Super Awesome Mix
"I made you a mix tape" -- some of the best words to hear from someone you care about! Join Matt and Sam on a weekly mix tape adventure: each guest is asked to pick a theme and make a mix tape, which will be unveiled over the course of the episode. You're guaranteed to hear about good music, some new music, and even learn some trivia along the way. Come listen with us, and be sure to grab your copy of the mix made available in the Super Awesome App in each episode's show notes. IG/Threads: @superawesomemix
Super Awesome Mix
Mixtape Rewind: Pearl Jam: The Essential Guide
This week's Mixtape Rewind takes you back to our first Intro mix ever, when Matt introduced Sam to Pearl Jam.
Pearl Jam's music walks a fascinating tightrope—raw, energetic rock paired with profound, often dark storytelling. This episode takes you on a journey through their three-decade evolution, perfect for both newcomers and longtime fans wanting a deeper appreciation of their artistry.
We explore how their debut album Ten created an instant impact with songs like "Jeremy"—a haunting track based on the true story of a student's classroom suicide—and why that album's four standout tracks remain essential listening. The emotional range of Eddie Vedder's voice shines through as we contrast high-energy anthems like "Even Flow" with more introspective pieces like "Black," revealing how the band masterfully balances intensity with vulnerability.
What's particularly fascinating is how their audience has shaped their music's meaning over time. "Alive," originally written as a painful reflection on family trauma, transformed through concert performances into an empowering anthem of survival—something Eddie Vedder himself acknowledges changed his relationship with the song. It's this connection between band and listeners that makes Pearl Jam's catalog so compelling.
Later albums showcase their artistic evolution, from the politically charged "Corduroy" to acoustic gems like "Just Breathe," demonstrating why they've remained relevant while many of their 90s contemporaries faded away. We even touch on Eddie Vedder's solo work, highlighting how the distinctive voice of Pearl Jam translates into different musical contexts.
Whether you missed the Pearl Jam phenomenon the first time around or want to rediscover what made them revolutionary, this mixtape offers the perfect entry point into their world of authentic, powerful rock storytelling. Which Pearl Jam song will become your unexpected favorite?
You can find the playlist on Spotify here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6mK1lDmg6nsOSqfDV8IIcQ?si=c76b52fafa9740a4
You can also find the playlist on YouTube Music:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpQYsbkgm3L4XGudn53dqQ4aE_KW6YmIL&feature=share
- Jeremy
- Even Flow
- Black
- Alive
- Go
- Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town
- Corduroy
- Better Man
- Yellow Ledbetter
- Thumbing My Way
- Just Breathe
- Far Behind
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welcome back to another super awesome mix. My name is matt said home, alongside my co-host and co-founder of super awesome mix, sammer ab Samer. How are we doing this week?
Speaker 2:I am doing real well. You know, it's always a good week whenever I feel that you understood the assignment and, like you, really understood the assignment this time. Well done.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, we're doing a new format on this week's show, something a little different, and you know we've got a few different formats on this show. Obviously, we do the new music. We've done a couple of Desert Island mixes. We did our first Countdown mix a few weeks back. But this week what we're trying and this was one of your ideas, but you know, we're doing a kind of intro to a band mix.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, so we always do the 12 songs, so that part never changes. So you know you're getting 12 songs on a mixtape, which is always fun and a challenge, right? That's like the whole thing. No one really wants a 500 song playlist, but yeah, we thought you know what there's, at least from my experience, and maybe you're like me.
Speaker 2:There are bands out there that have been out there for a while and they have a huge discography and it's like wow, I kind of missed the boat on that and if I want to get back into them, like I don't know where to begin and like, yeah, like some, you know, services like Spotify and Apple Music have like essentials or introduction to and, but it's always kind of better to have someone who grew up listening to it or really are into the band to kind of point you in a direction and not necessarily just like popular songs or most listened to. So with that, this week was an introduction to Pearl Jam. So Matt will be introducing his kind of journey of Pearl Jam listening and growing up listening to Pearl Jam to me, because that is a group that I've always felt like I should love and just felt so intimidated by the fact that, like they've been around over 30 years and I'm still like I don't really know where to listen or where to start.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember you said on one of the shows that you kind of only recently discovered some of their music and that kind of blew me away.
Speaker 1:Because, as I'll talk about, I mean, it was pretty much freshman year of high school for me, when they kind of you know, their first album, 10, came out and they've just been massive like my entire life, so throughout high school and college, and then you know thereafter, but then you know, and obviously you're you're about 10 years younger than me, so you know, for the listeners out there obviously that's going to make a difference.
Speaker 1:Okay, so for me it was obviously a really different experience with Pearl Jam than, like you said, I mean, you came in kind of well after the fact that this is just a band that is out there and sort of well established In the, in the same way that when I was growing up the Rolling Stones always existed, right, but I never had this experience with them where it's like they were kind of an unknown and then sort of came to be so yeah.
Speaker 1:So we thought this would be a really good way to start and just a ton of good music to choose from. I will tell the like, if there are diehard Pearl Jam listeners out there, I'll tell the like, if there are diehard Pearl Jam listeners out there, I'll tell you. You know this is an introduction mix, so it was real heavy on the first like three albums because there were so many big hits off of that and I think if I was introducing to someone which I am, that's what, that's the whole point of this I would go heavy on those albums. And then I at the end I put a few tracks from some of the more recent stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, like I said, I think you really understood the assignment because I was jamming out to this mix. Oh my God, I just was jamming out. No, I'm not going to make that joke, even though I already did. But yes, really enjoyed this mix a whole lot. So with that, let's kick it off. So the first pick that you chose on this mix is Jeremy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the first four tracks from this mix and this was really hard is that their first album was called Ten and I ended up picking four tracks from it because I think they're all kind of indicative of you know the band, and I picked Jeremy first. Now, interesting side note, so Pearl Jam, like four core members, right, eddie Vedder, of course he's the lead singer and guitarist. Okay, jeff Amant, stone Gossard, mike McCready Okay, jeff Amant's a bassist, stone Gossard, mike McCready are guitarists, and then eventually, you know, it wasn't until 1998 that they settled on a drummer and Matt Cameron has been the drummer for Pearl Jam since then. But prior to that it was almost like spinal tap, in that the drummer would sort of change out periodically for Pearl Jam Didn't affect the band too much, but, yeah, they didn't have a stable position there, but yeah, so ended up picking Jeremy from the album 10. And this song is based on a true story and it was actually here.
Speaker 1:You know, I live in Dallas and it was just in Plano, Texas a story about a high school kid who comes into his classroom one day and shoots himself in front of the class, kills himself. And you know, for me this comes out I'm like 13, 14 years old and I'm just like, oh my God, this is a true story and I'd kind of heard about it in the news but, like when you're that young, like how much are you really watching the news? And this is pre-internet, so it's not like you're just going to see stuff about it everywhere the way you would things now. So you know, it was kind of like a familiar story. But then just to hear this and I think this was the song and the music video was pretty impactful too, and so this is always the song I think of first when I think of Pearl Jam, because it was like they wrote this song about it.
Speaker 1:And obviously nowadays, unfortunately, there's still news of school shootings, but it's students coming in and shooting other students and in this case it was this really shocking event in the news that they wrote about and it was a student shooting himself and it was because of the ridicule and the pain that he was going through at that point in time. So, yeah, song that just I don't know, it just really resonated with you. It's a really powerful song and for me at that point in time in my life it obviously resonated quite a bit. So this is always the first song I think of when I think of Pearl Jam.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I had heard this song before, like loosely. You know, I sure got a lot of radio time, so at some point in my life I'd come across it. I recognize the chorus a lot, but I had never known any of that and so in my own research of this I was like, oh my goodness, this is like really tragic. What a, what a horrifying like news event that I'd never known. Like you said, I, you know, I was really young at the point that this has happened and the news is just endless, right, so never really caught up to it. But yeah, what a really sad story. But, wow, it like completely changes the meaning of this song.
Speaker 2:The one verse that I really thought was so powerful, given that context, is that he, you know, writes here the best revenge is to live on and prove yourself, be stronger than those people, and then you can come back. You know he like says that about the song in the sense that like don't, don't take it out on people by by, you know, removing yourself from the equation, like show them by by putting more into your life or you know, whatever it is. And of course bullying is really complicated, but I just thought that that was like a really powerful message of like you are the one losing, sadly. You know it's not everyone else that's losing. Anyway, everyone loses. It's rough, but I had no idea that any of this was happening and didn't know that that was what the song was about. So very strong, opener and very, very good song, musically too, like really it opens up the rest of the mix for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's indicative of their sound that carries on, you know, even to this day.
Speaker 1:But yeah no, you're right. I mean really. You know, as you'll find out if you read the lyrics of a lot of their songs, it doesn't always match the energy that maybe the song is bringing with it, and so that is kind of something I thought was appropriate too with this song is that you know they're a great rock band, but when you dig into some of these lyrics it's like, oh, this is kind of a sad song or the song is about this and you know not to. You know they don't bum people out with it, right, but the message there is a more powerful message there in a lot of their lyrics, so definitely worth noting there.
Speaker 2:So track two you went, like we said, off of the 10 album still, and it is the track Even Flow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you talk about not understanding the lyrics, right, like this was one that was just classic, just a high energy type of song. And I remember, you know, adam Sandler when he was on Saturday Night Live kind of doing an impression of this and just doing just nothing but gibberish. Because if you're trying to listen to Eddie Vedder on this track like and sing along, it's really hard to do. Listen to Eddie Vedder on this track like and sing along, it's really hard to do. But again, like, it's one of those things when I finally sat down with the lyrics and read them and then revisited them as I'm preparing for this.
Speaker 1:You know, and Eddie Vedder's talked about this it's kind of about homelessness and some of the you know challenges that people face there. You know, like someone even struggling beyond just hey, I'm, I'm short on money, I'm living on the streets, right, you know, there there ends up being a mental illness aspect to this that they touch on. You know, like thoughts arrive like butterflies, they they mention that in the lyrics and then he chases them away and so they kind of paint this picture of someone who you know is kind of in their, their own head because of their given situation or vice versa. Like you know, whatever we're not, we're not going to comment, you know we're not here to comment on all that, but yeah, I mean really kind of a sad, a sadder song and it's something he would point out in concerts is just, you know, some of the, some of the people out there who are suffering.
Speaker 2:And that's what this song is about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, again, as you said, there's definitely a theme of what the song sounds like and then what happens when you listen to the lyrics, because the song is like this incredible rock song I mean, I think they all are.
Speaker 2:The guitar solo in the middle is unbelievable, like the drums in this song are also really, really good. This was one of the ones where, you know, I found myself turning it up as I was listening to it because, especially in the guitar solo part, like just unbelievable guitar play Eddie Vedder, of course, like you know, one of the greats in that regard. But yeah, I, you know, thought it was again a very powerful song and, like you said, said that's something that I, that I also kept coming back to. I was like, wow, you know, not only are these really powerful rock songs, but lyrically, yeah, they're all really interesting. They all kind of touch on something. They have that kind of storytelling element to each one which is, um, makes sense that that you grew up listening to them and really liking them, because, if you know you're, if you're a long-time listener, we know that Matt loves a good story being told in the song like many people.
Speaker 2:So this definitely checks that box. But um on to track three, um again off of the 10 album and this is the track black so funny thing about the 10 album before we get into black.
Speaker 1:okay, so their original band name they're fans of the NBA, especially Jeff Ahmet, the bassist, and their original band name was Mookie Blaylock, which was the name of a point guard for the Atlanta Hawks in the late 80s, early 90s, and they realized as they went along they were just using this guy's name as their band name. It was kind of weird because not all their fans were necessarily nba fans, so it's like it held no meaning for them, so they changed it. They eventually landed on pearl jam and um they named their first album 10 because that was mookie blaylock's uh number, his jersey number so um funny
Speaker 1:little story about, about that, um. So this one little different energy wise, right like it. So this one a little different energy-wise, right Like it's a little slower and this one is just more of like a straightforward kind of relationship song and specifically Eddie Vedder's always said this is about like a first relationship and how that heartbreak can hurt you. And I think this is where you really see, and not that you don't see the power in Eddie Vedder's voice in all their music, but when he slows it down I think this is when you really see it, especially at the end of this song. You know when he's talking about I hope someday you have a beautiful life, you know, but why can't it be mine? And just sort of that longing. And so I think this really, I mean it's an amazing song.
Speaker 2:Agreed. Yeah, I wrote that exact same thing. I was like his voice is perfect for this kind of reflection on loss. It's specifically a very powerful ending to the song that I absolutely adored. Yeah, like it's funny, I was reading that he didn't want this to be released as a single because he felt it like such a personal and like fragile song.
Speaker 2:I believe he used the word fragile and he said that like fragile songs get just completely obliterated by the music business. Um, so they had originally planned to like make this a signal or someone was pushing for it, and he refused. Um, and despite that, despite it not even being single off the album, like, like you said, it's just like a huge, huge track. And I think, again, it just speaks to the power of like what he's singing about and how relatable it can be.
Speaker 2:And you know, funny enough, like I listened to this mix primarily on a day when it was, you know, it's fall here or starting to be fall, getting close to it, and so it's kind of like a cold and rainy, like cold front day and like this is a perfect mix for that type of mood. I think he, you know, it'd be like really tough to kind of listen to this when it is like sunshiny and beautiful out and like you just want to go frolic in the, in the park or something, but having it be cold and rainy, so you're like very introspective and reflective and it's, it's perfect. And he lands that, um, that mood like really really well. So that was another element of why I really enjoyed listening to this mix is because it like really matched what was going on in the world and I love when that happens. So on to track four, um last one off the album and it is one that I was really familiar with. So this is one that I knew right off the bat and it is Alive.
Speaker 1:Okay, so this was a really personal song for Eddie Vedder, because you know the story that he lays out here is that you know the character, which I mean it resonates really closely with Eddie Vedder. The character finds out that you know the person he knows, as his father was actually a stepfather, and his father had passed away.
Speaker 1:Now he throws this middle verse in here where it kind of implies there's this sort of incestuous relationship with his mother that results from this Kind of weird family setup he has. And then in the third verse it's kind of like he's still alive, like throughout. You know, I'm still alive is that, you know, kind of overriding refrain. And you know, the way he presents it in the third verse is that it's almost this curse, like he has to live with this right, all this horrible thing that's happened to him and so.
Speaker 1:But when you hear the song right, all this horrible thing that's happened to him and so. But when you hear the song right and again, it's kind of a running theme with some Pearl Jam songs. There's so much energy here and at concerts people were just using this as some sort of like empowering anthem. You know you talked about when you were talking about Jeremy, how you know the way to get back at people is to just survive right, is to get through these things and show them your value and sort of prove them wrong. And people were kind of taking this chorus of I'm still alive like hey, I'm still here, right, they were really like channeling this power through it.
Speaker 1:And Eddie Vedder said over time, rather than this you know him screaming about this I'm still alive, being this curse. He said the audience really changed the meaning for him and and as he put it, they broke the curse Right. Put it, they broke the curse right. But it really it changed and I think that's pretty rare for a songwriter to say that. You know, the audience reaction to it completely changed how he felt about a song. But that was the case with Alive. So really famous song and everybody gets into it and obviously you could just scream out the refrain. But really interesting story behind it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that and I agree I have to imagine that's like a short list of of. You know, we talk a lot about how people interpret songs and how often the artists will come back and be like no y'all, like that has. That has nothing to do with what I was thinking about.
Speaker 2:It was just this right but I think even rarer is for them to recognize like, oh, that is a cool interpretation, like, maybe that is one way to think about this and to have it be freeing instead of imprisoning. So I loved reading about that. I thought it was so interesting and I again never would have guessed that that's how I mean. My interpretation, hearing it all these years, was yeah, it's like a, especially the way he stings it, like I'm still alive. Like the way that hits hits, it's almost as if he's like again an achievement, I'm still here. Like I'm okay. Um, not this like agonizing, like, oh, I'm still here. And it's probably the use of the word alive, like we never really think of the word alive as a negative connotation. But great song. Last minute of this song too is like my absolute favorite, like the drums and the guitar and all of that. It just checks that rock box for me. So really nice. But with that let's move on to a new album here. So track five you go with. Go on the album Versus.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So 10 was such a massive hit and you know that's the concern whenever a band has a massive hit album is what's the follow up going to be. That's the concern whenever a band has a massive hit album is what's the followup going to be. And I love this. I had forgotten how much I love this song, but this is the first track off of versus. So not only do you get okay, here's our second album and it's going to be awesome too, but like just this first track you know, cause we had included once is the first song off of 10. And I put that on a best opening tracks mix that we had done. And so here, like Go, I think is also worthy of being on a mix like that, because I just love the energy from this one and I mean it is just right in line with its title. I mean it just makes you want to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he like really ratcheted up the energy between these two albums. Like it is the intensity it's so much harder of rock music, like very, very grungy you can tell. Like that grunge influence is hidden right around, it's like peeking around. This time period it's 1993. Um, you know, we were talking about interpretations of song and this one's made me laugh because everyone has kind of over the years interpreted this one to be about like an abusive relationship or you know something really negative. But he apparently claims that it's just about his truck. Uh, he had a 1990 toyota truck that he still drove and it's apparently just about his relationship with his truck or his struggles with his truck. So who's who knows?
Speaker 1:you win some, you lose some, I guess and if you've ever had an old car and been in a hurry somewhere and you're trying to get it started, I think you could bring out the energy that he brings out here. Please don't go out on me Just like go, yes, yeah.
Speaker 2:I need you to move, all right. Well, great pick. And yeah, absolutely love what they did with that opener. So, track six off of a.
Speaker 1:I believe is this a different album but, um, still the same, I think, I think it's still okay still the same album yep cool, um so.
Speaker 1:Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town yeah, so long, long title uh, great song, a little quieter song than you know. So pearl jam really fluctuates between, like you know, the really quiet reflective songs and just the high energy rock songs, but this one's a little quieter. Um, you know it. He tells the story here about someone you know kind of returning to a small town and the person at the counter recognizes this person and, uh, but you know, she doesn't think he recognizes her because time has changed us.
Speaker 1:Even though maybe inside we think we look the same, we really don't on the outside to other people, especially if they haven't seen us in a while. And yeah, and just kind of these moments and then they get reflective about where they are in life and all of that. So I love the story here and even if you're not from like a small town, I feel like you know your high school or your college or you know some cohort you're a part of almost becomes that small town in a way for any one of us. And yeah, just seeing people after a while I think not only makes you reflect about where they've been this entire time, when they kind of reenter the TV show of your life, but also you know what you've been doing in the interim right and how much you've changed. So yeah, just a great song. I think it just makes me think of kind of the passing of time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely I agree, and I love what he, you know he's kind of says something that sound you know to me is kind of obvious once he said it, but it was still interesting. It's like people kind of either feel that they're you know the large fish in a small pond in a small town, or they feel stuck there and they like can't wait to leave, um, or they're I think he might've even offered the third option, which is like or they're just okay there and it's like, yeah, like I think that kind of works out for any place, not a small town or not.
Speaker 2:But yeah, just kind of reflecting on exactly what you were saying, and I just I love this song. It's kind of funny. I noticed that it had a little heart next to it because I had heard this and I remembered what happened. It was like an autoplay song and I was just like cleaning one day and Siri put it on and near the end was like, oh my god, I love this song, what is this song? And I told siri to like add it to my library and like it so I wouldn't lose it. Um, and it was this song. Yeah, and I think it's because I just love the way that he sings. At the end, hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away yeah over and over and again.
Speaker 2:It speaks to like what you're talking about, how, like things change over time, so hearts and thoughts, thoughts, they fade, so things that seemingly could have been really important to you at some point eventually are not. Things just change, life has changed, so really beautiful song in that regard. All right. Track seven I believe this is the one that I was thinking about on a new album and it is Corduroy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is off the third album, vitalogy, and yeah so Corduroyroy. This is a pretty popular song. I think the line that all stands out to me here is can't buy what I want because it's free. And uh, yeah, I mean he talks about, you know, just over time. You know he says something like you know, well, whatever it is, like love or time itself, like you can't buy any of those things. And so I think at this point, when you think about where the band is at now, they're just this global, you know, world famous band, and so I think this is an interestingly placed song with where they are in life, because they're still relatively young at this point, like this is still in the nineties when this song comes out. This is their third album and I think, probably getting a little bit reflective on, like you know, they're kind of at the point where they can you know, materially buy whatever they want.
Speaker 1:And so I think this song kind of stands out just with where they are in life themselves, because there are those more important things that you just can't buy, no matter how much money you have.
Speaker 2:there are those more important things that you just can't buy, no matter how much money you have. Yeah, it's, I read it also. I was doing some research on it, of course, and and he apparently wanted to write this song when he saw that someone was selling a 500 corduroy vest that was labeled the pearl jam, eddie vetter corduroy shirt, um, and he saw this in a shop somewhere and he was just like this is ridiculous, like what fame can do and like what, how people try to like, take that and, you know, monetize and all that kind of stuff. And I think that you know the first chorus he sings I don't want to take what you can give, I would rather starve than eat your bread. And I think he's just kind of, you know, rejecting what people are trying to sell to him. And then to your point, instead, he only wants the things that, like, money can't buy.
Speaker 2:Um, and that's like what we should focus on, like all the intangible things that are hard to purchase, um, so, yeah, a really powerful song, again in that regard, and also just like I love the interlude there's an interlude in here where it gets kind of quiet and then builds back up. I'm a huge sucker for that, so, so absolutely loved it musically. Yeah, great, great track, all right Track. Number eight, better man off of the same album.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So this one maybe their biggest pop hit and it's funny because they kind of refer to this as just a shameless pop song. But I think it kind of combines the two things that we've seen in the track so far, which is like you get the the quieter sort of Eddie Vedder voice there at the beginning and then this song kicks in and just turns into a full-on rock song, and so I think that combination is pretty cool and it stands out amongst their tracks because of that. But I also think it's cool because he paints such a great picture here of this woman who is clearly not happy with her relationship but, you know, can't find a better man, so she's just kind of staying in it, and I think it's rare that you get a songwriter who can write from an opposing point of view right, like obviously Eddie Vedder's not a woman.
Speaker 1:So you know, he may have experienced this in his life, but certainly not from that perspective. So I think that's also a pretty good skill to have, if you can sort of change perspectives like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and apparently, on top of that, he wrote this in high school, so this was a song that he chose to sing, having written it many years earlier, which I think is also incredible. We always talk a lot about talented people and what they're capable of doing, and here's this guy who's like oh yeah, I wrote this song in high school, let me sing it and have it become a smash hit. All right, what are?
Speaker 1:we going to record next? Well, there's this song I wrote when I was 15. Let's try it, and that's a massive hit.
Speaker 2:It's like how talented are you?
Speaker 1:Like what is that?
Speaker 2:It's really incredible.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I think you know, anytime I hear a song about a relationship too, I just end up thinking about it as any form of relationship, not even between people, but it could be between you and your job or you and your like you know how you spend your days or whatever. It might be a family member, your days or whatever it might be a family member. And yeah, sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a relationship that you kind of know you want to leave but you just can't find something better. So you're just kind of you feel stuck, you feel trapped, and that's like very much how I interpret this song, even outside of the confines of just like a romantic relationship. So very, very powerful song in that regard. And yeah, it makes me feel a little behind in life that he just wrote this when he was in high school. But here we are, it's all good. Let's move on to track nine, a really interesting one and one that I've heard a lot on TikTok and Reels, and I can discuss that in a moment if you don't mention it.
Speaker 1:But Yellow Lead Better no-transcript and so it kind of came like chronologically. It sort of came out later, although fans of the band were familiar with the song already, but it was written. The reason I talk about the timing is because it was written around the time of the 10 album, which was the original Gulf War at the beginning of the 90s, and the song is you know the character in the song has a brother going off to war who is killed and you know he hears about this. He's torn up inside but Eddie Vedder talks about how kind of outwardly he looks, like they did at the time, which was like kind of this young sort of I mean long hair, kind of rock and roll-ish whatever your stereotypical rock and roll kid might be or alternative grunge, that type of thing.
Speaker 1:Now he's going through something, or alternative grunge that type of thing. Now he's going through something and you know this, you know he talks about, you know he sees people and he waves but they won't wave back and it's like he's trying to relate to these other people who have lost folks in the war and but all people are seeing in them. Is this outward appearance, and I think from Jeremy all the way through, like I think you could kind of see this songwriting of kind of a don't judge a book by its cover type thing and just this. We've all got more going on inside of us than you know, and so sometimes not necessarily judging exactly what your eyes see is pretty valuable, and I think that's what this song kind of hits on.
Speaker 2:I love that's what this song kind of hits on. I love that interpretation. I think that, yeah, that's really powerful and a very important message, because we often jump to conclusions that other people you know are only out to like bother us and it's like no, they've got like a lot of things going on, I'm sure you know. Give them the benefit of the doubt. They might have something going on Same as you do, something going on same as you do. The reason I know this from TikTok and Instagram Reels is the I believe the opening verse is just kind of sung nonsensically. And so there's all of these. It's all these like memes about how people are, you know, really feeling the lyrics here, as they like drink a cup of coffee and like stare out their window, and it's just essentially kind of nonsense sounding.
Speaker 2:It's really difficult to know what he's singing, um, and so I absolutely love that, um. You know that even when he's kind of like mumbling into the microphone, uh, he's still producing great music. That's awesome. Yeah, it's good stuff, okay, uh, home stretch here last three tracks and track number 10 is a more.
Speaker 1:You know, relatively newer ones from all of these. And it is Thumbing my Way Because, again, even though I love the energy they bring in so many other tracks, I also just like something that's a little lighter sometimes, although, again, you read into the lyrics here it's not as light as you think, but lighter sounding, I guess you'd say. But you know the lyric that stands out here is no matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead. And you know he has said this is about hitchhiking through. A broken heart is the way he kind of describes this.
Speaker 2:And so very literal, thumbing my way, you know, reference to hitchhiking, but, um, really great song yeah, I, I also called out that line because it was one of my favorites, uh, because it's just so hopeful um, and no matter, yeah, no matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead. I really enjoy that and I think it's important to think about that sometimes, whenever you're going through a dark time or anything that's really challenging, like things. You know, going back, things change, so you just have to be hopeful that things change for the better and that there's something good on the horizon, as long as you keep pushing. So, yeah, really, really nice song and I love the. I love the imagery here of, like you said, hitchhiking your way through a broken heart, which is always a really difficult thing to do, and I love the idea of it being hitchhiking because it's like there's not necessarily a step, there's not just a solid. Okay, here's the course you're going to take when you're trying to get over a bad relationship.
Speaker 2:It's so haphazard you may get in a car that leads you astray. It's like all these different things. I love the metaphor. I think it's so powerful, so really nice. Okay, this next one we go even further into the future. So this is Just Breathe off of, I believe, Backspacer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 2009. This one got quite a bit of radio play, I think, when it came out, which you know. Pearl Jam just generally doesn't get a ton of radio play, especially a lot of their newer stuff, but this one did, you know, I think, when I was looking at. You know my notes here.
Speaker 1:If Black is about first relationships and the heartbreak there, I feel like this is about last relationships, you know, because this very much kind of you know thematically hits for me as like saying goodbye to someone right and saying goodbye to a loved one you know, possibly the love of your life, and just kind of, you know, asking them to just keep breathing and stay with you and sort of regretting not saying more loving words along the way and all those things, but also being grateful at the same time. So so I mean, I just love this song and I think the songwriting here is just perfect. But yeah, no, I mean it and it's really kind of interesting that you know Black is about 20 years prior to this and he says it's about first relationships and so when, when I hear this one you know next to that one, like, yeah, this is more that last relationship.
Speaker 2:I love that and, yeah, I think I just love this song. I love that it's an acoustic song. Again, you know, going back to his voice, it works so well even on an acoustic track. It's absolutely beautiful, and so I really liked that. You, you know, included something that was very different than all the rest in in that regard, because it just shows again, like the, the range that he's got, um, that it's not just like a you know one trick pony type thing, um, and clearly not right. They've had so many albums and a lot of commercial success, but it's just really cool to kind of hear whenever artists can also release an acoustic track, that just is incredible and you just want to keep listening to it over and over again, and this certainly is that. I loved it. All right, the last track of the mix is just Eddie Vedder. So you know, I'm interested to hear your thinking on this one, and it is the track Far Behind.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So Eddie Vedder's done quite a bit of solo work and so I thought I would just highlight one track here. So I stole one track off the Pearl Jam mix to just kind of show all right, eddie Vedder on his own. This is from the movie soundtrack for Into the Wild, which I believe he was nominated for an Oscar for one of the songs. But again, that movie is about you know kind of a younger guy giving up everything, going on this journey and that's you know. This song, I think, just hits that exactly right, just leaving things behind. He works with some really cool artists on this soundtrack, so it's definitely worth checking out the whole thing. But it is kind of a slightly different sound than just, you know, pearl Jam. But I think if you like Pearl Jam, this is the direction you can go and write into Eddie Vedder's solo work that I think you'll love that as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I loved that you included this I wrote it's almost like an alt rock version of like Pearl Jam you know, having him just do solo work here Absolutely love the lyrics. I also think it's really appropriate as a closing mix or as a closing song to this mix, because it's like you said, it's just all about kind of like leaving everything behind, like not containing yourself into a shape and how sometimes having less is more. You know I love the second verse empty pockets will allow a greater sense of wealth. Why contain yourself like any other book on a shelf, Like such powerful, empowering lyrics and ones that I'm very excited to take with me? I always love.
Speaker 2:I feel like Pearl Jam has so many lyrics that you could just like put on a poster or write down and kind of be inspired by, and this certainly checks that box as well. So this was awesome. I love listening to this mix. I feel like I've been introduced to Pearl Jam, so thank you so much for spending the time to put this together for me and, hopefully, all of you listeners. If you're not familiar with Pearl Jam, you've got like a pretty good base to start off with and now you can feel a little bit more comfortable talking about them and knowing their history. And yeah, it was awesome. Thanks, Matt.
Speaker 1:Oh, this was great and it was really cool. For me it's like when we were trying to figure out a band that it would make sense, for, like I said, they came about, you know, when I was like 14. So I was like I feel like I've always just I've kind of grown up with this band, so it's really interesting to see the evolution of their music. But, yeah, so many songs that just brought me back to like high school and college and songs I heard over and over again and I will say, you know, for people who maybe aren't as familiar with them, I will fully concede it's not like I was digging into the lyrics when I was 14 and knew, like, what Evenflow meant to me. It was just, you know, laughing about.
Speaker 1:Adam Sandler just saying it was gibberish on Saturday Night Live. I just couldn't understand a word. But yeah, no, there's some great songwriting. Sometimes it's a little difficult to understand, but trust us, it's there All right. Well, there you have it Another super awesome mix for your collection. We've got plenty of mixes to do and plenty of more bands to introduce to each other, so we're looking forward to this series as well, but we'll get to work on that. And so for Sam, this is Matt, and we'll see you next time.
