Go (Pearl Jam song)
"Go" | ||||
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Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam | ||||
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"Go" is a song by American
Origin and recording
"Go" was one of the songs the band produced during the first week of recording for Vs.[2] The main guitar riff for "Go" was written by drummer Dave Abbruzzese.[3] He initially wrote the music for the song using an acoustic guitar. Abbruzzese said, "With "Go", I just happened to pick up the guitar at the right moment. Stone asked what I was playing and started playing it, then Jeff started playing it, and Eddie started singing with it, and it turned into a song."[4]
Guitarist Stone Gossard added the siren-like guitar part.[3] Gossard on the song:
That song went through a cool evolution that goes back to what we've been saying about creative input. Dave played us the two main parts, that BAM-BAM-BAM groovy chordal riff bit and then the main ascending riff in more of an acoustic vein. Then, when he got behind the drums, everyone turned up real loud and it evolved into something else, a little more hard core.[3]
Guitarist Mike McCready played a yellow Telecaster on the song. McCready threw the guitar on the ground at the end of the take, which can be heard on the recorded version.[5] McCready on the song:
That solo on "Go" was probably the second of three or four takes. And I do have a problem recreating it live, because I wasn't thinking about it at all when we did it in the studio. So on stage, I get into this mode where I'll start to think while I'm playing, "Okay, this sounds like the album, and I want to emulate that." But to really capture that feel of being in the moment, I have to be in contact with the emotion that's running through me RIGHT NOW.[3]
Lyrics
In Kim Neely's book Five Against One: The Pearl Jam Story, Abbruzzese quips that vocalist Eddie Vedder told him he wrote the lyrics for "Go" about his pickup truck.[6] This may be a clever joke on the chorus of the song "Please don't go on me," but the full lyrics of the song suggest it is of a much more serious nature.
Release and reception
While the "Go" single was released commercially to international markets in 1993, the commercial single was not released in the
Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. The UK release of this single included a bonus cassette featuring a live version of the
Chris True of AllMusic said that "Go" "can at times feel like a jam, but a jam that has stripped all the useless meanderings and solos in favor of sheer pace." He added, "For them to open up their second album, Vs. with this rather aggressive song...was an obvious statement by Pearl Jam that they were no longer the band of "Jeremy" fame. This was a band intent on writing its own rule book, taking over their way."[9]
Live performances
"Go" was first performed live at the band's May 13, 1993, concert in
Track listings
All songs were written by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder.
CD (US, Australia, Austria, Canada, and Europe) and Cassette (Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand)
- "Go" – 3:13
- "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (acoustic) – 3:18
- "Alone" – 3:35
CD (Austria and The Netherlands)
- "Go" – 3:13
- "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (acoustic) – 3:18
CD (UK) and 12-inch vinyl (UK)
- "Go" – 3:13
- "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (acoustic) – 3:18
- "Alone" – 3:35
- Included a bonus cassette featuring "Animal" (live) recorded at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 2, 1993.
Charts
Chart (1993–1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[11] | 22 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] | 35 |
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[13] | 26 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[14] | 96 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] | 23 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] | 21 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] | 2 |
Norway (VG-lista)[18] | 5 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19] | 8 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20] | 3 |
References
- ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. October 23, 1993. p. 21.
- ^ Crowe, Cameron (October 28, 1993). "Five Against the World". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c d Garbarini, Vic. "Spit Fire". Guitar World. February 1995.
- ^ Peiken, Matt (December 1993). "Dave Abbruzzese of Pearl Jam". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2007.
- ^ Aledort, Andy. "Aural Exam" Archived February 10, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. Guitar World. July 2000.
- ISBN 0-7567-7409-8
- ^ "37th Grammy Awards". Rockonthenet. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
- ^ Masterton, James (December 26, 1993). "Week Ending January 1st 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- Allmusic. Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Go"" Archived May 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. pearljam.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 46. November 13, 1993. p. 19. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 45, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Go". VG-lista.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
External links
- "Go" (Official audio) on YouTube
- Lyrics at pearljam.com
- Review of "Go" at Allmusic