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Black
Pearl Jam
Hey, oh
Sheets of empty canvas
Untouched sheets of clay
Were laid spread out before me
As her body once did
All five horizons
Revolved around her soul
As the earth to the sun
Now the air I tasted and breathed
Has taken a turn
Oh and all I taught her was everything
Oh I know she gave me all that she wore
And now my bitter hands
Chafe beneath the clouds
Of what was everything
Oh the pictures have
All been washed in black
Tattooed everything
I take a walk outside
I’m surrounded by
Some kids at play
I can feel their laughter
So why do I sear
Oh, and twisted thoughts that spin
Round my head
I’m spinning
Oh, I’m spinning
How quick the sun can, drop away
And now my bitter hands
Cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
All the pictures have all been washed in black, tattooed everything…
All the love gone bad turned my world to black
Tattooed all I see, all that I am, all I’ll be… yeah…
Uh huh… uh huh… ooh…
I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life,
I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky,
But why, why, why can’t it be, can’t it be mine?
Aah… uuh..
Too doo doo too, too doo doo [many times until fade]
—————
Eddie Vedder is a lyrical genius. Not to mention an iconic singer with a unique set of pipes and delivery style.
Heck, he even managed to influenced countless singers of my generation to try and emulate his vocal style.
I know I tried.
And failed.
—————
Black, for me, really stood out when I first heard it. Before hearing it, all I knew about Pearl Jam was that they were an awesome band with an awesome song “Jeremy”.
It was enough to convince me to buy the album “Ten”. Back then two formats of their album was available in the market, cassette and CD. I got both.
The presentation of the art on the CD was better than on the cassette tape version which is the reason why I shelled out more money to own a piece of the band.
Yeah, I was a fan boy.
Can you blame me for loving this band that much?
26 years later and I’m still a big fan. Along with millions of others who are probably more die hard than I am.
Pearl Jam is an awesome band and that’s why they continue to win the hearts of people from all walks of life and across generations.
————
Black is a perfect example of musical genius. I bet, Stone Gossard didn’t think that much of this song when he first recorded it on his 4 track. It’s a very basic song based on E minor.
But when Eddie Vedder laid his vocal tracks on it, that’s when the magic happened.
A simple song construction coupled with beautiful lyrics and a heart wrenching delivery made Black a song worthy of becoming a single off of the “Ten” album.
The band wisely chose not to release it as one. And even if it wasn’t technically a single, it still managed to climb up the Billboard Top 100, securing itself at position 3 at its highest.
No music video was ever made for this song which would have ruined it for so many people. Its ambiguity keeps it open to interpretation.
And unless you consider their unplugged performance of Black, MTV never had a video to keep in rotation to ruin this song.
I bet, twenty, thirty, even fifty years from now, this song will still continue to hit a nerve for first time listeners when they hear this song.
And Pearl Jam will continue to gain fans long after the band no longer exists.
Too doo doo too, too doo doo
Too doo doo too, too doo doo
Too doo doo too, too doo doo
we belong, we belong together!
Too doo doo too, too doo doo
Too doo doo too, too doo doo
Too doo doo too, too doo doo [many times until fade]
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