The STRANGE STORY of PEARL JAM's YELLOW LEDBETTER’s Popularity
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- The story behind Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter
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Pearl Jam released their landmark debut album Ten in late August of 1991. Coupled with groups like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains they ushered in the so called grunge era of the early 90’s. Ten would go on to be the biggest album of the band’s career and one of the most popular records of the decade selling over 12 million copies stateside. But one of the first song’s the band wrote for the album, a track called Yellowledbetter didn’t make the record and would instead be released as a b-side. Years later it became one of the band’s most popular songs. The reason it got popular, might surprise you. In today’s video,, let’s talk about the history of the song
The first thing that’s noticeable about the jimi hendrix and stevie ray vaughn influenced track are the lyrics. What are they many people ask? Well the first clue came from the Japanese 3” CD single for Daughter. The correct lyrics were supposedly printed in both english and japanese, but fans became suspicious when the lyrics didn’t seem correct.
Frontman Eddie Vedder gave an online chat to fans in 2000. He was asked about the story behind the song to which he responded Yellow Ledbetter,"was written right around the time of the Gulf War. That's about as far as I can get into it. It's an anti-patriotic song, actually." But fast forward to a vedder solo performance in 2008. During a Q&A session Vedder shined more light on the song revealing "Wait...you mean there's lyrics?" He would reveal the song was about a friend of his whose brother served in the first Gulf War. His brother died in the war and as a result he received a yellow letter informing him of the news. He didn’t need to open the letter, he knew what is was.The yellow letters are a normal part of contacting family about the death of loved one in the military.
Following the news Vedder and his friend then went for a walk to digest the news.. On this walk, the friend, whom Vedder described as "alternative looking", Eddie would be quoted AS SAYING So he tries to walk this off in this little suburban neighborhood. He’s walking it off and his mind is racing and he doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he can’t take a step without falling into some deep abyss. And so he’s walking and walking and he sees a couple on a porch with an American flag. And then he waves to them like ‘my brother,’ and the people look at him like ‘you fucking scumbag,’ like ‘who are you.’ They don’t know. They don’t know the inside. They’re just judging him by his cover. So that’s what the thought was.” That friend would be Tim ledbetter.
It was believed for quite sometime that the song was initially inspired a blues musician, 'Leadbelly' WHOSE LAST NAME IS Ledbetter... who was said to be a big influence on mike mcready. There was also another theory that 1) The name "Yellow Ledbetter" is from an old tongue twister in which you try to say "yellow better, red better" as fast as you can. Just a few times repeated, the words become jumbled and you get "yellow ledbetter." It was that that because the lyrics are indistinguishable just like the tongue twister.
As for why the song never made Ten, Eddie Vedder would explain to howard stern that he wanted the song on the record, but he didn’t finish the lyrics in time. The song is credited to Eddie, Mark McReady and Jeff Ament. The song was said to be inspired by jimi hendrix’s little wing and stevie ray vaughn AS MCREADY MENTIONS TO STERN HERE. Mcready would recall ABOUT THE SONG’S WRITING.
That was written around the time of the first record [Ten]. I think that was the second thing Ed and I wrote together. It came out of a jam in the studio and Ed didn't really have any lyrics. He came up with some ideas right there on the spot, and that's what we recorded. For some reason, it didn't make it on Ten. I was kind of bummed at the time. I really wanted it to be on our first record. But at the time, I was really young and just happy to be around this situation, so I did whatever.[5]
Yellow Ledbetter is one of those songs I can listen to on repeat for ages. Love the rift
Riff
Yes, Mike mccready has many riffs that are awesome
I like mumbling along to this song.
Suhhh, moo sheee-sed, havuh li'sorreeefuhyuu
I had no idea what he was saying, just I don't want to stay. 30 years later I still sob it has way too much meaning at the time in my life. Its the music just gets into by brain and soul. I sob now. It's so intense.
😂
So does Eddie!
A little drunk mumbling never hurt anybody
I love when Pearl Jam closes a concert with Yellow Ledbetter!
I prefer Indifference 😃
@@Jared40
Down is the correct choice
One of their greatest songs!
You should do a video also on how Springsteen’s Born in the USA and CCR’s Fortunate Son are not patriotic either.
Owen Benjamin has a great bit about this song
Licensing the song for the show friends to use is kind of disappointing.
Ten is one of the greatest albums ever. Ledbetter is one of the worst songs ever. I wonder if I would have liked ten the way I did if that song was on it. There was that concert footage of Eddie getting boo'd for wearing a Bush mask when the Iraq war started
He wore that mask every time he performs Bu$hleaguer a song off album Riot Act. He got booed twice both at April 2003 concerts in Denver Colorado and Uniondale NY
@@Jared40doesn't matter if people like Bush or not, I think that's one of the worst tracks in Pearl Jam's history.
@@tomrwills I love Pearl Jam and I agree not a good song they haven't played it in concert since 2007. I get why since Bush is long gone as president.
One of the best songs ever written, and a great example of a voice used as an instrument, which is why the lyrics never really mattered anyway.
It makes me cry, every single time.
That's a bold statement
Pearl Jam goes on Howard Stern and talks about the history of YLB a few days ago. This dude jumps on it.
I'm so ecstatic about the eras I grew up in!! I've had an awesome life!!
You know what the definition of Hell is? Trying to decipher the lyrics to "Yellow Ledbetter" without looking them up.
The melancholy melody is what makes this song for me. The first 2min on repeat
"Discovered the B-side" lol I never found it very difficult to find the b-side tracks but maybe I'm just extraordinarily gifted lol
I know right?
Hahaha good one. By the way, care to give away your secret to finding the opposite side of the album or disc?
😅
@@dtcdtc8328 shhh! You flip it over
Yellow Ledbetter is the perfect concert closer. Love this song so much!
Great song, and it's the only one Eddie can sing after drinking his way through a show
It’s so fitting how they had it as the last track on their greatest hits album
No shit, I already know they'd NEVER make a patriotic song. 🤣
I've got the CD single. German import, I believe.
"Ten" does rule, and many other albums they've put out do as well. Looking forward to digging into the latest release.
Actually real good release in my opinion
I'm convinced that Yellow Ledbetter was written as a bet that he couldn't write and sing a song without his lips touching and people would still buy it.
Pearl Jam definitely peaked with their first album.
Nah, cAsUaL
@@yeahyeahbutnah never heard of that one.
To be honest, I didn't know this song actually had lyrics.
“Inspired”by little wing is one way to put it . Great episode though I still love the tune
Kenny Wayne Sheppard has a song called "While We Cry" that sounds very similar. That was a big controversy at one time but not mentioned. His album was called Ledbetter Heights.
I don't know, the supposed sources of songs always seem to slip and slide as the years go by. I don't even think it's necessarily that they're being deceptive, it's just that there often there really is no definitive inspiration, it just happens. Later it's like reading into Nostradamus predictions and filling in the blanks with whatever.
Also weird sh happens all the time. Therefore when u lose ur mind, all u got is to just laugh at sh. I made a meme out of this. I didnt really. Lisa simpson did. But + also kinda me. & Im absolutely hilarious _slaps knee & cry laughs_ . I wish i knew my roots more... But id say theyre pretty admirable anyways. Soo now 🙄, idk. Maybe. Scratch. Not maybe. I was on rotation too. I need to get the hell up off my phone
If it’s written in America it’s patriotic. We will take Aphex Twins Come to Daddy because of CKY2K too.
Eddie always looks stoned, or agitated, or confused, or on the spectrum, or angry, or puzzled,… all at the same time.
One person commented on their first performance and they said that he looks like he’s in a boat and a storm trying to battle the waves and that is the best comment I’ve ever heard every time I watch an old PJ said I see him on his ship battling waves and trying to perform and I cracked up
Keep up your great work on this channel Sid , always a pleasure to watch.
Thanks, will do!
U.S. military doesn't send letters out for death notifications anymore. Haven't since the 70's?
Vedder is a lot older than you think
@@bx3054exactly
Hmmmmm, all this time I thought it was yellow Ed Vedder...
@@bx3054 does that matter if the story is supposed to be about a war that happened in 1991?
Edit: maybe it inspired some imagery that was developed into the song, but the video is pretty clear about the death of a soldier in the Gulf War.
@@bx305458 years old.
How the hell do u know? Can’t understand a damn word he says.
its actually very easy to understand if you are more than a casual fan, has nothing to do with patriotism
Rock ICONS!
This still doesn't answer the question, what the fu*k are the lyrics?
There are no lyrics. It’s an unfinished song. That’s why he makes up lyrics on the spot on his live performances.
@mmasterdp
Nope. It was finished it '92. He changes it now because he's a pothead alcoholic that can't remember '92. This is my favorite band BTW.
Fair point. I stand down. I’m going to go smoke some pot now
One of PJ greatest songs, ever!! I always thought to myself "Why was this left out of any album?!" Guess I wasn't the only one.. Cheers from Portugal
Funny thing is i never listened to the lyrics of most songs. I always focused on the beat and instruments. Vocals were just part of the sound.
You must love Shoegaze =]
💯 as a producer... I do the same. I focus on all the sounds and instruments first then the vocals. It's how my brain works.
@@At.mos.fEarProduktionz
Now we know you're a producer 😅
@@travzimmerman1340 cool
The lyrics are truly nonsensical
Why is Kenny Wayne shepherd not mentioned? Listen to ledbetter heights! It's the same song!
Yes! And Kenny Wayne was playing it live around Shreveport as early as 91!
It's about a butterfly that was poisoned by led paint, but got better.
I don't care for PJ, but I love this song.
Me a few years back. They have some decent songs, try Black
I don't care for PJ, but think this song is ok. I probably wouldn't turn the station when it came on.
It's a great song, but I still can't find the correct lyrics for it, as different pages conflict with each other. Google's listed lyrics seem slightly wrong in some places, where other sites are wrong in others. What also doesn't help is Eddie sometimes changing the lyrics when he sings it live.
Eddie knows what hes singin cause i sure didnt... Im a Pearl Jam fan but them coming out of Seattle n Grunge HE DOESNT LIKE THE USA..
I’ve still got a radio recording from K ROQ of Pearl Jam in Berlin Germany on cassette
What's strange about having influence to write a song? I'm not following the point of this video. If you listen to rock music, you would know musicians and songwriters draw on a lot of influences.
Content.😅
One of my favorite PJ songs. Like it even more now that I see what he meant.
Eddie and PJ aren’t anti-American. They just don’t write jingoistic bullshit.
Write? NO. Sing constantly. Yes bunch of moronic dolts. My favorite band.
Thanks for clearing that up.
If you license your song to NBC for Friends, you're corporate rock, idc what anybody says.
Corporate Rock? LOL! Pearl Jam in their 33 year career has been anything but. 14 years into their career they agreed to one minute of Yellow Ledbetter being played after NBC wouldn't stop hounding them. That's not corporate Rock.
I think these guys were ones that were lucky enough to sort of skate by, and tried to negotiate things many times from just being great to their core fan base, and just people in general, and their fight with Ticketmaster. My musical taste has shifted a lot since then, I stopped following them, but still felt they deserved respect. They got big enough to make an attempt to pull some punches of their own, or at least try to. That’s pretty commendable.
Where does the time go❤🎉🎉🎉
As a teenager I always thought it was some kind of inside joke about pee, like Yellow Bedwetter or something. 😅 Didn't realize how deep they were at the time I guess.
Fact check-ish... I have a recorded interview around 1994 on 107.7 in Seattle, Pearl Jam rarities. In that interview Vedder and Ament said the original version of the song was written by Andrew Wood/Ma Ha Bone prior to his death.
They sold their souls for rock n roll.
The odd thing about how a band perceives a song's meaning or purpose is the fans will determine it's true meaning and purpose.
It happens with entire groups as well. Public Enemy is one of the most white-suburban groups played at bbqs. RATM is the conservative's go-to anti-woke a.k.a normal person music.
I like the band but I’m pretty sure Eddy is a “coffee house communist” so I wouldn’t expect him to sing patriotic songs.
Such a beauty do sound on guitar and vocals. Unfortunately, the lyrics are an absolute dumpster fire.
I call bullshit... Nobody has ever been notified by letter of a service member's death in combat. This stoner needs to come up with a better story.
I'm fairly certain that it was the B-Side to Jeremy in the states too. But it had different album art. I don't remember it but I think it was black and white. I don't think it was the one with picture of the little girl but it might have been. My friend had it. Could be wrong tho. Was a long time ago.
I don't know all the lyrics to most of my favorite songs. Thats not the point to me. Sometimes lyrics ruin a song for me. Its the flow, the beat, the musicianship on display.....thats more important to me.
I always thought it was about drug induced paranoia. I never thought it was about anything else.
Man, if they would have stuffed this ass kicker in with all the other mega hits on Ten . . . earth would have likely imploded. That would have been way too much. Would have just made Vs seem like even more aid a disappointment than it already was.
Anti-Patriotic? I didn't even realize it was English.
I don’t know how the Gulf War could be related to it if it was written for Ten, which was put out a year before.
I never heard Yellow Leadbetter till after hearing Kenny Wayne Shepard's While We Cry and a friend said OMG this sound like that Pearl Jam song
Yes! Kenny Wayne was playing while we cry live around Shreveport when he was 13 or so. Around 91 and 93.
I'd be very surprised if any other PJ song is used in a movie or TV show.
I seriously thought the song title was a play on the phrase "yellow bed wetter"! 🤦
I prefer misheard lyrics guys version of the lyrics "on a ceiling on a wizard on a whale anna nicole mama said idont wanna see anna nicole fall down again" dont get me wrong love the song but that video is hilarious
Why didn’t it come out on Vs then after it was too late to put it out on Ten?
It would have overshadowed the rest of the album.
One of my all-time favorite PJ songs!!!!
On the beach of weathered sand, I know and I know I want to leave him again
No it is NOT...its about the dealing with grief from a war
Mike is so underrated as a guitarist. He is absolutely amazing. One of my favorites
Not underrated at all. Pretty well respected.
He's not really very good, there are many better players. Hendrix was top shelf. McCready was never top shelf, just lucky
@@doofwopdon’t agree
@@travzimmerman1340mccready is why I recently like PJ I was into Nirvana L7 rancid but I just started listening to PJ bc mccready!
Thanks for the background on this! I remember it hitting the radio stations at the time and wondering where the heck it came from since they hadn't put out a new release yet.
Love the song. Can't remember when or where I first heard it because I've been listening to it for so long
My favorite song of theirs and i had absolutely no idea what it's about!
It’s a beautiful song I know it’s about loss I love you
At the very least hendrix was anti war aswell as patriotic
Lyrics aren't that important, what matters the most is the feel
Unsealed on a ported letter set and I know I want to leave it again
I think Eddy Vedder was drunk during recording
Sounds like he's struggling on the toilet...
I thought it was about a wizard on a whale 🤔
Eddie seu lindo kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk e serpente quiser ficar feio porque seu lindo 😮 amor vc pra sempre okkkkkkkkk 🤭 música maravilhosa 💋 um gato meu deus 😂 eu e meu irmão giba eo professor Marcos curtimos muito já falecido hoje curto só ficou saudades 1994 curtimos juntos mais eu hoje ouço as músicas só gratidão 2024 eu Dulce ouço só gratidão saudades de vcs 🤪 foram maravilhoso kkkkkkkk Eddie continua lindo e muito louco ok
Horrible Libturded band
Patriotism from a Seattle band? 😂
Oddly, I've heard that Vedder has had multiple origin stories about this song.
Not odd, he makes up stories as they suit the prevailing political conditions
Thanks 4 this
Love that song. Makes me cry every time 😢 am I the boxer or the bag.
One of the all time great lyrics.
Nothing personal toward the bands that did grunge it went big they made money for me though grunge killed rock music.
I think it saved rock and killed the spandex clad 80's garbage.
On a wheel... on a wizard... on a whale...
This is my favorite PJ song. Love riffs/ guitar licks.
McCready is very very talented
Glad i didnt need to listen to Stern 🤮
6:33 what’s this interview?
So you don’t know either
They never guessed how bad Jeremy's in our schools would get.....2024. I cannot count the school and mass shootings anymore....
I can’t remember when I bumped onto yellow Ledbetter I think it was the b side cassette early 90’s great memories .
Pearl Jam writing a patriotic song is about as likely as Nergal from Behemoth finding God.
Hiddle diddle diddle bomma sey
Stay away from elementary schools, oddball.
Creads son!!
Yellow Ledbetter's success could never happen today since no stations use real DJ's anymore. People can choose what they like anymore. The record companies choose what people listen to.
I remember all of this very well.. Tie crazy the song is such a critical pj staple... In that it was basically never released. Maybe that was part of the draw... The allure of the unobtainable. Or, in cheesy Hollywood Marvel speak... the song was pure unobtainium.
Potato wave!
Potato wave
I like Eddie, but when it comes to singing he sounds like he is singing through a wet towel. You actually have to read along with the tracks when you first get it.
This song is the only anxiety medication that actually works for me.
the first version i was able to get my hands on was the Woodstock live performance... years later I was able to get a re-issue of the UK Jeremy EP and i finally had my copy.