Yellow Ledbetter

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"Yellow Ledbetter"
Song by Pearl Jam
A-side"Jeremy"
ReleasedAugust 1992
RecordedMarch 27 – April 26, 1991 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
GenreGrunge, blues rock
Length5:01
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder
Producer(s)Rick Parashar

"Yellow Ledbetter" is a song by the American band

Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was also included on Pearl Jam's 2003 B-sides and rarities album Lost Dogs, and on their 2004 greatest hits album Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)
.

Origin and recording

"Yellow Ledbetter" was a Ten outtake and one of the first songs Pearl Jam wrote as a group.[2] The song features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready.[3] The version of "Yellow Ledbetter" that was eventually released was the second take of the song.[4] McCready says of the song:

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]

Lyrics

The song title "Yellow Ledbetter" is derived from the actual name of an old friend of Vedder's from Chicago, named Tim Ledbetter.[2] Although many fans have made their own interpretations of the song's meaning, a common theory has been that the song is about someone receiving a letter saying that his or her brother had died overseas in war,[6] as cited from the lyrics in the Live at the Garden version, "I don't know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag."[7] On the official bootleg release of 5/3/03 – State College, Pennsylvania, Vedder sings "I'd like to wish this war away, and I tried, but it just, just don't happen, don't happen that way/And my brother...they sent him off to fight for the flag. I just, I don't hope he comes home in a box or a bag", and "And I know that he's just following his path. As long, as long as it's not a box or a bag."[8] On the official bootleg release of 7/11/03 – Mansfield, Massachusetts, Vedder sings in the first verse "I think of him when I go to bed, and he's coming home in a box or a bag."[9]

Vedder has been known to change the lyrics of the song when singing it live, so it is difficult to know if what he is singing at the time are the original lyrics from 1991. In the liner notes for Lost Dogs, McCready said:

"A riff loosely based on something...I had during the Ten sessions. I thought it was pretty. Eddie started making up words on the spot and we kept them. I still don't know what it's about and I don't want to! I love it. Fans like it too!"[10]

Vedder said in an online chat that the song was written around the time of the Gulf War and added that "it's an anti-patriotic song, actually."[11] On August 7, 2008, at a solo performance at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, Vedder took a question from the audience requesting that he explain the meaning of "Yellow Ledbetter". At first, Vedder joked, "Wait...you mean there's lyrics?" He went on to talk about how the song took as its subject a friend of his from Seattle whose brother served in the first Gulf War. His friend received a "yellow letter" in the mail informing him that his brother had died in the war. Vedder and his friend then went for a walk. On this walk, the friend, whom Vedder described as "alternative looking", happened by a house with an American flag flying and people on the porch. He stopped and gestured to the flag, as if to salute it, but the people on the porch glared at him disapprovingly due to his appearance.[12]

Reception

Without being released as a

Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994. The song has become a favorite among fans of the band. Although the song was not released on any of Pearl Jam's studio albums, it remains one of their most popular songs.[13]

Steve Huey of

Allmusic said that McCready's "airy Hendrix imitations provide the essential meat of the song." He added, "Eddie Vedder's vocal is alternately intense and achingly wistful, with the latter particularly suiting the song's mood." He proclaimed "Yellow Ledbetter" as "the sound of a band overflowing with prime material."[14] Will Hermes of Spin said, "The Hendrix-indebted power ballad "Yellow Ledbetter" is some of the best Pearl Jam music ever recorded."[15][16]

"Yellow Ledbetter" has since been regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2021, American Songwriter ranked the song number seven on their list of the 10 greatest Pearl Jam songs,[17] and Kerrang ranked the song number three on their list of the 20 greatest Pearl Jam songs.[18]

Live performances

The first full live performance of "Yellow Ledbetter" occurred at the band's February 15, 1992, concert in

overdrive as opposed to the previous clean channel. He also lengthens the outro, sometimes incorporating various songs which have influenced his playing style, such as Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" or "The Star-Spangled Banner
", which bears many similarities to the song. Similarly, Vedder almost always changes the lyrics around, though he sticks with the same rhythm as the original recording.

Live performances of "Yellow Ledbetter" can be found on the "Daughter" single, the Tibetan Freedom Concert compilation box set, various official bootlegs, the live album Live at Benaroya Hall, and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. Performances of the song are also included on the DVDs Live at the Showbox, Live at the Garden, and Immagine in Cornice as one of the special features. The version of the song on Tibetan Freedom Concert is a performance by Vedder and McCready that was recorded live at the Tibetan Freedom Concert.

Soundtracks

A brief snippet of the song appears in the

House M.D.
.

Chart positions

Chart (1994) Position
US
Mainstream Rock Tracks[21]
21
US
Modern Rock Tracks[21]
26

See also

References

  1. Allmusic
    .
  2. ^
  3. Allmusic
    .
  4. ^ Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin. August 2001.
  5. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. ""The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs"". Archived from the original on March 17, 2005. Retrieved March 17, 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Billboard. 2003.
  6. ^ Letkemann, Jessica, John Reynolds, and Kathy Davis. "In Search of "Yellow Ledbetter""[usurped]. TwoFeetThick.com. March 12, 2005.
  7. ^ Live at the Garden. Pearl Jam. Video. Epic, 2003.
  8. ^ Vedder, Eddie. (Speaker). (2003). 5/3/03, Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pennsylvania. [Audio Recording]. Epic.
  9. ^ Vedder, Eddie. (Speaker). (2003). 7/11/03, Tweeter Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts. [Audio Recording]. Epic.
  10. ^ "Lost Dogs liner notes".
  11. ^ Vedder, Eddie. "Pearl Jam's First Online Chat at Lycos" Archived February 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Lycos.com. May 15, 2000.
  12. ^ "2008 Eddie Vedder Concert Chronology"[usurped]. TwoFeetThick.com.
  13. ^ "Readers Poll: The Best Pearl Jam Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 14, 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  14. Allmusic
    . Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
  15. ^ Hermes, Will. "Pearl Jam, Lost Dogs; Rage Against the Machine, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (Epic)". Spin. January 26, 2004.
  16. ^ "Pearl Jam Music". Pearljam.com. November 11, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  17. ^ Uitti, Jacob (December 30, 2021). "Top 10 Pearl Jam Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  18. ^ Law, Sam (January 19, 2021). "The 20 greatest Pearl Jam songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Yellow Ledbetter"". pearljam.com.
  20. Today.com
    .com. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  21. ^ a b "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2007.

External links