, it is still my image that I choose to display
It's my entrance
This image is my introduction to the public eye
My own creation
I created and designed it myself
My grand finale
This public image is my final gift
My goodbye
My farewell to this persona and its associated connotations
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH LEVENE, JOHN LYDON, JAMES WALKER, JOHN WARDLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Diamant
Intro: John Lydon]
Hello, hello
Hello, hello
Hello, hello
[Verse 1: John Lydon]
You never listened to a word that I said
You only seen me from the clothes that I wear
Or did the interest go so much deeper
It must have been to the color of my hair
[Refrain: John Lydon]
(The) Public image
[Verse 2: John Lydon]
Oh what you wanted was never made clear
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
You hide behind this public machine
You still follow same old scheme
[Refrain: John Lydon]
(The) Public image
[Verse 3: John Lydon]
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
I will not be treated as property
[Refrain: John Lydon]
(The) Public image
[Verse 4: John Lydon]
Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
It's not a game of monopoly
[Refrain: John Lydon]
(The) Public image
[Verse 5: John Lydon]
Public image you got what you wanted
The public image belongs to me
It's my hatred that's my own creation...... it's says "entrance" in official lyrics...
but on the single...it's
"My Hatred is my own Creation....
My grand finale, my goodbye..."
Someone tell Eddie...
[Outro: John Lydon]
Public image
Public image
Goodbye
Lettore Entusiasta
This is a pearl. Eddie loves punk rock and this is the proof. This is an act of love
Danny Rounthwaite
One of my favourite songs, sung by one of my favourite bands, heaven !
The Dude Abides
good version, one of my favorite PIL songs!
Lunatic4Bizcas
Sounds just like John Lydon here. ¡ Amazing !
Lis E.
My favorite PJ cover
Michael Austin
Thank you so much for sharing. (Does anyone under 40 get it?) Note how Eddie needs to read the words. I can sing that sh*t from memory.
Tama Drummer
I watched a video of PIL doing it and John had the words too lol
David Abbott
Agreed, though I saw Johnny fluff his lines on this one once.
lorena chilote
i think the same but maybe can be for they suddenly say well lets made thias cober for this show and for doubts hes need read the lirycs
nightliter
Otherwise a decent cover though.