Opera Singer Tries To Analyze This... and FAILS! Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter" stumps Elizabeth

Рет қаралды 208,086

26 күн бұрын

Eddie Vedder is probably tied with Chris Cornell for my favorite grunge singer so far, and diving in deep into Pearl Jam's catalogue is the best way. Not prepping for this song by reading any lyrics, I figured I'd have an easy time analyzing "Yellow Ledbetter". I was dead wrong. Wizards, right?
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Pearl Jam performing "Yellow Ledbetter" for the first time.
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Written and Performed by Pearl Jam
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Pearl Jam - Yellow Led...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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Пікірлер: 3 100

@Pinche_Adrian 23 күн бұрын

When Eddie Vedder said "On a weelan Ona wissitonawayeaa Ani cownanasaya Nannawowasay ani gollah agaiii"... I felt that shit...

@rotten87 22 күн бұрын

I don't know how someone can make this any more cleareeree-eer.

@lowden87 22 күн бұрын

Its true when u think about it tho, vedder does have a point

@kandrabee 22 күн бұрын

I'm dying laughing over here.

@TroyHawkins1 22 күн бұрын

😭😭😭 yeah dawg

@dribblywildman7744 21 күн бұрын

This comment deserves way more respect

@fervidApathy 24 күн бұрын

It's hard to understand the words to "Smells like Teen Spirit" Eddie: "Hold my beer."

@johntruxal432 24 күн бұрын

🤣🍻

@danholmesfilm 24 күн бұрын

More like: “Ooolllmaahhbeeeaaah”

@thaddeusbohn9516 24 күн бұрын

Kurt: "hold my beer. Here's a song called 'tourettes.'"

@shannalewis8875 24 күн бұрын

😂

@chrisdankel4508 24 күн бұрын

😂

@justintime343 22 күн бұрын

I've loved this song for 30 years and have never known a single word of it.

@justins3810 20 күн бұрын

Same here! This is the first time I looked up the lyrics to this song.

@joshsimons7028 19 күн бұрын

Did this karaoke last nite b/c of the post.... Georgous song

@bunhelsingslegacy3549 19 күн бұрын

Same, I just looked up the lyrics now and they really don't make any more sense!

@alanela6761 18 күн бұрын

Ty, Justin. Now i don't have to comment. You said what i was going to say. And i will never, ever look up these lyrics. I don't even want to know

@justins3810 18 күн бұрын

@@alanela6761 You should definitely read the lyrics and the meaning of the song. Its pretty deep. Its a very emotional song

@AngieCurl 22 күн бұрын

This is the exact reason why we got card inserts with lyrics, in our CDs in the 90s 😂😂😂

@chads9431 18 күн бұрын

Not for this song though. The lyrics are constantly changing so even if you have the original lyrics the song isn’t the same now. 😂

@armageddonworm 12 күн бұрын

LOL Like how they started adding super hard levels to the 3rd hour of a game so that you'd get addicted to it, but couldn't finish it in one night if you were renting it from blockbuster (back when that was a thing) You needed to buy it to finish it. "You like this song? You need to buy my whole CD with inserts. "

@rdspam 24 күн бұрын

I once saw an audience member ask Eddie about the lyrics. His response- “wait, there’s lyrics?”.

@FeelItRising 24 күн бұрын

yet people still try to pretend there are. so dumb

@pcproffy 24 күн бұрын

When asked why this song wasn't on TEN, he said it was because he never finished the lyrics.

@padensmith4354 24 күн бұрын

He said in concert that the song was about a guy who’s brother died in the gulf war and he goes on a walk after getting the letter and can’t handle the news and on the walk he sees a couple on their front porch with an American flag and he waves but bc he looks like a 90s grunge guy they judge and don’t wave back not knowing he just lost his brother for the country. From Eddie’s mouth on stage.

@Qpoueoor 23 күн бұрын

Marbles. Hey.. I love it but…. Marbles.

@49erfevah 22 күн бұрын

There's lyrics. He just hadn't finished when they recorded. It's about a neighborhood kid who lost his life in the first gulf war. More specifically him seeing the parents being visited by military officials with "the letter".

@OblivionAviator 24 күн бұрын

"Eddie Vedder sounds like he’s singing in reverse." - David Spade, Weekend Update, 1990s. Best description I've heard, so far.

@skarlottt 24 күн бұрын

Lol I remember that!

@neil2444 24 күн бұрын

Lyrics don't have to be sensible or make sense. I realized this after hearing and enjoying many songs from R.E.M. Apparently the lyrics were made to fit the music rather than the other way around.

@rickc661 24 күн бұрын

@@neil2444 being a geezer - Beatles tunes, especially Lennons were oft like this

@ericapelt4591 23 күн бұрын

If you play pearl jam backwards it says "this sucks".

@memyselfundeye 22 күн бұрын

@@ericapelt4591hardly.

@LithiumProductions 22 күн бұрын

*_ACTUAL LYRICS!:_* Unsealed On a porch a letter sat Then you said I want to leave it again Once I saw him On a beach of weathered sand And on the sand I want to leave it again On a weekend want to wish it all away And they called and I said that I want what I said And then I call out again And the reason oughta leave her calm, I know I said, I don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag Oh yeah, can you see them? Out on the porch Ah, but they don't wave I see them 'Round the front way, yeah And I know and I know I don't want to stay Make me cry I see Oh, I don't know, there's something else I want to drum it all away And I said "I don't, I don't know whether I was the boxer or the bag" Oh yeah, can you see them? Out on the porch Yeah, but they don't wave I see them 'Round the front way, yeah And I know and I know I don't want to stay at all I don't want to stay I don't want to stay I don't want to stay I don't, oh-ooh, yeah Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh Ooh, ooh-oh oh oh

@kwharrison6668 21 күн бұрын

These aren’t the actual lyrics, they someone’s interpretation of the lyrics. The “Box or the bag” reference is almost certainly talking about whether “he’s coming home in a box or a bag”…

@gerardmichael8523 21 күн бұрын

@@kwharrison6668it's boxer or bag as it are you throwing the punches or the one getting hit

@bohacekml 20 күн бұрын

@@kwharrison6668 It makes sense if you think about being a soldier. Are you the one still standing, fighting, or the one who unfortunately dies and comes home in a "bag" (even though it's actually a flag-draped casket)?

@Oleoay 18 күн бұрын

@@bohacekmlbox or bag is the soldier coming home dead either way but has to do with the condition of the body

@Durandal1707 12 күн бұрын

@@kwharrison6668 I remember hearing that this was based on Eddie's conversation with a friend who lost his brother in the first Gulf War. Wiki seems to endorse this interpretation - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Ledbetter

@stevebruno7514 22 күн бұрын

I have never laughed quite this much at one of your videos. The confusion is wonderful. "I don't want to date" nearly broke me. But my favorite was "I'm not just a vocal nerd. I'm a regular nerd too." This is why your videos are so much fun.

@blaineferguson7699 24 күн бұрын

Pearl Jam's "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town" is a fantastic song!

@madsquishy3410 24 күн бұрын

Yes!! My favorite song by them!!!!

@johnc7512 24 күн бұрын

Agree

@belebih 24 күн бұрын

I agree. It's a song that has taken on different meanings at different points in my life, most recently with the passing of both my mom and grandma. It really is a beautiful song.

@920WASHBURN 24 күн бұрын

"My god it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return". Hurts

@Tristana.Keauna 24 күн бұрын

yes!!!

@spud69g 24 күн бұрын

"There must be a Wizard in here" needs to be a T-shirt.

@skarlottt 24 күн бұрын

Agreed

@elizaconroy2737 24 күн бұрын

😂😂😂

@riverkirsch8508 24 күн бұрын

Eddie is the wizard

@Antti79 24 күн бұрын

I'll take a size L in black, please.

@eloerch7 24 күн бұрын

Hahaha, there must be a Wizard. I love it.

@alexroman71647 21 күн бұрын

4 theories about this song: Yellow Ledbetter” may very well be one of the most-debated songs in Pearl Jam’s repertoire. There are at least 4 prominent theories circulating as to the origin of the song title alone, including (but not limited to): It is derived from the name of an old friend of Vedder’s from Chicago named Tim Ledbetter. (This theory is strongly supported in Kim Neely’s definitive biography Five Against One.) It is derived from an old tongue twister in which you try to say “yellow better, red better” as fast as you can. According to an explanation on Songfacts, “Just a few times repeated, the words become jumbled and you get ‘yellow ledbetter.’ The reason they named the song this is because the lyrics are indistinguishable just like the tongue twister.” It is a tribute to Huddie Ledbetter, also known as Lead Belly. Lead Belly was a pioneering Blues musician in the 1930s and, later, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who recorded much of his music while in prison (at first, for carrying a pistol, then for killing one of his own relatives in a fight over a woman). It refers to someone receiving a letter and finding out their brother had died in the war (these types of communications were often sent in yellow envelopes). This theory is heavily supported by Eddie’s variation on the words during the Live at the Garden version of “Yellow Ledbetter,” in which he purportedly sang, “I don’t know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag.” Title aside, the lyrics of “Yellow Ledbetter” are fairly difficult to understand when heard live and even on the recorded version. Pearl Jam’s fan organization, the Ten Club, would regularly receive letters from fans begging them to provide some hint as to what the “real” lyrics were. Thus, when Epic released “Yellow Ledbetter” on a Japanese CD-single of “Daughter” in 1993, fans were scrambling to get their hands on the lyric booklet included with it. However, as Kim Neely points out in Five Against One, “Even the purportedly official lyrics were nonsensical… In fact, there never were any real lyrics. Eddie had simply improvised them during the one-take session, singing whatever phrases happened to pop into his head.” Today, this ambiguity still leads to the creation of many ‘misheard lyrics’ videos, dedicated to humorously interpreting whatever Vedder is saying.

@CathyKeating 19 күн бұрын

"Misheard lyrics" = mondegreens. Many opportunities for those here!

@clownzzz4837 17 күн бұрын

'Coming home in a box or a bag' is what I thought the lyrics were for years, because in my mind, this song was about a father who lost a son in a war.

@bofdiggy1918 17 күн бұрын

That Kim Neely explanation makes the most sense… this really does sound like Eddie is improvising, mapping out the melody. Which would also make sense as to why such a great song didn’t make it onto the Ten or Vs albums… in Ed’s mind, it wasn’t finished. But it sounded great so that they used it as a B-Side/outake/filler and when the radio DJs caught wind of it, they blew it up in rotation. Then the fans took it from there. The vibe was actually so refreshing against the stereotypical grunge sound. Pretty remarkable jam.

@Spectre-wd9dl 16 күн бұрын

Eddie says it's about his friend and the letter.

@wiz3421 12 күн бұрын

I've always subscribed to the fact it's just an improv song given the lyrics change with each performance.

@veddermn8 21 күн бұрын

Bandsplain podcast has Eddie's quote explaining the meaning pretty well at the 2:50:20 mark, Basically Ed was walking with a friend of his who was "alternative looking" who had a brother die in the Gulf War and recieved a "yellow letter" as notification. As they were walking, his friend saw a flag on a house and waved at the people sitting there in solidarity, but because of his appearance, the people on the porch ignored him.

@giuliko 18 күн бұрын

That's true!

@brianr9113 17 күн бұрын

This!

@bo_wright 15 күн бұрын

“Can you see them? Out on the porch, but they don’t waive…..And I see them, round the front way and I know that I know, I don’t want to stay…”

@tbmike23 13 күн бұрын

This is correct.

@javyguzman9123 11 күн бұрын

It's an old lead belly song Some of the other songs Lead Belly recorded have become standards, including "Rock Island Line", "Midnight Special", "Where Did You Sleep Last Night (In The Pines)", "Bring Me A Little Water, Silvy", "Pick A Bale Of Cotton", "Cottonfields", etc. His songs are included in books and folios, and most are published by The Richmond Organization, with whom he's been associated since the early 1940s.

@rom65536 24 күн бұрын

10 years ago, I was working as an aerospace engineer, and one part of my job was to entertain three Japanese engineers who were working with us. So - I took them out for drinks and karaoke. The Karaoke bar I took them to had "theme nights" and the first night was 90s themed. After an insane amounts of alcohol, they got up on stage and all together sang "Would" by Alice in Chains. Then they pressured me to go sing. Now - at the time, I was literally falling down drunk. So, figuring that I couldn't carry a tune anyway, I selected this song and completely nailed it.

@pop9095 23 күн бұрын

This is a blues song about heroine, so nah-yeah naturally. Were the Japanese impressed?

@ellasieradzki5398 22 күн бұрын

Please tell me there's a video of them singing Would. Please. I beg of you.

@rom65536 22 күн бұрын

@@ellasieradzki5398 I wish - it was funny.

@renecuellar3078 21 күн бұрын

Bahahahahaha!!!!!!

@mrksts1 21 күн бұрын

“Drunk karaoke” perfectly describes what I’m hearing 😂

@AviatorLuber 24 күн бұрын

Sitting on the porch drinking a beer with a wizard you don't want to date, talking about a box and a bag. Makes sense to me.

@sarkastro 23 күн бұрын

It's "I don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag", and that makes perfect sense.

@jimmccoys5778 22 күн бұрын

Don’t know why or how a song with lyrics you can’t ever understand is so good!! It’s the emotion and the music! I guess, who can really say?! It is what it is, or whatever you want it to be!!

@danduntz2539 22 күн бұрын

@@jimmccoys5778 Music in general is massively emotive, which is what resonates with people. I’ll give you an example: I love the Gypsy Kings, who speak a combination of Spanish and French and their native tongue. The Spanish words I understand but the rest I don’t know, and yet it’s highly enjoyable and emotionally connecting.

@Whispererinthenoise 22 күн бұрын

@@danduntz2539 Sigur Rós, Cocteau Twins or Alcest (for example) in alot of their songs don't even sing actual words, it's just vocalizations but they still have emotional impact.

@nickmcp7191 21 күн бұрын

@@Whispererinthenoise Then there's Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano...

@Roostercox 22 күн бұрын

“On a wizard on the way”….”I think there was actually nonsense in there.” I love this channel!!!!!

@ButBigger42 22 күн бұрын

I love this song but the misheard lyrics video is amazing. "Potato Wave" gets me every time.

@BadHammers1 22 күн бұрын

“Make me fries!” 😂😂

@timfrank6183 21 күн бұрын

Make me fries

@BourbonondaBayou 20 күн бұрын

Can you see Dems

@ButBigger42 20 күн бұрын

@@BourbonondaBayou unfortunately.

@FatherKenobie 20 күн бұрын

I don't know why they sun tan nails.

@joshbodenhamer8737 24 күн бұрын

"Don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag" is one of my favorite lines

@ofsinope 24 күн бұрын

"ano wadda wedda amma bossa oda back"

@georgeconradie4854 24 күн бұрын

I don't want a whale in a box or a bag

@JB-un2iv 24 күн бұрын

Is his brother coming back in a box or a bag

@EveryBodyHz 24 күн бұрын

"Don't know whether I'm in the box or a bag" ? Wine. Definitely, definitely wine. Lots of wine!🤣

@jmhaces 24 күн бұрын

@@EveryBodyHz Maybe milk if he's in Canada.

@tomfoolery342 24 күн бұрын

He's singing in cursive!! When I first heard it, I thought I had eaten an edible but didn't realize it.

@spamwagon 24 күн бұрын

"Singing in cursive"... that's f-in great! I gotta steal it.

@Skfishin 24 күн бұрын

😂

@otakubancho6655 24 күн бұрын

More like singing in Japanese calligraphy!

@alia_and_gotin3117 24 күн бұрын

HAHAHA that is the best comment!

@PriestessOfNothing 23 күн бұрын

😂😂😂

@danm2152 23 күн бұрын

I'm so glad you did this song, it's one of my favorites. I've always called it the perfect "end of the party" song. When everyone is tired out and falling asleep on couches, this is the song that comes on and you just vibe out.

@simonbischoff7840 22 күн бұрын

I feel the same. I saw them live in Nuremberg 2000 and this was the final song of the festival, all lights on. Good times...

@MichaelMullane 14 күн бұрын

"I don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag" is my favorite lyric from this song. (sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail)

@mikehanken2485 11 күн бұрын

I think he was referring to the way soldiers came home from Vietnam whether it was in a bag or a box

@saltydroog854 24 күн бұрын

"There must be a wizard in here" -Elizabeth Zharoff This needs to be on a shirt, in the merch store.

@2001Bytes 21 күн бұрын

And the Wizard is going wacka wacka.

@dmoore0079 24 күн бұрын

As big Hendrix fan, I always loved this song. That intro is so Hendrix flavored that you could almost imagine him playing it.

@Firedog-ny3cq 24 күн бұрын

He absolutely did.

@mobhatter 24 күн бұрын

McCready really channeled Hendrix here. Oh, and they played this with Little Wing.

@40ozkingwest9 24 күн бұрын

First time I heard it I thought it could be an unreleased JH song. Then he sang.

@mattroxbury2691 24 күн бұрын

It’s because it’s the lick from Little Wing

@Mephilis78 23 күн бұрын

It helps that he's playing a stratocaster. That lovely chime.

@blankthoughttv 23 күн бұрын

That opening always makes me think of Steve Ray Vaughn and Jimmi Hendrix. Straight out of their play book and so masterfully played too.

@anewvibration3586 19 күн бұрын

The opening riff was actually written by Kenny Wanye Sheppard when he was 16,

@blankthoughttv 19 күн бұрын

@@anewvibration3586 Now thats something I diddnt know! thats super cool. I got to see Kenny Wayne Sheppard back in like 2012. Some strange stuff going on with family so I diddnt get to stay for long.

@TheDevNull 12 күн бұрын

Mike McCready wrote it, and has said that he was inspired by Jimi's "Little Wing". It makes sense when you realize they are both from Seattle.

@SingularlyNaked 11 күн бұрын

@@anewvibration3586 And it appears in the song “While we Cry”, which Eddie references with “make me cry”. “While we Cry” appears on the album Ledbetter Heights. I saw somewhere that Pearl Jam acknowledged that this song was inspired by While we Cry, and I can’t imagine that’s not true.

@SeanEnginetechnology 9 күн бұрын

McCready is such an underrated guitarist, the jamming with Mad Season at the Moore theater is so incredible, aside from that solo for Alive, gave me a whole new level of respect for his playing ❤❤

@MrChologno 21 күн бұрын

As a non native English speaker, it is somehow reassuring to see that understanding Eddie Vedder is not easy.

@kurtwashere 24 күн бұрын

I've been singing along to this for almost 30 years now, and I've never looked up the lyrics. No idea what I even say when I do it...stuff just comes out and it feels right. Strange how that works.

@tom8357qld 24 күн бұрын

Perfect lyrics every time I bet..

@alutious 24 күн бұрын

Maybe that was his design. Write your own words, here are the sounds. Brilliant.

@ricky6foot 24 күн бұрын

Same! 30 years of whatever needed to be expressed. This is a go to when I need to figure stuff out, have a cry, whatever. The lyrics flow and then... something is ok again.

@dmitryowens 24 күн бұрын

I never knew the lyrics either, but I just looked them up - I had a few correct 😎

@ltomolo 24 күн бұрын

This very much made my day lol thanks for sharing my own shared experience with this song!

@verkpunk 24 күн бұрын

This is my favorite song about wizard dating.

@laurieemme1534 24 күн бұрын

😂

@JonH611 24 күн бұрын

Wizards NOT dating, that is

@BeansBrown22 24 күн бұрын

😂😂

@Ian-lm5ep 23 күн бұрын

So many to chose from

@mlyness100 Күн бұрын

“The most beautiful song you can’t understand”

@EpicMogi 23 күн бұрын

So glad that you went into this without homework. Knowing the lyrics before hand takes away from the experience. Thank you for that

@BertZedic 24 күн бұрын

Eddie Vedder when asked about the lyrics from the song : “the song took as its subject a friend of mine from Seattle whose brother served in the first Gulf War. My 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. The reference of a “box or a bag” also refers to how a soldier might come home. I always loved this song, but it took on a much deeper meaning for me when I found this out…

@kieranobrien7342 22 күн бұрын

Great explanation 👌

@jasonbertholomey1142 22 күн бұрын

Exactly what I had read about the meaning to the lyric!

@daveb8823 22 күн бұрын

I know in the early 00's he was using "I want to wish this war away" referring to the 2nd Iraq war so it kind of cemented my interpretation of this as an anti-war song. Beyond that it is just an amazing guitar driven song.

@aniketkulkarni8414 21 күн бұрын

Yeah this needs to be pinned

@Brieve 21 күн бұрын

Except the lyric is ""I don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag"

@barrypennington6245 24 күн бұрын

The greatest drunk karaoke song ever

@floyd6545 23 күн бұрын

I know that's right!

@Tinus-pi3il 23 күн бұрын

Hmm,when I'm drunk I can't sing like that but yeah, you're right. Come to think of it, I can't sing like that when I'm sober only when I'm drunk🤔

@thane9 21 күн бұрын

It's been probably 30 years since I first heard this song...and your summary of the vibe of hanging with a friend just quiet, sharing each others company passing the time. PERFECT summary of the feeling this song gave me back then as I was finishing up my undergrad, starting my real adult life, and those exact kind of friendships. I mean, I love the wizard idea...but...that little vignette you painted was definitely peaking inside my soul and expressed in words something I never knew I didn't have words for before. Thanks for that. I appreciate this song a lot more than I ever did before.

@BallardMusicBank 19 күн бұрын

i love the dogged determination by elizabeth to understand the lyrics , it shows her passion and reverence for the artist . i appreciate her soooo much !!

@magnetikmonopole 24 күн бұрын

When i was in 7th grade, my best friend's younger sister died of leukemia. At the wake, his older sister had this song on repeat. 30 years later, this song always make me think of them and their living room where we sat.

@benmason9755 24 күн бұрын

I learned a long time ago with this one that the correct way to enjoy this is give up trying to work out what Eddie's actually saying and just BASK IN THE GENIUS of Mike McCready's INSANE guitarwork ...

@imsohygh 22 күн бұрын

everytime i hear this song, ive never paid any attention to the lyrics, but that guitar though! A small part of me is in love with the idea that Jimi Hendrix' spirit had just one more thing to say and used Mike McCready as the vessel ......but yeah...go ahead KZfaq, do your thang ;)

@BeggarsOutpost4 22 күн бұрын

@@imsohygh Of course of mean Stevie Ray Vaughn...🙂

@matthewparsons6496 22 күн бұрын

@@BeggarsOutpost4 definitely channeling Stevie! Maybe that's the wizard reference...

@conehenge 22 күн бұрын

Amen!!! PREACH!

@SingularlyNaked 11 күн бұрын

@@BeggarsOutpost4 I think you mean Kenny Wayne Shepherd! Who was inspired by SRV, who of course was inspired by Jimi. It’s world-changing guitarists all the way down!!

@pattyconley4096 21 күн бұрын

Im so happy that you are listening to Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell, Elizabeth! My favorites of my favorites ❤

@eakelcoker9216 22 күн бұрын

Very brave to analyze this one as you did. I was the same way the first time I heard it, I’ve since seen the lyrics and I love the song even more. PJ had so many songs of meaning, one of the truly great bands.

@SaiyanHeretic 24 күн бұрын

"Yellow Ledbetter" was originally an outtake from 'Ten' and an impromptu jam that Vedder made up lyrics for on the spot. There is an official set of lyrics, but they've been known to change in live performances. According to interviews and audience Q&A Vedder has had about this song specifically, it's an "anti-patriotic" song about a friend whose brother served in the First Gulf War. This friend, Tim Ledbetter, received a "yellow letter" informing him that his brother died in the war, inspiring the verse about not knowing whether the brother will be "coming home in a box or a bag."

@waltciii3 24 күн бұрын

Well that ties some of these lyrical strings together.

@Mephilis78 23 күн бұрын

What about the wizard though? Was the brother the wizard?

@RustedSku11 23 күн бұрын

I generally think this is the plot of the song, but I recently was told the line is "...I don't know if I am the boxer or the bag" and I have seen evidence of this line. So it ties into the conundrum of waving back at the flag displaying couple, even though he is mad his brother is dead. I used to think it was "box or bag" but both of those outcomes are death and that doesn't fit as well as having opposing outcomes. The best part of this masterpiece is it makes people think and wonder from their own perspective in life.

@ShaunHensley 23 күн бұрын

Suddenly the entire song makes perfect sense

@Jarredpearman 23 күн бұрын

@@RustedSku11 When you look up lyrics in a search it shows the boxer or the bag like you mention here, but listening carefully it sounds more to me like he says "don't know whether it was a box or a bag", right in line with what the OP explains. My suspicion is that the lyrics page is simply wrong and is simply a "sugar-fried honey-butts" moment.

@sharoncarlisle9453 25 күн бұрын

Hahahahaha! "Tries to analyze and fails" You and the rest of us. Can't wait to see this! ETA: The lyrics change every time he does it too.

@TheCharismaticVoice 25 күн бұрын

Wait, really?!

@tswdtx 25 күн бұрын

Yep. He was asked one time what the lyrics are and his response was, "Does that song have lyrics?"

@sharoncarlisle9453 25 күн бұрын

@@TheCharismaticVoice Yes, really. There is a very funny misheard lyrics video for this song. Those are the words I hear now, lol.

@MichaelBrown-me3bh 25 күн бұрын

Do you know who Jimmy Hendrix is?

@sharoncarlisle9453 25 күн бұрын

@@MichaelBrown-me3bh Elizabeth. or me? Yes, I do.

@ThomTremblay 9 күн бұрын

Ament is SO good. He doesn't just come up with emotive parts, he chooses the right version of a bass. The bowed double bass is perfect.

@cringedadvids 22 күн бұрын

This guitar beginning is the final musical piece for the final episode of Friends.

@fgoogle5576 24 күн бұрын

PJ always play this as their final encore. The words often change, but it's not gibberish. The mood instantly chills when the crowd hears the opening riff. We all know its at an end and folks get REALLY emotional. Alot of strangers hugging and crying together during this song.

@digdugsmug 24 күн бұрын

They play it often but not every show. That's why their shows are so good, tons of variety.

@scottNNJ 24 күн бұрын

I’m not being critical of you when I ask about your phrase “final encore”, but how many encores do they do? I know some performers have more than one, and I can see Pearl Jam being one of them.

@scapito 24 күн бұрын

@@scottNNJ I've seen them live several times for each tour, and they will sometimes do an extra encore, but more often than not is usually just 1 long encore. They usually play mammoth length shows too. Their last show at MGM had an 8 song encore after playing 17 songs. Yellow Ledbetter was the second to last song. Very common for them to play it at the end of each show.

@fgoogle5576 23 күн бұрын

@@scottNNJI've seen 9 PJ shows (all prior to 2010) and this song WAS the final song played at each. Maybe bc we were in Seattle, maybe because they stopped this tradition after 2010? To Scott's point, I have experienced 2 encores on multiple occasions. In Seattle, we knew that having not heard Ledbetter yet... all we had to do was keep cheering and they would come out. If you are a crappy crowd... I can see them NOT returning for a second encore and therefore NOT hearing this song. But YES, multiple encores.

@timb1319 24 күн бұрын

David Letterman said it best when he inducted PJ into the Hall of fame.. Pearl Jam had so much good music for their debut album, Ten that they left this as a b-side and that this song would make another bands whole career. This is one of the melodies that really got John Mayer into guitar. Epic concert closer letting Mike McCready go to another place with his closing solo

@Spirit-FilledMindset 6 күн бұрын

A few years ago I was into online karaoke and wanted to learn this song with all it's inflections and nuances. He literally does not single a single line the same way throughout this song. It is soooooo hard. Such a great song too.

@user-my7bx8hw6y 14 күн бұрын

This is by far the funniest reaction I've seen from you. I can relate. I fell in love with this song before I looked up the lyrics , now I know them by heart and I love it even more

@kenleppek 24 күн бұрын

"I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay."... This is my favorite Pearl Jam song. It's very emotional especially once you find out the back story.

@A_Final_Hit 24 күн бұрын

What's the backstory?

@kenleppek 24 күн бұрын

@@A_Final_Hit apparently it's about a friend of Eddie's that was deployed during the Gulf war and receiving a letter informing them of his death. They didn't know if he's gonna come home in a box or a bag. He talks about walking down the street where there are folks on the front porch with a yellow ribbon around a tee, he waves but they don't wave back presumably because they are older folks and he's a grunge looking young man. Eddie also says when asked about what the song means that simply, it's about whatever it means to you. He slurs the words on purpose and is known to change the lyrics a little bit every time he performs it.

@Buckaroo_Banzai47 24 күн бұрын

@@kenleppekI think people get to hung up on deep meaning when you can just feel the music when it's trying to tell you something that can't be described with words. Now that you shared the backstory of the song, though, it makes me like them even more.

@A_Final_Hit 23 күн бұрын

@@kenleppek Thank you for the info. 👍🏽

@maryohara6192 24 күн бұрын

His voice is so captivating. I think he was singing in a mix of French, Italian and Bob Dylan.

@SirHackwrench 24 күн бұрын

Nah. Too much vocal rhythm to be Dylan 😝

@lennorris4544 23 күн бұрын

'Dylan' had me rolling 🤣

@CaelenSawyers 22 күн бұрын

I've listened to this at least 200 times. The fact Elizabeth is coming up with lyrics I've never heard anybody say is testament to the meme behind this song.

@davebradley4865 11 күн бұрын

The misheard lyrics video for this song is one of my all time favorite KZfaq videos. And captures the actual lyrics perfectly!! "Anna Nicole's momma says that she don't wanna see Anna fall down again."

@PlaztekNerd 3 күн бұрын

Make me fries!😂😂😂😂😂

@kawrss31 24 күн бұрын

''Eddie was interviewed in Amsterdam, and stated, he wrote 'Yellow Ledbetter' when he was plastered. So he said the words change with each performance, since he dosen't actually remember the original lyrics. It all depends upon his mood. So according to Eddie, there's no actual "lyrics" to the song, either right or wrong. It's improvised for each performance. I've seen PJ in concert 14 times and each time, the lyrics are switched up. But, regardless of what comes out of Eddie's mouth, the song is absolutely amazing.''

@tommydeamon7657 24 күн бұрын

The intro on this is so jimi hendrix sounding its so buetiful like castles made of sand wind crys marry type of vibe

@jasoncarey2092 24 күн бұрын

It is Little Wing

@eljison 24 күн бұрын

... and Little Wing.

@A_Final_Hit 24 күн бұрын

As a 14 year old when this song came out, I hated it (and Pearl Jam) because it sounded like a Little Wing ripoff. Now, nearing 50, I love this song and Pearl Jam.

@tommydeamon7657 24 күн бұрын

@A_Final_Hit I've actually worked a bit on both tunes for various bands I've been in through out my life and strait up its not 100% little wing but yeah it uses alot of simular cord voicing moving motifs and other various jimi hendrix type stuff it Also probably not coincidentally bares some resemblance to Lenny by s.r.v

@jonlohrenz5446 22 күн бұрын

It’s similar to little wing but they are certainly not identical.

@Mountain-em1oq 21 күн бұрын

And yet, my favorite song of all time. I loved your description of him playing with sounds, beautiful sounds.

@xrexc3179 10 күн бұрын

Youre spot on with the vocalese as evidence by the fact that there are countless recordings of this song performed live where eddie sings completely different lyrics

@emerje0 24 күн бұрын

My favorite fairly recent song from Pear Jam is "Just Breathe", it's acoustic and really highlights Eddies vocals.

@craigstrickland1572 24 күн бұрын

Great tune. listen to it often along with this one!

@depbugg 24 күн бұрын

YES!!

@sharonspiller7427 24 күн бұрын

Really love Just Breathe. Just a beautiful song. It hits me that it’s a more mature song for those of us who were there from PJ’s beginning

@Craigpyrog 24 күн бұрын

Another great PJ song to cry to!

@DenOrfield 24 күн бұрын

I love that Song yes Liz do this song next

@vitorisfrozen 23 күн бұрын

Elizabeth is closer to understanding the lyrics when analyzing the vibe, at 11:00, then she was when actively trying to understand the lyrics 😄

@paulwiens5918 20 күн бұрын

Wow that was fun Elisabeth! I was laughing so hard I cried!! Yes you are close to what I heard,with exception of the wizard! Great time. Thanks!

@kathleendouglas9893 22 күн бұрын

girl u didnt fail. u NAILED THIS.

@slothkng 24 күн бұрын

my friends and i have this running joke that eddie's singing style at points is inspired by the swedish chef from the muppets

@WristwatchAddiction 24 күн бұрын

“Fooost weee beee gooona cooook deeee chiiicken”

@otakubancho6655 23 күн бұрын

More like the Finnish chef.

@otakubancho6655 23 күн бұрын

@@WristwatchAddiction here moosey moosey moosey!🤣🤣🤣

@thomasruck2264 24 күн бұрын

The song "Release" is one of my favorite songs by Pearl Jam. It is a great example of singing aaaa's and oooo's like you were talking about. Its almost puts you in a trance. its beautiful

@BeansBrown22 24 күн бұрын

Agreed 100%

@ryanr5319 23 күн бұрын

Third that. Always loved track 11. Such a great closer. 😊

@xoch1717 21 күн бұрын

it’s my favorite! and indifference❤

@Easyasinstallations 22 күн бұрын

Love you Liz. You’re so expressive. Don’t ever play poker. And that’s why I watch your vids. So good. You make me happy.

@johnkropp3793 21 күн бұрын

Marinating in delicious resonance... yup, nailed it 😊

@SPVFilmsLtd 24 күн бұрын

I've literally heard a live version of the song where the second verse was just Eddie singing drivers license information from a lost wallet he found by the stage. That says it all, really.

@Carmella64 24 күн бұрын

That’s hilarious. 🤣😂

@shadowproductions969 24 күн бұрын

goes to show that lyrics don't really matter that much, it's more about the melody and emotion

@davidboer4122 24 күн бұрын

The hook brings you back

@otakubancho6655 24 күн бұрын

🤣🤣🤣

@Nick.Steven 24 күн бұрын

Remember when she recently praised Eddy for his clear enunciation?

@Lets_RC 22 күн бұрын

My absolute all time favorite band! Seen them a bunch of times and when they play this song it always makes for a great memory!!

@eklypse69 22 күн бұрын

The first time I heard that intro, I really thought it was a lost Jimi Hendrix recording. The pristine strat tone sounds exactly like his clean tone.

@celtsfan9437 22 күн бұрын

A truly amazing and inspiring guitar piece… it’s got amazing tone and feel…

@secessioncycles1357 24 күн бұрын

Ready for the part 2 “reveal” video where you pull up the lyrics and re-listen 😁 I love to sing along in the car and this one was unintelligible but so easy to mimic the sounds. This song is truly about the emotions elicited from the music and then vocals. Mike McCready’s guitar with Eddie’s melody and vocal utterances just flow through you. I come close to tears when in listen to this in the headphones. It’s a beautiful song.

@wilusa3113 24 күн бұрын

This song still weighs on my chest and brings a tear to my eye.

@j.p.7708 23 күн бұрын

…… every time dude, every time!!

@ricardocoloma-md 23 күн бұрын

makes me cry every time too

@kingcosworth2643 22 күн бұрын

Yep, that poor wizard, life is just not fair

@Alex77au 21 күн бұрын

The music is emotional but the "Lyrics" sound like Eddie was singing in a foreign language...

@gjptmpmnp 19 күн бұрын

Unsealed, on a porch a letter sat.

@marciopaim2088 22 күн бұрын

Man, it was so much fun to watch this!

@marcusjones6586 19 күн бұрын

I was hoping you'd go over the lyrics, for the depth it has, between them and the songs progression, to me makes this song a masterpiece! "I don't know whether I'm the boxer or the bag". Personally, one of my favorite songs!❤ Thank you so much for the reaction!

@bruceanderson4219 23 күн бұрын

This reaction is priceless! You are adorable! None of us knew at first, either. Great song, great lyrics, great melody and thank you for a great reaction.

@bruceanderson4219 23 күн бұрын

Once you know the lyrics, you will easily connect the emotion of Eddie singing with the music.

@Cadinho93 25 күн бұрын

In the liner notes for "Lost Dogs", Mike McCready said: "A riff loosely based on something...I had during the "Ten" sessions. I thought it was pretty. Eddie Vedder then 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!" The song is about Eddie Vedder's friend Tim Ledbetter who went off to war, "don't know if he'll come back in a box or a bag." Also, I can attest as an attendee of their live shows, Eddie Vedder intentionally changes the words to this song when he plays it live. You never know what he's going to sing and I love hearing what the audience comes up with on their own.

@scapito 25 күн бұрын

Did you steal this comment from Brad and Lex's reaction? 😊 It's word for word the same one I wrote 2 years ago.

@kawrss31 24 күн бұрын

Eddie was interviewed in Amsterdam, and stated, he wrote 'Yellow Ledbetter' when he was plastered. So he said the words change with each performance, since he dosen't actually remember the original lyrics. It all depends upon his mood. So according to Eddie, there's no actual "lyrics" to the song, either right or wrong. It's improvised for each performance. I've seen PJ in concert 14 times and each time, the lyrics are switched up. But, regardless of what comes out of Eddie's mouth, the song is absolutely amazing. '' ~ myinfinitestate1586 10 years ago

@jasonremy1627 24 күн бұрын

The riff is totally cribbed from Little Wing.

@lorikislack1504 24 күн бұрын

box or bag is so powerful. I also heard him sing, "why does he wear sand" meaning the sand camo....and he relates it to the beach lines.

@saltydroog854 24 күн бұрын

As I understand it, it was Tim Ledbetter's brother that went off to war, and he received the news of his death in a yellow letter, and Eddie just cryptically combined "yellow letter" and "Ledbetter".

@Hereisone. 20 күн бұрын

I love the bluesy guitar work. Eddie..one of the greats.

@skeeterskier 20 күн бұрын

One of my all-time favorite songs. Not sure why it's so endearing to me, but it is. FINALLY got to see it done live a few months ago when the ended their show with it. Greatness!

@zombieflowers 24 күн бұрын

"make me fries" - Edward Louis Severson III, Yellow Ledbetter

@pastorofmuppets13 25 күн бұрын

Liz, no worries, we have all been trying to figure out this song for years. I have heard numerous live versions and the lyrics are different each time. I have come to think of this as Eddie using his voice as an instrument for different tones. My son singing this song is hilarious! So this one has a special place in my heart.

@subculturenm 21 күн бұрын

Song has a hardcore blues base to it, which is the main reason I’ve always loved it.

@marksayer4058 9 күн бұрын

I've sung this Infront of the stage many times with no idea what the words are and loving every second I'm happy with that

@ronaldsabourin8835 24 күн бұрын

I always loved the Hendrix inspired guitar intro

@mikegobin3169 25 күн бұрын

One of my favorite pearl jam songs.

@tbmike23 13 күн бұрын

It has an explaination, but it doesn't need one. Glad you enjoyed. This song was ubiquitous in the 90s. It was sorely needed, as well.

@scottkramer7431 21 күн бұрын

First time I heard this I didn't understand many words. I just cried. I cry every time I hear it. The guitar and vocal parts pull tears out of me.

@danholmesfilm 24 күн бұрын

I remember my cousin and I driving down the highway with the windows rolled down screaming this song and it’s “lyrics” out the window with all the passion and rage on earth even though we didn’t have a clue what we were saying 😅😊

@JayPhonomancer 24 күн бұрын

That's fantastic 😂

@mojobag01 24 күн бұрын

THAT is how it is done.

@gregallen4272 24 күн бұрын

How dare you to Dare to live life . Next big thing is to learn to dance like nobody is watching. Rock on

@aggrozen7467 24 күн бұрын

Great song to put your own context to. Begins with a letter, then people on a porch, then a box or a bag. When it was released I immediately thought of a fallen soldier.

@MrTyler918273 24 күн бұрын

Yea Vedder has said that was the initial idea when he wrote it (maybe "wrote" it is more accurate). It's about a kid whose brother died overseas and the people on the porch are military personnel there to inform the family, hence he doesn't want to stay there. Though that was just an initial idea and the lyrics and exact meaning change every time, but those few lines tend to stay in there somewhere.

@aggrozen7467 24 күн бұрын

@@MrTyler918273 Thanks, I didn't know that before.

@1960rlv 24 күн бұрын

That’s how I interpret the song as well. I imagine the lyric is mumbled because they are laden with grief.

@chipchops420 20 күн бұрын

I cannot get enough of these Pearl Jam,videos hopefully there will be many more 😎

@Cr1tikal_Hitz 5 күн бұрын

Wow u explained that vibe to lv 10 and I DIG It!!!! Love this song!

@2015DMJG 24 күн бұрын

The song is like a Monet. Beautiful music, beautiful melody, blurry lyrics. Beautiful song.

@orbislame 24 күн бұрын

I memorized the “sounds” of this song when I was a kid, instead of the words.

@aliwantizu 24 күн бұрын

SAME! I remember the first time I read the "official" lyrics, and I was like...ok then. But I still "sing the sounds." It's kinda like a song in any language other than English. I may not know the words, but I damn straight will "sing the sounds."

@BeansBrown22 24 күн бұрын

Same

@justindevoe9556 23 күн бұрын

Now we need a sequel where you react while referencing the lyrics!

@michaelbennett6778 23 күн бұрын

An incredible song that is an all time favourite of mine for zoning out and relaxing. You don’t need to understand words it’s just the feel of the sounds and emotion. It reminded me of the same thing watching my Dad back in the 70’s enjoying Ella Fitzgerald scat singing jazz and no worry about her lyrics just the vibe . Love the analysis as always x 🙏

@deadmanjack100 24 күн бұрын

Sooo... I cheated and read the lyrics while you were doing your analysis, and I gotta say... I could not stop laughing! And you still got your own little nuggets of wisdom in there. One of my favorite episodes so far. Bravo!

@kwharrison6668 21 күн бұрын

Read the lyrics? All of the ones online are wrong 🤣

@justins3810 20 күн бұрын

I read the lyrics too! Haha!

@Nozferatu46 24 күн бұрын

A song with a similar vibe, since Mike McCready is lead guitar on both... "River of Deceit" by Mad Season. Only instead of Eddie Vedder on vocals, you get Layne Staley...

@OtherTheDave 24 күн бұрын

Oh, cool! Thanks, I hadn’t heard of them.

@Littlewing1977 24 күн бұрын

@@OtherTheDaveMad Season only had one album but it is a masterpiece

@Littlewing1977 24 күн бұрын

@@OtherTheDaveyou should watch some of the live shows they did

@DustyBleeker 24 күн бұрын

Mad Season album Above is a work of art!

@maximovillarreal7205 24 күн бұрын

don´t forget Mark Lanegan

@Quezonol 14 күн бұрын

Thanks. Pearl Jam will always be the sound of the 90s and my childhood. It’s weird they’ve never been my fav band but gotta luv their sound.

@sabrinalocrian 22 күн бұрын

One of my fave Pearl Jam songs! You figured out more of the words than I ever could :-) For another vocalist who formed nonsense words around the sounds she wanted to make, listen to the great Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins; truly a remarkable voice!

@jefersonnatan9875 24 күн бұрын

When you ask what it's like to feel a song with your soul, that song is the translation of perfection. Pearl Jam is way beyond... ♥️

@theoldgoat3000 24 күн бұрын

"There must be a wizard in there"

@AMGK 19 күн бұрын

🧙🏻‍♂️😂😂😂😂😂

@johanlabuschagne377 20 күн бұрын

One of the most emotional filled songs ever. Love it

@shane2296 7 күн бұрын

by far one of my all time favorite songs.....not just pearl jam

@jerseymetalmike5111 24 күн бұрын

When you're in a bar, had way too many beers, and this song comes on the jukebox...fun interpretations!

@midkingsteve 24 күн бұрын

I've loved this song since I heard it in like middle school. Even though it's the one people make fun of the most, who aren't big fans, it's SO evocative. I always got that there's people on a porch, not waving, and there was a letter on the porch. And just that scene alone, with the performance, creates such a sense of loss and longing. It allowed me several times, not on purpose for me, to connect to those feelings via my own life experience and begin to weep, and feel supported by this song. I think it's magical. I have read the lyrics several times, but I always forget them, no matter how hard I try, because it gets replaced by the original experience every time.

@zennenn 23 күн бұрын

This is beautiful, thank you.