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)
Red Bar
Pearl Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
The lyrics of Pearl Jam's song "Red Bar" seem to be a commentary on the nature of war and its impact on individuals involved in it. The repetition of the phrase "We're all crazy at war" emphasizes the idea that war has the power to drive individuals to extreme mental states. It suggests that no matter who you are, or what your background may be, war has the ability to make everyone equally irrational and unstable.
The use of the color "red" in the title may also be significant as it symbolizes violence and bloodshed, which are common themes in war. The song's repetitive structure and simple lyrics help to convey a sense of overwhelming chaos and confusion, the same emotions soldiers may feel while fighting in a war. This repetitive and heavy sound in the music helps to reinforce the themes of the lyrics, which are simple yet extremely powerful.
Overall, "Red Bar" is a song that encourages the listener to question the nature of war and the ways in which it can impact individuals. It serves as a stark reminder that while war may be glorified in some contexts, the reality is that it can leave individuals feeling lost and "crazy."
Line by Line Meaning
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
Our sanity has already been compromised by war, and we're all in a state of madness.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
The madness of war affects everyone involved, and none are immune to its effects.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
No one is exempt from the insanity that comes with being in a war, and it affects each and every one of us.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
War drives us all to madness, and we are all affected by its destructive power.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
The trauma of war can leave us all in a state of madness, and we are forced to cope with the consequences.
We're all crazy. We're all crazy at war.
Even those who seem the most composed can be pushed to the brink of insanity during a war, and we're all in the same boat.
Contributed by Jack B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.