Thank you, Mike! For you to say this means quite a bit to me. Your cover songs are amazing! I am a prince fan, and have heard a lot of his work but a pure vocal analysis of Purple Rain might be very intriguing. I'll write this on my list. Thank you!
@@TheCharismaticVoice Makes sense that you’ve heard it. :) I suggest it for selfish reasons because I’ve been learning it. So I’ve been “reacting” to it a lot lately myself. It’s masterful, especially because it appears to be an actual live performance that they used in the movie.
@@TheCharismaticVoice I live in the "Land of 10,000 lakes" MN, I have been to First Avenue venue countless times over the decades which Prince made famous along with putting Minnesota music squarely on the map, I've been a huge fan of him & it was such a massive loss when he passed. (RIP you are sorely missed by so many)
I was having a really tough time as a 15 year old in 1999. Bullies. Parents' relationship falling apart. I was on the cusp of solving a temporary problem with a permanent solution. My English teacher assigned us to read our favorite poem in class. I read the lyrics to this song. It was my call for help. The teacher completely missed the point and sent me to the office for dropping an F bomb in class. Luckily, the Assistant Principal saw exactly what was happening and the referral to therapy saved my life.
I agree. It saddens me deeply. I grew up in the '80s and '90s so I was right there for the grunge explosion and for the death of it all. I say death of it all because do you remember what it was like between like 1988 and 1997? The grunge and alternative sound ruled the airwaves. Big time. So many wonderful bands came out of seattle. And they're gone. All of them. Except for pearl jam. Pearl jam is my number one Seattle band second to Alice in chains. I can admit it you know I cried when Staley died. And with everybody else when Cornell died. Their music was a huge influence in my younger years. It really was. I'm 42 years old now but.. I'm still stuck musically in the '90s. And that will never end. Stay safe and God bless
@@TheFuzzypuddle Eddie pays tribute to all of them with his music. Growing up watching all these bands just appear you know in the late '80s right up through the late '90s.. it was an amazing time for music. It truly was. I'm so glad that I was alive for all of that I was in my teen years. I remember every bit of it when grunge just exploded on the scene and then Seattle just started throwing out amazing bands. And then sadly within a decade or so they all started to die off. Seattle used to be the suicide capital of the United states. And I can see why. I lived there for a little while. It rains a lot. When the sun comes out it is a beautiful city though. But yes Eddie is I believe officially the last one left. As far as original vocalist. But Jerry Cantrell is still here. And we can't forget him. Layne Staley might have been the front man for Alice in chains but Jerry Cantrell put in the work just as much. He's still with us. Listen to the song Black gives way to blue. It's his eulogy for staley. At any rate thank you for reading my rant. Stay safe and God bless.
The line, "Daddy didn't give affection" is raw enough, but "The boy was something Mommy wouldn't wear" is truly Joni Mitchell level poetics. Brilliant!
You aren't lying though. The mommy line is one of the most underrated lines ever. And if you've lived that existence as a child it really hits you in the gut. It says soooo much in just 7 words. Absolutely beautiful, but also heartbreaking.
@@YerpDerp17very true. Also the first set of “daddy didn’t give attention to the fact that mommy didn’t care” the act of doing nothing is an act in and of itself and I remember being stunned essentially that someone even recognized that…
This is the true art of today. The novel is moribund, the cinema purely commercial, fine art in a crisis that threatens to turn mortal: what these guys did here, and in some of their other songs, is the best of art created in the US in the last 30 years.
And this is from the first album. Eddie came out of nowhere and dropped some heavy lyrics with such raw emotion. It is amazing to me that Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, and RHCP's Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic all came out within 30 days of each other. All pivotal albums in rock and my teenage life.
Dude. I am so envious. I was born in 89 and had to obsess over those albums when those bands were either semi disbanded or making way less impactful stuff (at least for a teenager). Or to make it worse - Kurt was already dead. I need to time travel back to 91
Never put together how closely they were all released because back in the day, you didn’t get new songs every 3 weeks so singles rotated for quite awhile. Man, we were lucky!
I never realised that these albums were that close to each other but no surprise I guess. It was such a fervent time that you will never forget. BTW in the UK it was massive shot in the arm after a constant load of dance based drivel that had no soul or substance.
this is my dads account btw (he just passed so i'm closing things out). I bought Pearl Jam Ten the day it came out. This had such a profound effect on my life back then at the age of 15. Thank you for covering this. Your channel is unbelievable. Watching you cover so much variety... wow... plus your personality shines and I have to say. It's refreshing to hear such a deep technical analysis while also having fun with the songs. You're seriously needed in the music scene.
Coming up on the one year anniversary of my dad's passing this month, so I can relate to how you might be feeling. All of Pearl Jams albums got me through alot of tough times going through my teens when they came out. Eddy is one of the people I taught myself to sing to. I wish I had someone like her back then to educate me. You're right. Music and future music needs people like her. I've greatly enjoyed so many of your videos. Thank you for what you do.
This song was unfortunately really validating to many of us of the lost generation gen x. We were largely ignored including our traumas and I felt good to see someone held up who let it go. That sounds so creepy to say as an adult in our current climate. The pain of children still smolders it seems…
@@brandondoherty4195we live and learn - bet you’re no where close to that person today and probably have more empathy than most. I’ve found that my past of being “that guy” made me more willing to help and embrace the differences between me and others - while I’m sorry for those I hurt, they helped me become a better person by realizing my mistake. The fact that they could talk to me about about it decades later was the best thing anyone could’ve given me - grateful for that and they were better people than me. I would now do anything for those guys that I was an ass to, and they would do the same for me
"Jeremy" is based on two different true stories. The song takes its main inspiration from a newspaper article about a 15-year-old boy named Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson, Texas, who shot himself in front of his teacher and his second-period English class of 30 students on the morning of January 8, 1991. In a 2009 interview, Vedder said that he felt "the need to take that small article and make something of it-to give that action, to give it reaction, to give it more importance." When asked about the song, Vedder explained: "It came from a small paragraph in a paper which means you kill yourself and you make a big old sacrifice and try to get your revenge. That all you're gonna end up with is a paragraph in a newspaper. Sixty-four degrees and cloudy in a suburban neighborhood. That's the beginning of the video and that's the same thing in the end; it does nothing ... nothing changes. The world goes on and you're gone. The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back." The second story the song is based on, involved a student that Vedder knew from his junior high school in San Diego, California, who committed a school shooting. He elaborated further in a 1991 interview: "I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know ... the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere ... and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it."
I was eleven when this video premiered on MTV. I turn 40 in 9 days. I understood this song from Jeremy's point of view at the time, as I was not a popular kid in elementary and middle school and was bullied frequently throughout that period of my life. As an adult this song hits so much differently. I ended up joining the Army and fighting in Iraq. I have now lost more close friends from my time in service to suicide than I did to combat, and every time I hear this song it is absolutely gutting on both fronts. I love it, but it is a rough listen.
As a teacher, this song hits hard because I’ve seen so many “Jeremy”’s, teenagers who are dealing with various issues and forms of depression. I love this song because it is full of that emotion and brings awareness to these teens that need help. Sometimes, all they need is just a person they can confide in. Never just say “it’s a phase.” or “do better.” or “Why aren’t you like everyone else?!”. Listen to them and those cries for help. If you are unable to, or don’t know how to help them, then guide them to someone who can.
"Jeremy" is my favorite Pearl Jam song. It hits hard, is clear in its message, and pulls no punches. Hug your kids, listen to them, and never let them feel alone.
Being a parent is very hard for a man that is somewhat broken due to divorce and never had a dad as an example. I love my kids very much, but have a hard time showing it. And I get resentful with them at times, if that's the right word, because they treat me like crap because of what their mom says about me to them. I dont think they understand how much I love them or how much they hurt my feelings with the way they not only treat me which is completely ignoring me at times arguing with me and yelling or calling me stupid when they think I can't hear them. It crushes me. But the way they are towards each other breaks my heart. I wish I was a better dad. My daughter is 10 and my son is 6. And I don't know what the future holds for them. I hope it will be the best.
@@tonybelmonte1724 I'm a father who was a kid from a broken home. Abusive drunken dad, emotional tyrant mom. Dismissive older brother. I have trust and rage issues. Be the parent your parents weren't was my lesson. I love my wife and I tell her. I keep no secrets. I love my daughter's and my stepson. I tell them. Never let your kids doubt. It can be hard sometimes after trauma. I get it. Never let the silence speak for you when you could for yourself. I'm right there with ya. 🤘🤘
The story of Jeremy Wade Dell had a pretty profound impact on Eddie Vedder. When Vedder was a kid he bullied another kid alot, when he got older he said in an interview that it was his biggest regret in life and that he hoped the boy was doing well. I guess Jeremy's story spooked him. Made him realize the kid he bullied could have easily ended up like Jeremy.
Apparently Vedder knew another student when he was in junior high who had committed a school shooting as well, someone he had gotten into fights with before the shooting.
The song is based on two different people/stories. The first is of course Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson Texas. The second story the song is based on, involved a student that Vedder knew from his junior high school in San Diego, California, who committed a school shooting. He elaborated further in a 1991 interview: "I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know ... the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere ... and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it."
@@CGMiller George St Pierre tells a great story of how he was bullied in school so bad he started Martial Arts to fight back, he could never beat the bully though as he was a lot bigger and stronger then George. George went on to become arguably the greatest MMA fighter in history. Years later when he was the world champion he saw a homeless man begging on the street in Canada. It was his childhood bully. When he approached the man the guy got really scared thinking George would destroy him physically, but George was nice and kind to him and gave him $500 he had in his wallet to help him get a nice suit and haircut to get a job. Months later the guy showed up at Georges childhood house where his parents still lived and asked Georges father to tell George that he saved his life and he is forever in his debt for changing his life for the better.
Watching you attempt to focus on the vocal qualities whilst seeing the sorrow in your face while watching this was incredible. Your compassion is showing.. good on you.
Eddie sings straight from his heart. That's all there is to it. He feels what he's singing as he sings it. That and he uses his voice as an instrument like nobody else can.
I wouldn't say as nobody else can. There are so.e pretty amazing singers out there that use their voice as an incredible instrument but he does a tremendous job of it for sure.
Speaking from experience, seeing someone kill themselves in front of you is something that you NEVER forget. It's been 15 years and I still occasionally have nightmares from it. There's a saying I've heard that says "suicide doesn't get rid of your pain, it just passes it to those around you." The video gets this across in a powerful way - that Jeremy's last way to get people to understand what he was feeling was to show them and give them that pain and trauma. The song strikes you in the heart and lets you temporarily connect with that pain and understand that when we hear the FIRST cry for help, we need to go all-in on helping.
I understand. I watched my mom shoot herself. I was 13 years old. I dialed 911 and held her as she lay bleeding on the floor. We lived close to the hospital so she managed to survive. She nor I were ever the same again. One of my stepfather's shot himself and another took a bottle of pills. The one that took the pills died. The one that shot himself drank himself to death by 40. My mother died from smoking cigarettes. All were gone way too soon.
I love the quote in the beginning of the video for Ghost by Badflower, something along the lines of "Suicide doesn't end the pain, it only ends the chance of it getting better"
@@victorylane2377I know this reply is about a year late to your comment, but hearing this is just heartbreaking. I know there’s a saying that living through trauma makes you stronger, but in your case I don’t know if it holds true. Seeing your parents and caretakers do this to themselves must hurt in a way that I cannot fathom. Kudos to you for enduring and thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully it helps someone else cope with a similar tragedy.
I was stunned to FINALLY realize that, in the JOURNEY hit "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin"..... the "NAH NAH, NAH-NAH-NAHS" ......were actually meant to be ala "NYAH NYAH NYAH!" which means ha ha YOU LOSE! Cuz the lyrics are about his girl cheating on him....and then the guy SHE is cheating on him with....cheats on HER.....so karma's a bitch. SUPER-SUBTLE, right? Most would think it's just classic "NAH NAH" ala "LA LA", but it's far more clever and cynical! I hadn't realized Vedder's woahs were like an animal howling until i saw your comment. Good catch.
The kid who played Jeremy in this video, Trevor Wilson, sadly passed away in 2016. He was 36. He was in Puerto Rico. He went swimming and was caught in a riptide and drowned. So sad, so young. RIP Trevor.
15:59 Jeremy is one of the clearest statements in music about what it was like to be a chronically depressed and suicidal teenager in the 90s. I know first-hand. Because I was. It was much different than it is today. There wasn't near as much support. People were nowhere near as understanding. There was a lot of shame. A lot of anger. A lot of people telling you to get over it. Cheer up. Move on. A lot of people who just didn't understand at all and far more people than today who just had no interest in understanding. There was a lot of isolation too. Kids would just drown in their depression until they literally couldn't withstand the pain anymore. There are many important moments in this song, but this is a key one. I'm always struck by the duality of this moment. In his voice you almost hear Jeremy saying two different things. One is the desperation that he's tried to "erase this" from his life. He's tried to move past it somehow. He can't. The other, and more boldy said, is him spitting the words back in the face of those around him for ignoring him as his depression and isolation consumed him. He is giving a commentary on people not really caring. People being to wrapped up in their own worlds. And how quickly people shift gears and want to move on from uncomfortable things. He doesn't have the luxury of doing that. So, he uses the blackboard as a metaphor. A place where things are written and then erased when the class is done with them. Jeremy feels he's being erased. So, his response is essentially, "Oh yeah, well try to erase this experience from the blackboard of your minds." Which they likely won't be able to, given the severe tramatic nature of the tragedy. As portrayed in this video, Jeremy was deep in his depression, he was suicidal, but he was also just desperate to matter to somebody. Anybody.
Except that suicide rates among teenagers today are much higher than they were in the 1990s, so try again. You're right that the society in general was much harsher, but you only dealt with like 100 people in your life at that time. Now, kids have to deal with not only their families and their friends and the kids at school, but the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of anonymous strangers online who give them all kinds of crazy advice and complexes. It's much worse being a teenager now than it was when we were teenagers back in the 1990s. I see it in my nieces' and nephews' lives.
@@John-tr5hn "Have to deal..." ? No, they don't HAVE to deal with any of the social media BS that's out there. They don't HAVE to feel exposed on social media if they don't go/aren't allowed on it. Why are we letting these greedy corporate a-holes rule practically every aspect of our children's lives to the point they have no concept of real, TRUE life, and can only see and believe what is fed to them? Why aren't parents saying NO to this crap?? Everything is so fake and good God, how many HOURS UPON HOURS of advertising are they exposed to by the time they're 18 years old??? It's not good for kids or adults and it's literally killing people and dividing our country. Everyone would be much better off turning all that shit off and taking a walk in the woods... with each other!
I was 16 when this song came out and want you to know your comments are valid. You captured that time period so precisely. It was different. Very different. Talking about mental health was not a thing. At all. It’s not a competition with other generations, so no need for others to make a comparison. @1938Superman - look at us slackers, man. we made it.
This song and Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" tackled similar issues of childhood trauma, PJ w/ bullying and Aerosmith w/ sexual abuse, both about gun violence, both had raised the discussion on the rise of abuse of children, showed that videos don't have to be fluff, videos can also elevate subject matter that needed to be brought to the forefront. Steven Tyler continues to do annual events to support his Janie's Fund to this day
I don't think this one counts as gun violence, if Jeremy didn't have a gun he would have used anything else to get it done since he was the only person shot this is really a suicide and the gun was just the big neon exclamation point on the message he was sending about not being able to take anymore, you don't need a gun for that.
@@endless013 Yeah, sure he could have used anything else to kill himself, but only a gun could achieve what he did in a classroom setting. It is also pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't survive the outcome. A gun just makes it easier and faster to do with the most dramatic effects.
Don't forget Opera singer turned rocker Pat Benatar and her "Hell is for Children" song released in 1980, 9 years prior to Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun."
I think that if everyone stopped watching news so often and watched Elizabeth’s videos about vocal analysis the world would be a better place lol. It’s so relaxing.
Also, it’s funny because sometimes Elizabeth doesn’t seem to enjoy some singers but she always finds something positive to mention. That’s a rare attitude nowadays.
I remember when this came out. The video received substantial play on MTV (back when they were about music). There were no banners or warnings…. This song was the defining song that established Pearl Jam as the leader of its genre…
The "N@zi Salute" was originally known as the "Bellamy salute" or "Flag Salute" and was named after the Pledge of Allegiance writer, Francis Bellamy. It dates back to 1892, when the pledge of allegiance was created. The Bellamy Salute is also related to the Roman Salute
@@TheCharismaticVoice with a song like this (or "Hurt" by Johnny Cash for that matter), don't worry about not keeping it all together. Well-written songs are expressions of raw emotion, and demand an emotional response, even if it means breaking composure.
@@zacharyalvernaz7916 Its funny you would use hurt from johnny cash as an example, being the only song i can't listen to with dry eyes !! something in that song just destroy me internally.
I could say a lot of things about “Jeremy”, but it’s amazing how this song just finds a way to punch you in the gut over nearly 30 years. When I first heard it, I was in school and like a lot of people, I just thought it was “cool”, but scary and sad…because I understood that it could be anyone I knew. Fast forward to 1999, and I was a first year police officer in the Denver metro area, on-duty the day of the Columbine shooting. Then today…I have a 17 year-old son in high school who has struggled with the things young people struggle with today in a large, metropolitan school. I would be hard pressed to think of many other songs that could bring a tear to my eye over 3 decades.
Thank you for your service first of all Sir. I was in high school, and at the time, everyone was debating Nirvana vs Pearl Jam mumbo jumbo, but to me PJ and especially Jeremy sealed the deal for me. I hate to hear your son has to face things like that so young. No chance of moving away to nice rural Iowa I'm guessing? 🤔
Insane that Americans still have such easy access to firearms - it’s like the parties don’t care about the dead kids at all (particularly the republicans, the worst of whom spread propaganda/conspiracy theories about ‘paid actors’)
Elizabeth, I'm a 58 year old guy who remembers when Ten came out, and the MTV Unplugged performance and this video. At the time it came out and to this day It is definitely one of the best performances in each format and was a very brave choice for lyrics and video. I've seen quite a few video reactions of not just this song, but many others and you do an amazing job breaking down not just the vocal performance but also the emotions that drive it. Thank you and take care.
We need songs like this now, not just songs that talk about how much money I have or how many girls I can sleep with. I recently read something that makes a lot of sense to me. “When are we gonna stop pretending that songs that talk about drugs, fucking a girl while putting a gun against her head and living to buy luxury cars doesn’t have an effect in the culture of new generaciones?” Sorry if I made mistake translating, but I think it’s understandable
I think the way a lot of rock/metal/grunge is not afraid to address hard issues and deep questions in life has saved many lives. I can fully understand Eddy's remark that he thinks that this is the case for him. I know it helped me through dark times in the past. Lyrics like these are so much better than songs about b*thes and money... there is a reason why I have been a metalhead for over 4 decades now.
Yep, you're 100% right. And I'll go so far as to say that the b*tches, money, and violence music that's favored in certain communities is worthless, as is most Top 40 music around the world today. We all like a nice beat when teenagers, but eventually you grow up. In America, you'll still see 45 year old guys in urban areas driving around with a custom junky car blasting rap music wearing clothes they wore when they 20. Pathetic man lol
Yup. ONLY TWO THINGS SAVED MY LIFE: Grass and Music. Everything else and everyone else made me want to hang myself every fucking second in this vile society. And now I play Guitar Sorcery outdoors (instrumental loops or tripppy shit), JUST to make society more weird and colorful.... but to my shock, EVERYONE LOVES IT, even the kops or Normals or Mall Girls or Jocks! WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE until then (even though we all know Music is Medicine) was I HAD THE POWER TO CURE ALL DEPRESSION....in 3 seconds! (It helps that I have a funny stage name and funny sign and wear flashy fun clothes and play a flashy funny guitar [the world's only "Michael" Jackson flying V, ha ha][ i modded the headstock and it cracks eveyrone up, even ppl who don't know what a jackson flying v is!....plus i'm always stoned and drunk so I'm out there on sidewalks HAVING A BLAST....and everyone tells me MY JOY is contagious and instantly cheers them up, as does my music.) SUPERMAN and SPIDER-MAN couldn't cure all depression! This is why i keep begging all other musicians to PRACTICE OUTDOORS. Never ever practice indoors if you can help it. PEOPLE LOVE TO SEE LIVE MUSICIANS, even if they hate the music. They like the idea that there are more musicians out there!
@BONG ISLAND don't forget, much of what makes this a "vile society" as you say is rampant minority crime and shallow culture, substance abuse, apathy, and lack of education.
The “grunge” movement of that time was all about expressing the pain of youth ignored in the materialistic 80’s. Eddie and Kurt were both masters at bringing it to light. It is so sad that it ended up claiming Kurt.
@@jarnicules that was the sadistic irony of being a grunge band back then. Kurt hated materialism and fame and the egotistical nature of capitalist society and the upper class. He didn't like being famous and you could see it in any interview where he treats it as a joke. He didn't even like them putting his face on t shirts. Now he's dead 30 years and they're selling pictures of him as NTFs. It's tragic.
It may sound more like a ballad, still that song provokes quite a strong image and has quite a lot of emotion in it. It a great song live as well, with all the fans shouting 'hello' making me feel very lucky to be able to be there and experience it. And it has the great line "I changed by not changing at all".
Eddie used to just sing the hell out of songs with his face, you could see every word in his eyes, and he made you feel it. This song came out when I was in middle school, and we all loved it because it sounded amazing, without really knowing what it was about.
I love the emotion a singer can project not only through the notes but through their expression. Eddie is utterly amazing. Chilling every time I've seen him (which is three on this channel).
@@TheCharismaticVoice without sounding creepy, it's one thing I notice in your reactions and also in your own singing. It brings alot of dimension to the song and acts as a powerful image when the singer is able to project the soul of the song.
Ten is a top to bottom masterpiece. Very few albums in the history of recorded music can stake that claim. Other examples, just at a moment's thought: Boston's debut; Fleetwood Mac's Rumours; George Michael's Faith; Pink Floyd's The Wall
"Lemon yellow" Sun, pools of "Maroon". Names of crayon colors. Love Eddie's writing so expressive. From the black board.... Great line with double meaning.
“Try to erase me - from the blackboard” from what I understand - was written very literally as well as metaphorically. When the young man took his life it’s rumored that there was much of him left on the blackboard that they had to try to clean up. Maybe just a rumor - but there will always be that image in my head.
This song was a musical masterpiece. Even the end when Jeremy put the gun in his mouth, the guitar note rose in a suspenseful but subtle crescendo. The visual elements that stood out for me were the empty clothes of his parents, displayed so large, and on what could be considered a classroom whiteboard. They're absent. He can't access them. The father's suit is turned back-to. The implication is, his back is turned on both Jeremy and mom. Mother is facing forward but in a horizontal position; submissive to her husband but indifferent to her son. Her dress facing forward is a subtle common accepted misconception that all women are maternal. In Jeremy's case, that's not true. The mother is aware but doesn't care. She's represented as passive-aggressive. The child crouched in the mouth of the wolf picture is another visual that stood out. He feels thrown to the wolves and at their mercy. Then the huge open eye while Jeremy is trying to get his parents to notice and acknowledge him. When he gives up in resignation, the eye is closed. As if to say, God saw, but turned a blind eye. The darkness indicates both his mood of depression as well as the time that's elapsed since he first started trying to get their attention til the time he gave up. The child draped in an American flag and "90210" along with words like " affluent" and "suburb" signify that, under the noses of the privileged, a child is deprived of love, security, comfort, stability, belonging. All of the things wealth provides. With all the unrest in third world countries, and our country having the "American Dream" reputation, we have children who seem to have it all killing themselves in such violent and shocking ways. This imagery indicates a sarcastic incredulity at such a notion. This is becoming an essay so I'll stop. I just wanted to get my thoughts out. Thanks to whoever took the time to read this.
A very good essay at that. Thank you. One thing that has always struck me about this song is how the tension builds throughout the song but never releases. The ending slows down without resolving musically, ending on what I think is a 2nd and a 6th (I'm too lazy to check). The next song on the record (Oceans) is in a different key, so there isn't resolution there either, so the emotion invoked by this song just hangs there. It's like PTSD set to music. A brilliant piece of work.
This song was the inspiration for a short story that I wrote in high school. My parents accused me of plagiarism, they didn’t believe I could write. This song means something to me. Thank you 🙏
Just wow.. thank you to all the kind and supportive people on here regarding my dad. Something I've buried for years... my dad had a collection of Commodore Amiga computers back in the day. Around 35 years ago, my friend Adam would come over (he had an Amiga as well) and we'd play games learn programs, etc. He was in ROTC in junior high and I remember being one of maybe 2 friends of his. He was picked on daily and I would stick up for him as often as possible. One day it was too much after constant bullying and finally rejection from a girl he liked. He did just like in the video but at our friends house.. dressed in his ROTC uniform. I really tried to be a good friend but the pressure overtook him. This is the first time I watched this video because I wasn't ready back then. RIP my friend.
My younger brother, Jeremy, grew up with parents similar to those in this video. He turned to alcohol, drugs and other areas of self harm. We lost him when his drunk girlfriend in her SUV accidentally ran over his drunk self on his motorcycle... just before his 21st birthday. This song always strikes a very personal chord in me. 😥
Eddie himself was also terribly abused as a child. Our generation was much less open, he had a creative outlet, not everyone did. For our generation this was an important social outlet.
I have a big connection to this song. I was driving by the school as they were bringing the body out and putting him in the back of the ambulance. And later I found out that I knew 1 person that was in the class when it happened and another that was across the hall and watched it happen as well. Both of them were seriously effected by this as well as all the other kids in the class. A song will always hit when it is sung with real emotion. Which is how Eddie sang this song. He did an amazing job getting the emotion across.
For the first time in the thousands of times I've listened to this song, it just dawned on me that the lyrics, "try to erase this...." goes on to say, "from the blackboard". It's Jeremy basically saying bet you can't erase brains from the blackboard. I'm beyond grateful for this channel.
You can tell Eddie felt this 100% when he wrote the lyrics and almost 30 years later you can tell he still feels it just as much EVERY time PJ performs it live today.
I’ve got a cool story about Eddie Vedder. First I worked for an insurance company back in the day in the special lines field and remember actually speaking to Eddie about his boat policy! He said enjoyed calling instead of his agent! Very down to Earth and later we were able to meet at a Seattle Pearl Jam show so he was able to put a face to the voice on the phone 📱. ILL NEVER FORGET IT! RIP CHRIS CORNELL. The Seattle scene in the early 1990’s is unsurpassed by anything going on today!
one thing that I love about the music video, like you pointed out, is Eddie’s face. You see bits of confusion such as “What?...Why would this happen?...” but you also see this dark, evil type grin which can be safely assumed to be about the depression and pain creeping in, slowly taking over like “Yes, feel the pain. Get used to it because it’ll be all you will ever know” and on the exact same coin we see aspects of sorrow, sadness, and overall pain. Like “I can’t do this anymore. I can’t. Nobody is there for me, I have no one...” Confusion, Evilness, Sadness able to produce multiple aspects all at the same time which can be hard to do at times, but Eddie really nailed it perfectly given the inspiration of the song.
I’ve always thought a lot of Eddie for writing this song, regarding such a terrible tragedy. He also wrote “4/20/02” on the day he found out Layne Staley had died. I think that type of empathetic songwriting shows that he has real heart.
Jeremy’s mother didn’t see the empathy in it . Love Pearl Jam Love Eddie V . I didn’t know the meaning then I was about 19… Now I do know the story . As a mother myself I can see how his depictions using her son’s real name was very hurtful unintentionally disrespectful.
I hope the way Jeremy’s rage is expressed in this video doesn’t take away from the lead up to it. I saw this video when it premiered and, while gun violence was mentioned, the main thrust of the message the band was promoting was more the root cause of violence and how it affects people. The solution for gun violence is also the solution for all violence, and it starts at home.
I was more of a Pumpkinhead back then and not into Pearl Jam that much but....Eddies VOICE. There is just something about it that commands you to pay attention. One of the best voices and most charismatic singers of the era. The tone, the emotions, the....it's like he's telling a story even without the words.
The Beatles are my favorite band, and it's not even close, but, I have always felt that this album is Beatle-esque, not in its music, but in its greatness. I totally get what you're saying.
"Sometimes you can't express it with lyrics anymore, you just have to let out the sound" You said it! Enter grunge, enter Pearl Jam... This might sound weird, but as good as a vocal coach you are, italways amazes me the way you connect with the feels, rather tan just the techniques. Love your videos! Both educational and emotional... Thanks for sharing!
Can't believe I've listened to this song hundreds of times without knowing the story behind it...I'll never listen to it the same again. Such a tragically, beautiful song
I have loved this song since it came out and I have basically worn out my tape version of “10”. I watched the video for years and didn’t figure out, until…’98/‘99, that he shot himself in class. I don’t know how I missed the gun in the mouth, I think I might have just noticed it, I’m not sure. I really don’t remember seeing that on MTV. I didn’t know there was an actual back story to the song until today.
Hi Elizabeth, I remember hearing this song in the early '90s, and 30 years later, I can finally see Eddie Vedder's facial expressions in this MV, showing the aggression, pain, and frustration throughout the song. I also want to commend Pearl Jam for their continued activism to reduce gun violence. Thank you, Elizabeth!!! 💙
Thank you, Kirby. And I commend them as well for talking about mental health. Songs like this really do make me emotional, and they're tough topics that should be talked about.
The only way to reduce gun violence is proper education about gun safety and actual mental health care while reducing the tremendous economic disparity in today's society.
Thank you. I'm in tears. As a victim of bullying, physical and emotional abuse, living as manic bipolar, I've been close to death so often I've lost count. I searched for solutions in drug abuse for more than half my life, but, I found the solution in the AA, NA and MA program. I still suffer from physical and emotional trauma which I'm working through with professionals. I live a happy life today, 2 years sober, have a steady job and lots of friends who love and stand by me through anything life throws at me, I work everyday helping people with similar problems and that brings me true joy and happiness, I found my calling in life. Sadly there are those who never receive love and care and support that they need, so thank you for doing this video and mentioning the suicide prevention holiness. They exist in every country today and they matter, just like we all do, we all matter to someone. I prey that we can eliminate bullying completely so we all can live free. Thank you to Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder too. Never knew the meaning behind this song, thank you so much 🙏 ❤
This was and remains an incredible song. That B section when the lyric "Daddy didn't give attention..." comes in and the guitars get angrier is both brutal and beautiful (and then the strings in the second verse changes it up in a fantastic way). It's compositional and arrangement perfection.
I always come to tears with this song. Especially the unplugged one, with all the Eddie's body language coming out, it's beyond words... I'm 34, father of two boys. Knowing this story is real is heartbreaking, and you never know what you gonna get. I would never be able to support a loss of a son in this way. I try to stay connected with them with all my love, but still strugling to avoid some errors I do as the human I am. We all gotta take care of our children so there's less "Jeremies" in this world! Peace.
I've heard this song more times than I can count and I still get chills every time I hear his voice. It's powerful but velvet. It's just beautiful with so much emotion behind it. Ugh.
My son took his own life less then 3 months ago due to mental illness. I'm old enough to remember before this song first came out and now for some reason it gives me outlet for my grief that I cannot express my tears. My son's situation is so far removed from what happened to the real Jeremy but it still hits with the same impact that I felt when the first lump of Earth hit my son's coffin. How I wish no parent ever feels the way I do and outlives their child. I would give anything to take his place in the cold lonely ground.
I’m reading this one year on from when you posted. Firstly, my sincere condolences and secondly, although this will never leave yo, hoping this finds you able to move forward with life.
This song still has so much relevance today. Thank you, Elizabeth for taking a deeper dive into this song. My daughter lost three friends to suicide in high school. I was 25 in 1993 and this song still resonates and continues to be a favorite.
The Nazi salute was Jeremy's psychological vision of his classmates seeing him as a leader once the power of "speaking" was instilled in his mind. It being a Nazi salute is symbolic of just how deep his cuts were and messed up his head was. Not sure Eddie Vedder got that part of it from the story or added it himself and the director, Mark Pellington. My source for this was Eddie Vedder on a syndicated radio interview for the Vitology album in 1996. If I can ever find the actual source, I will add it here in place of this paragraph.
How can anybody not understand the nazi salute in that given context (the students pledging allegiance)? The pledge of allegiance is not much different from the fuehrer oath in nazi Germany. The brainwash behind both oaths/pledges is exactly the same. And have you never heard of the Bellamy salute? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute
Also note that the American flag in the background was hung "stars down". That is a common way to signal a call for help or someone is in distress. (which obviously he was)
@@danielcrockett8398 "Yes, like the black power *racist* salute and the communist salute. Identical. " --- You mean identical to the black panther salute that is done with a balled fist? And identical to the communist salute that is also done with a balled fist _(and the left arm, depending on your beliefs)?_ You know: a balled fist is practically the exact opposite to a hand outstretched _(like it's used in the nazi (and Bellamy) salute)._ So, yeah, m@r@n...totally identical. Thanks for showing off your "intelligence"...I'd even go as far as to say, your intelligence is identical to that of a very *thick* brick. PS: thanks also for _(once again)_ showing off your own racism against black people.
@@o.b.7217 Excellent reply. More eloquent than I would have been. Let me add, that the tired link between fascism and communism is getting, well, tired. The raised fist of communism represents unity, strength, or resistance.
The whole album "Ten" is an amazing and emotional record and "Jeremy" is the epitome of it. I´m not the biggest grunge fan but in my humble opinion "Ten" is one of the best written albums of all time. Your analysis of Eddies voice and singing completes the circle. Rick Beato did a "What makes this song great" about "Jeremy" - but he (as a musician) was more into the orchestration then itno the singing. For all those out there who want to understand why this song is realy great, watch Elizabeths and Ricks analysis!
Agree! It’s always great to get both Rick’s and Elizabeth’s reactions & analysis. They are incredibly gifted musically and are able to impart their knowledge in a way that the rest of us can understand
Ya know what's weird? I have been watching your reaction videos to songs that have been important to me for 20-30 years and twice now I've been wildly overwhelmed. First, when you broke down Wings of Marie ( i wept). Second, this one. I've heard this song a thousand times, and knew it was important, visceral, and a wild show of Pearl Jam's talent and heart. It's never made me cry until right now. You're reactions and insights are incredible and devastating. I look forward to you exploring more songs that have I've enjoyed for most of my adult life. It's a joy. Good job!
My grade 10 english teacher made my class watch this video and we did a deep dive into the lyrics, and the imagery in the video. This had THE single biggest impact on me throughout my entire education. I (27M) have never been so moved by anything in my life. This song is damn near perfection. edit: the original music video when jeremy was standing in front of the fire, they had him wearing a Nazi flag (which my english teacher showed) but was later removed to be able to be shown anywhere
"Try to erase that from the blackboard" An absolutely flooring lyric. Most of us have lost friends and/or loved ones to suicide. I lost several friends to suicide in high school alone. And I was there myself. The world can be cruel. Music is a good salve though. It can help purify the day and get you through it. I hope you know that by you choosing to do this song and video for this song in your own inimitable way, Elizabeth, you are helping people who are struggling to get through their day. Thank God Eddie is still with us. Thanks Elizabeth.
Two thoughts from this: 1.) I remember the version of the video that they actually played on MTV being slightly confusing because they altered it so you don't see him put the gun in his mouth. I was 5 at the time, but I initially thought he killed the classmates because it just cut from him pulling out a gun (they didn't even show the gun) to the classmates covered in blood. 2.) My favorite artists as a child: Chris Cornell: Suicide Eddie Vedder: Most prominent hit is about suicide Layne Staley: Drug overdose (slow suicide) Kurt Cobain: Suicide Scott Weiland: Drug overdose (slow suicide) I wonder if it's the chicken or the egg lol Did I have an unavoidable darkness that drew me to them, or did they influence it. I believe the former. Their music would eventually get me through the hardest times of my life, which were caused by random circumstance. But it's still weird that all my childhood idols were so tortured. At least I was raised on the best music.
I used to think that when I was a kid too. In fact, I didn't realize there were at edits and watching it right now, seeing him put the barrel between his lips, I'd never seen that before. That really made me go, "holy crap!" 30 years later.
I love your reactions to all the songs you listen to. You appreciate music, the lyrics, and have great breakdowns of the vocalists. Can see every emotion in your face. It's refreshing. You are awesome! Keep it up 😀
Great breakdown. Eddie Vedder has one of the best voices ever, anything he does is blessed with talent. Please do Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun You already did Black live which gives me chills every time I hear it!
Two songs by Pearl Jam that I love and don't hear brought up often enough, Nothing Man and Come Back. I especially love how Come Back is written so it can be interpreted as a break up song, about a strained friendship, or longing for a lost loved one.
The symbolism in having a harmony on the "King Jeremy the Wicked" indicating the duality of Jeremy's thoughts and the "lion" they unleashed. Excellent song structure.
I think this is also where that one particular 'disturbing image' of the class standing up comes from in the story. It basically expresses Jeremy's vision of everyone finally submitting to his will. It's a very strong image to describe such a psychological subtlety.
Been enjoying your reactions for a while and just want to say it is always such a pleasant and educational experience. Such a nice change of pace. So thank you for spreading some positive vibes.
You are the most emotionally and technically intelligent reactor I have ever come across. Your knowledge and emotion really help me get a better grasp of the songs you analyze, catch nuances I have missed despite countless times listening. Thank you so much for bringing your light to music and song, for breathing even more life into them.
I was 14 when this came out, and like any kid into the grunge music of the time, I saw this video a hundred times and I've heard it a thousand more since. I knew on a superficial level what it was about, but it was just another great song by a great band. Now, watching the video again for the first time in a decade or two and with a 16 year old son of my own, it carries a hell of a lot more weight than it ever did back then.
Thank you for your heartfelt analysis Elizabeth. This subject is so important and too many times they are overlooked. I love the way you weave the emotional elements into your analyses. And I'm sorry you had the experience you had. You said you know from experience the suicide hotline. Whether that was from possibly losing someone close to you or being in that dark place yourself, I know so many of us are very grateful you're here today. You and your channel are a gift to the world. *HUGS*
I found your channel only a week ago, and want to say so much but words get in the way. What you have created here is incredible, and you probably have no idea of the level of inspiration you inspire here. Fantastic in every way...
The craziest thing about ten, is that even though it's a brilliant album start to finish, it's hard to even say it's my favorite album from that year. 1991 was one of those years in music that everything seemed to come together. There's pearl jams 10, nirvanas nevermind, and soundgardens badmotorfinger and temple of the dog just in the grunge scene. On top of that there is REMs out of time, guns n roses use your illusion 1&2, rhcps blood sugar sex magic, Metallicas black album and more I'm probably forgetting. And that's just the rock side of things.
I am grateful that you are able to allow your feelings to guide you through such a difficult subject. Thank you for expressing and analyzing this song in a way that I never felt before. Your talent is not just on the technical side but your emotional delivery is a gift I truly appreciate.
I never knew the backstory. Thanks Elizabeth for your great review and informative summation of this great song. Your take on music and "singers" is so amazing and refreshing in a way that we have never seen before. Thank you
The insane thing about Vedders voice is they are still putting on insane 3 hour shows, I’ve seen them a but over 100 times and no set list has been repeated and his voice never sounds strained.
Out of all the "grunge" music released in that one month, this song is one that still hits like the first time even after 30 years. Eddie's gift is his complete emotional openness, a true high wire act VERY few can match. And 30 years later we still have yet to reckon as a country with the reality. This was a wake up call and we've pretended the phone hasn't been ringing for three decades.
One of the most heartbreaking songs. I shed tears many times while listening to this striking timeless work...Thank You Elizabeth for your emotional analisys this beautiful song ♥
Being a teen when this came out hit me hard and strong in my appreciation for music and the emotional vocal of the grunge era. I love how you( #thecharismaticvoice ) break down not only technical vocal science in lament terms, you also explain how emotion affects the vocal output. Big fan here.
This made me cry for all the right reasons. One of my favorite vocal performances.
Elizabeth, please do “Purple Rain” by Prince.
ua-cam.com/video/TvnYmWpD_T8/v-deo.html 💜🌧
Thank you, Mike! For you to say this means quite a bit to me. Your cover songs are amazing!
I am a prince fan, and have heard a lot of his work but a pure vocal analysis of Purple Rain might be very intriguing. I'll write this on my list. Thank you!
@@TheCharismaticVoice Makes sense that you’ve heard it. :) I suggest it for selfish reasons because I’ve been learning it. So I’ve been “reacting” to it a lot lately myself. It’s masterful, especially because it appears to be an actual live performance that they used in the movie.
@@TheCharismaticVoice I live in the "Land of 10,000 lakes" MN, I have been to First Avenue venue countless times over the decades which Prince made famous along with putting Minnesota music squarely on the map, I've been a huge fan of him & it was such a massive loss when he passed.
(RIP you are sorely missed by so many)
@@TheCharismaticVoice please. Im a rock/metal guy, but Prince is two of the best live music experiences of my life . Man was epic.
I was having a really tough time as a 15 year old in 1999. Bullies. Parents' relationship falling apart. I was on the cusp of solving a temporary problem with a permanent solution. My English teacher assigned us to read our favorite poem in class. I read the lyrics to this song. It was my call for help. The teacher completely missed the point and sent me to the office for dropping an F bomb in class. Luckily, the Assistant Principal saw exactly what was happening and the referral to therapy saved my life.
;
Thank you for staying. Life is better with you here. ❤️
I am glad you are around, dear internet stranger!
Appreciate you sharing that with us, Eric. Courage is fighting through things that overwhelm you. I'm glad that you got the help you needed.
Glad you stuck around, bud. Fifteen years is just way too soon, way *_way_* too soon...
Eddie is all we have left of the Grunge vocalists. They're all gone. May Eddie live forever.
I agree. It saddens me deeply. I grew up in the '80s and '90s so I was right there for the grunge explosion and for the death of it all. I say death of it all because do you remember what it was like between like 1988 and 1997? The grunge and alternative sound ruled the airwaves. Big time. So many wonderful bands came out of seattle. And they're gone. All of them. Except for pearl jam. Pearl jam is my number one Seattle band second to Alice in chains. I can admit it you know I cried when Staley died. And with everybody else when Cornell died. Their music was a huge influence in my younger years. It really was. I'm 42 years old now but.. I'm still stuck musically in the '90s. And that will never end. Stay safe and God bless
omg... i had not thought about or realized this until you said it. this is incredibly sad.
@@TheFuzzypuddle Eddie pays tribute to all of them with his music. Growing up watching all these bands just appear you know in the late '80s right up through the late '90s.. it was an amazing time for music. It truly was. I'm so glad that I was alive for all of that I was in my teen years. I remember every bit of it when grunge just exploded on the scene and then Seattle just started throwing out amazing bands. And then sadly within a decade or so they all started to die off. Seattle used to be the suicide capital of the United states. And I can see why. I lived there for a little while. It rains a lot. When the sun comes out it is a beautiful city though. But yes Eddie is I believe officially the last one left. As far as original vocalist. But Jerry Cantrell is still here. And we can't forget him. Layne Staley might have been the front man for Alice in chains but Jerry Cantrell put in the work just as much. He's still with us. Listen to the song Black gives way to blue. It's his eulogy for staley. At any rate thank you for reading my rant. Stay safe and God bless.
Mark Lanagen may look dead, but he is still going. Look at his cover of nutshell
@@lordsnuffy Plus Jerry Cantrell is still killing it.
The line, "Daddy didn't give affection" is raw enough, but "The boy was something Mommy wouldn't wear" is truly Joni Mitchell level poetics. Brilliant!
You aren't lying though. The mommy line is one of the most underrated lines ever. And if you've lived that existence as a child it really hits you in the gut. It says soooo much in just 7 words. Absolutely beautiful, but also heartbreaking.
@@YerpDerp17very true. Also the first set of “daddy didn’t give attention to the fact that mommy didn’t care” the act of doing nothing is an act in and of itself and I remember being stunned essentially that someone even recognized that…
Ethan Crumbly
This is the true art of today. The novel is moribund, the cinema purely commercial, fine art in a crisis that threatens to turn mortal: what these guys did here, and in some of their other songs, is the best of art created in the US in the last 30 years.
I don't think Eddie is ever acting, he's just doing Eddie. And we love him for it! ❤😊
you need to know EV ‘s story
right on
great job
And this is from the first album. Eddie came out of nowhere and dropped some heavy lyrics with such raw emotion. It is amazing to me that Nirvana's Nevermind, Pearl Jam's Ten, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, and RHCP's Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic all came out within 30 days of each other. All pivotal albums in rock and my teenage life.
Don't forget Alice in Chains now. They had some raw dark stuff as well. One of my personal favorites.
Yeah we had no idea that it was a one off, magical time in music… music was damn good in the 90s
Dude. I am so envious. I was born in 89 and had to obsess over those albums when those bands were either semi disbanded or making way less impactful stuff (at least for a teenager). Or to make it worse - Kurt was already dead. I need to time travel back to 91
Never put together how closely they were all released because back in the day, you didn’t get new songs every 3 weeks so singles rotated for quite awhile. Man, we were lucky!
I never realised that these albums were that close to each other but no surprise I guess. It was such a fervent time that you will never forget. BTW in the UK it was massive shot in the arm after a constant load of dance based drivel that had no soul or substance.
this is my dads account btw (he just passed so i'm closing things out). I bought Pearl Jam Ten the day it came out. This had such a profound effect on my life back then at the age of 15. Thank you for covering this. Your channel is unbelievable. Watching you cover so much variety... wow... plus your personality shines and I have to say. It's refreshing to hear such a deep technical analysis while also having fun with the songs. You're seriously needed in the music scene.
very sorry for your loss
I'm very sorry for your loss. I am glad I read this before you closed the account, and my heart goes out to you.
Sorry for your loss. May your Dad rest in peace 🙏
Very sorry for your loss
Coming up on the one year anniversary of my dad's passing this month, so I can relate to how you might be feeling. All of Pearl Jams albums got me through alot of tough times going through my teens when they came out. Eddy is one of the people I taught myself to sing to. I wish I had someone like her back then to educate me. You're right. Music and future music needs people like her. I've greatly enjoyed so many of your videos. Thank you for what you do.
"Daaaddy didn't give attention"
It was not just sung, it screamed the emotion on a personal level that many of us relate to.
To the fact that mommy didn't care.
Indeed
My daddy killed his self when I was 9 years old in front of my mom and me TRUTH!!!!!
@@mikesmith6226 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
@@chezzachezza7325 THX 👍🥲👍
This song was unfortunately really validating to many of us of the lost generation gen x. We were largely ignored including our traumas and I felt good to see someone held up who let it go. That sounds so creepy to say as an adult in our current climate. The pain of children still smolders it seems…
still…you hear “boomers”, “millennials”, & “gen z”…no Gen X
@@samhouston1979 We don't need the recognition. Our lives were painful growing up.
It's hard for me to admit I was a bully now that I think about my behavior
Be thankful - it made us independent and weary of automatic authority. Growing up is never easy but hard times make better people imo
@@brandondoherty4195we live and learn - bet you’re no where close to that person today and probably have more empathy than most. I’ve found that my past of being “that guy” made me more willing to help and embrace the differences between me and others - while I’m sorry for those I hurt, they helped me become a better person by realizing my mistake. The fact that they could talk to me about about it decades later was the best thing anyone could’ve given me - grateful for that and they were better people than me.
I would now do anything for those guys that I was an ass to, and they would do the same for me
"Jeremy" is based on two different true stories. The song takes its main inspiration from a newspaper article about a 15-year-old boy named Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson, Texas, who shot himself in front of his teacher and his second-period English class of 30 students on the morning of January 8, 1991. In a 2009 interview, Vedder said that he felt "the need to take that small article and make something of it-to give that action, to give it reaction, to give it more importance."
When asked about the song, Vedder explained:
"It came from a small paragraph in a paper which means you kill yourself and you make a big old sacrifice and try to get your revenge. That all you're gonna end up with is a paragraph in a newspaper. Sixty-four degrees and cloudy in a suburban neighborhood. That's the beginning of the video and that's the same thing in the end; it does nothing ... nothing changes. The world goes on and you're gone. The best revenge is to live on and prove yourself. Be stronger than those people. And then you can come back."
The second story the song is based on, involved a student that Vedder knew from his junior high school in San Diego, California, who committed a school shooting. He elaborated further in a 1991 interview:
"I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know ... the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere ... and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it."
Wow, thank you
Nowhere near enough Thumbs Up for such an accurate Comment!
@@killingyouwithlogic5808 he copied and pastes
oh no not the oceanography room 😂
@@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim there were people in that oceanography room
I was eleven when this video premiered on MTV. I turn 40 in 9 days. I understood this song from Jeremy's point of view at the time, as I was not a popular kid in elementary and middle school and was bullied frequently throughout that period of my life. As an adult this song hits so much differently. I ended up joining the Army and fighting in Iraq. I have now lost more close friends from my time in service to suicide than I did to combat, and every time I hear this song it is absolutely gutting on both fronts. I love it, but it is a rough listen.
Thank you for your service. Hang in there brother 🙏
From one Vet to another, *hugs*.
Sorry for what you've been through. Thank you for your service. I hope you can find healing and support.
Welcome home John ❤
@@musickf This. I always try to embrace my brothers when I get the chance.
As a teacher, this song hits hard because I’ve seen so many “Jeremy”’s, teenagers who are dealing with various issues and forms of depression. I love this song because it is full of that emotion and brings awareness to these teens that need help. Sometimes, all they need is just a person they can confide in. Never just say “it’s a phase.” or “do better.” or “Why aren’t you like everyone else?!”. Listen to them and those cries for help. If you are unable to, or don’t know how to help them, then guide them to someone who can.
It’s hard to listen to this song or watch the video without tearing up. That climax to the ending is so powerful.
"Jeremy" is my favorite Pearl Jam song. It hits hard, is clear in its message, and pulls no punches. Hug your kids, listen to them, and never let them feel alone.
agreed! Its my fav PJ song. Its SOOO incredibly powerful
Listen👂
1000% correct👍🏽
Being a parent is very hard for a man that is somewhat broken due to divorce and never had a dad as an example. I love my kids very much, but have a hard time showing it. And I get resentful with them at times, if that's the right word, because they treat me like crap because of what their mom says about me to them. I dont think they understand how much I love them or how much they hurt my feelings with the way they not only treat me which is completely ignoring me at times arguing with me and yelling or calling me stupid when they think I can't hear them. It crushes me. But the way they are towards each other breaks my heart. I wish I was a better dad. My daughter is 10 and my son is 6. And I don't know what the future holds for them. I hope it will be the best.
@@tonybelmonte1724 I'm a father who was a kid from a broken home. Abusive drunken dad, emotional tyrant mom. Dismissive older brother.
I have trust and rage issues.
Be the parent your parents weren't was my lesson. I love my wife and I tell her. I keep no secrets. I love my daughter's and my stepson. I tell them.
Never let your kids doubt. It can be hard sometimes after trauma. I get it. Never let the silence speak for you when you could for yourself.
I'm right there with ya. 🤘🤘
The story of Jeremy Wade Dell had a pretty profound impact on Eddie Vedder. When Vedder was a kid he bullied another kid alot, when he got older he said in an interview that it was his biggest regret in life and that he hoped the boy was doing well. I guess Jeremy's story spooked him. Made him realize the kid he bullied could have easily ended up like Jeremy.
Apparently Vedder knew another student when he was in junior high who had committed a school shooting as well, someone he had gotten into fights with before the shooting.
Eddie was very regretful and this was his apology
The song is based on two different people/stories. The first is of course Jeremy Wade Delle from Richardson Texas. The second story the song is based on, involved a student that Vedder knew from his junior high school in San Diego, California, who committed a school shooting. He elaborated further in a 1991 interview:
"I actually knew somebody in junior high school, in San Diego, California, that did the same thing, just about, didn't take his life but ended up shooting up an oceanography room. I remember being in the halls and hearing it and I had actually had altercations with this kid in the past. I was kind of a rebellious fifth-grader and I think we got in fights and stuff. So it's a bit about this kid named Jeremy and it's also a bit about a kid named Brian that I knew and I don't know ... the song, I think it says a lot. I think it goes somewhere ... and a lot of people interpret it different ways and it's just been recently that I've been talking about the true meaning behind it and I hope no one's offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it."
Could you imagine being bullied and then seeing your bully become an extremely successful musician? Usually it's the other way around lol. Poor guy.
@@CGMiller George St Pierre tells a great story of how he was bullied in school so bad he started Martial Arts to fight back, he could never beat the bully though as he was a lot bigger and stronger then George. George went on to become arguably the greatest MMA fighter in history. Years later when he was the world champion he saw a homeless man begging on the street in Canada. It was his childhood bully. When he approached the man the guy got really scared thinking George would destroy him physically, but George was nice and kind to him and gave him $500 he had in his wallet to help him get a nice suit and haircut to get a job. Months later the guy showed up at Georges childhood house where his parents still lived and asked Georges father to tell George that he saved his life and he is forever in his debt for changing his life for the better.
Watching you attempt to focus on the vocal qualities whilst seeing the sorrow in your face while watching this was incredible. Your compassion is showing.. good on you.
Eddie sings straight from his heart. That's all there is to it. He feels what he's singing as he sings it. That and he uses his voice as an instrument like nobody else can.
I wouldn't say as nobody else can. There are so.e pretty amazing singers out there that use their voice as an incredible instrument but he does a tremendous job of it for sure.
Speaking from experience, seeing someone kill themselves in front of you is something that you NEVER forget. It's been 15 years and I still occasionally have nightmares from it. There's a saying I've heard that says "suicide doesn't get rid of your pain, it just passes it to those around you." The video gets this across in a powerful way - that Jeremy's last way to get people to understand what he was feeling was to show them and give them that pain and trauma. The song strikes you in the heart and lets you temporarily connect with that pain and understand that when we hear the FIRST cry for help, we need to go all-in on helping.
I didn't see the actual suicide in real-time but I did have to pick up the pieces of my father( not literally, overdose) but it doesn't go away.
Im so sorry
I understand. I watched my mom shoot herself. I was 13 years old. I dialed 911 and held her as she lay bleeding on the floor. We lived close to the hospital so she managed to survive. She nor I were ever the same again. One of my stepfather's shot himself and another took a bottle of pills. The one that took the pills died. The one that shot himself drank himself to death by 40. My mother died from smoking cigarettes. All were gone way too soon.
I love the quote in the beginning of the video for Ghost by Badflower, something along the lines of "Suicide doesn't end the pain, it only ends the chance of it getting better"
@@victorylane2377I know this reply is about a year late to your comment, but hearing this is just heartbreaking. I know there’s a saying that living through trauma makes you stronger, but in your case I don’t know if it holds true. Seeing your parents and caretakers do this to themselves must hurt in a way that I cannot fathom. Kudos to you for enduring and thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully it helps someone else cope with a similar tragedy.
Eddie’s “woah’s” are like a howl to me. Just so pained and powerful.
I was stunned to FINALLY realize that, in the JOURNEY hit "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin"..... the "NAH NAH, NAH-NAH-NAHS" ......were actually meant to be ala
"NYAH NYAH NYAH!" which means ha ha YOU LOSE!
Cuz the lyrics are about his girl cheating on him....and then the guy SHE is cheating on him with....cheats on HER.....so karma's a bitch.
SUPER-SUBTLE, right?
Most would think it's just classic "NAH NAH" ala "LA LA", but it's far more clever and cynical!
I hadn't realized Vedder's woahs were like an animal howling until i saw your comment. Good catch.
The kid who played Jeremy in this video, Trevor Wilson, sadly passed away in 2016. He was 36. He was in Puerto Rico. He went swimming and was caught in a riptide and drowned. So sad, so young. RIP Trevor.
I was literally going to try to look him up. Crazy. RIP.
Damn!!! 😢
15:59 Jeremy is one of the clearest statements in music about what it was like to be a chronically depressed and suicidal teenager in the 90s. I know first-hand. Because I was. It was much different than it is today. There wasn't near as much support. People were nowhere near as understanding. There was a lot of shame. A lot of anger. A lot of people telling you to get over it. Cheer up. Move on. A lot of people who just didn't understand at all and far more people than today who just had no interest in understanding. There was a lot of isolation too. Kids would just drown in their depression until they literally couldn't withstand the pain anymore.
There are many important moments in this song, but this is a key one. I'm always struck by the duality of this moment. In his voice you almost hear Jeremy saying two different things. One is the desperation that he's tried to "erase this" from his life. He's tried to move past it somehow. He can't. The other, and more boldy said, is him spitting the words back in the face of those around him for ignoring him as his depression and isolation consumed him. He is giving a commentary on people not really caring. People being to wrapped up in their own worlds. And how quickly people shift gears and want to move on from uncomfortable things. He doesn't have the luxury of doing that.
So, he uses the blackboard as a metaphor. A place where things are written and then erased when the class is done with them. Jeremy feels he's being erased. So, his response is essentially, "Oh yeah, well try to erase this experience from the blackboard of your minds." Which they likely won't be able to, given the severe tramatic nature of the tragedy. As portrayed in this video, Jeremy was deep in his depression, he was suicidal, but he was also just desperate to matter to somebody. Anybody.
Except that suicide rates among teenagers today are much higher than they were in the 1990s, so try again. You're right that the society in general was much harsher, but you only dealt with like 100 people in your life at that time. Now, kids have to deal with not only their families and their friends and the kids at school, but the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of anonymous strangers online who give them all kinds of crazy advice and complexes. It's much worse being a teenager now than it was when we were teenagers back in the 1990s. I see it in my nieces' and nephews' lives.
Amen
@@John-tr5hn "Have to deal..." ? No, they don't HAVE to deal with any of the social media BS that's out there. They don't HAVE to feel exposed on social media if they don't go/aren't allowed on it. Why are we letting these greedy corporate a-holes rule practically every aspect of our children's lives to the point they have no concept of real, TRUE life, and can only see and believe what is fed to them? Why aren't parents saying NO to this crap?? Everything is so fake and good God, how many HOURS UPON HOURS of advertising are they exposed to by the time they're 18 years old??? It's not good for kids or adults and it's literally killing people and dividing our country. Everyone would be much better off turning all that shit off and taking a walk in the woods... with each other!
@@John-tr5hn thats bc everything is being diagnosed and kids are being drugged into numbness
I was 16 when this song came out and want you to know your comments are valid. You captured that time period so precisely. It was different. Very different. Talking about mental health was not a thing. At all.
It’s not a competition with other generations, so no need for others to make a comparison.
@1938Superman - look at us slackers, man. we made it.
This song and Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" tackled similar issues of childhood trauma, PJ w/ bullying and Aerosmith w/ sexual abuse, both about gun violence, both had raised the discussion on the rise of abuse of children, showed that videos don't have to be fluff, videos can also elevate subject matter that needed to be brought to the forefront. Steven Tyler continues to do annual events to support his Janie's Fund to this day
that song is still one of the most heart wrenching songs ever made. especially the video with it. it is spectacular in its pain.
I don't think this one counts as gun violence, if Jeremy didn't have a gun he would have used anything else to get it done since he was the only person shot this is really a suicide and the gun was just the big neon exclamation point on the message he was sending about not being able to take anymore, you don't need a gun for that.
Mr. Tinkertrain
@@endless013 Yeah, sure he could have used anything else to kill himself, but only a gun could achieve what he did in a classroom setting. It is also pretty much guaranteed he wouldn't survive the outcome. A gun just makes it easier and faster to do with the most dramatic effects.
Don't forget Opera singer turned rocker Pat Benatar and her "Hell is for Children" song released in 1980, 9 years prior to Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun."
I love this lady. She's so sweet and positive. I could watch this channel all day
She's also very pretty 😍 💕 💖 💗
I think that if everyone stopped watching news so often and watched Elizabeth’s videos about vocal analysis the world would be a better place lol. It’s so relaxing.
Also, it’s funny because sometimes Elizabeth doesn’t seem to enjoy some singers but she always finds something positive to mention. That’s a rare attitude nowadays.
For sure she’s real ❤
I remember when this came out. The video received substantial play on MTV (back when they were about music). There were no banners or warnings…. This song was the defining song that established Pearl Jam as the leader of its genre…
The "N@zi Salute" was originally known as the "Bellamy salute" or "Flag Salute" and was named after the Pledge of Allegiance writer, Francis Bellamy. It dates back to 1892, when the pledge of allegiance was created. The Bellamy Salute is also related to the Roman Salute
Thank you. I didn't know that.
Whenever Eddie sings “Trying to forget this, trying to erase this… from the blackboard”, I get chills
It's just so poignent and on. I had a tough time holding things together.
@@TheCharismaticVoice with a song like this (or "Hurt" by Johnny Cash for that matter), don't worry about not keeping it all together. Well-written songs are expressions of raw emotion, and demand an emotional response, even if it means breaking composure.
@@zacharyalvernaz7916 Its funny you would use hurt from johnny cash as an example, being the only song i can't listen to with dry eyes !! something in that song just destroy me internally.
@@TheCharismaticVoice as a junior high school teacher it’s a tough listen
Especially considering Jeremy didn't spray the blackboard with chalk...
I could say a lot of things about “Jeremy”, but it’s amazing how this song just finds a way to punch you in the gut over nearly 30 years. When I first heard it, I was in school and like a lot of people, I just thought it was “cool”, but scary and sad…because I understood that it could be anyone I knew. Fast forward to 1999, and I was a first year police officer in the Denver metro area, on-duty the day of the Columbine shooting. Then today…I have a 17 year-old son in high school who has struggled with the things young people struggle with today in a large, metropolitan school. I would be hard pressed to think of many other songs that could bring a tear to my eye over 3 decades.
Thank you for your service first of all Sir. I was in high school, and at the time, everyone was debating Nirvana vs Pearl Jam mumbo jumbo, but to me PJ and especially Jeremy sealed the deal for me. I hate to hear your son has to face things like that so young. No chance of moving away to nice rural Iowa I'm guessing? 🤔
Thank you for your service. Born and raised in CO.
Insane that Americans still have such easy access to firearms - it’s like the parties don’t care about the dead kids at all (particularly the republicans, the worst of whom spread propaganda/conspiracy theories about ‘paid actors’)
I was triggered the moment I saw this was a reaction video to Pearl Jam.
I can't stand them. Terrible overrated band.
@@carlmarks8170 Then why engage? Why not do something else?
Eddie isn’t just singing here.
He became one with the song
Elizabeth, I'm a 58 year old guy who remembers when Ten came out, and the MTV Unplugged performance and this video. At the time it came out and to this day It is definitely one of the best performances in each format and was a very brave choice for lyrics and video.
I've seen quite a few video reactions of not just this song, but many others and you do an amazing job breaking down not just the vocal performance but also the emotions that drive it.
Thank you and take care.
We need songs like this now, not just songs that talk about how much money I have or how many girls I can sleep with. I recently read something that makes a lot of sense to me.
“When are we gonna stop pretending that songs that talk about drugs, fucking a girl while putting a gun against her head and living to buy luxury cars doesn’t have an effect in the culture of new generaciones?”
Sorry if I made mistake translating, but I think it’s understandable
I think the way a lot of rock/metal/grunge is not afraid to address hard issues and deep questions in life has saved many lives. I can fully understand Eddy's remark that he thinks that this is the case for him. I know it helped me through dark times in the past. Lyrics like these are so much better than songs about b*thes and money... there is a reason why I have been a metalhead for over 4 decades now.
Amen dude.
Mudhoney recently released a song called “Kill yourself live,” a commentary on internet “fame.”
Yep, you're 100% right. And I'll go so far as to say that the b*tches, money, and violence music that's favored in certain communities is worthless, as is most Top 40 music around the world today. We all like a nice beat when teenagers, but eventually you grow up.
In America, you'll still see 45 year old guys in urban areas driving around with a custom junky car blasting rap music wearing clothes they wore when they 20. Pathetic man lol
Yup. ONLY TWO THINGS SAVED MY LIFE:
Grass and Music.
Everything else and everyone else made me want to hang myself every fucking second in this vile society.
And now I play Guitar Sorcery outdoors (instrumental loops or tripppy shit), JUST to make society more weird and colorful.... but to my shock, EVERYONE LOVES IT, even the kops or Normals or Mall Girls or Jocks!
WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE until then (even though we all know Music is Medicine) was I HAD THE POWER TO CURE ALL DEPRESSION....in 3 seconds!
(It helps that I have a funny stage name and funny sign and wear flashy fun clothes and play a flashy funny guitar [the world's only "Michael" Jackson flying V, ha ha][ i modded the headstock and it cracks eveyrone up, even ppl who don't know what a jackson flying v is!....plus i'm always stoned and drunk so I'm out there on sidewalks HAVING A BLAST....and everyone tells me MY JOY is contagious and instantly cheers them up, as does my music.)
SUPERMAN and SPIDER-MAN couldn't cure all depression!
This is why i keep begging all other musicians to PRACTICE OUTDOORS. Never ever practice indoors if you can help it.
PEOPLE LOVE TO SEE LIVE MUSICIANS, even if they hate the music. They like the idea that there are more musicians out there!
@BONG ISLAND don't forget, much of what makes this a "vile society" as you say is rampant minority crime and shallow culture, substance abuse, apathy, and lack of education.
That guitar outro is one of the most chilling and haunting pieces of melody ever created in music.
Gets me everytime.
Mike mccready is an animal at guitar
I thought that was Jeff Ament playing a 12-string bass guitar, not one of the guitar parts
@@potownrobit is indeed the 12-string bass that plays the ending, just as it did the intro
Yeah it’s a 12 string bass. He still owns and plays the same one today!
I loved how the band brought the young man from the video up on stage when they accepted an award to show that he was ok.
Hearing his voice on Release live in concert is an emotional experience as well
IMO, the best version is the video called "PearL Jam - Release (Live Holland 1992)"
The “grunge” movement of that time was all about expressing the pain of youth ignored in the materialistic 80’s. Eddie and Kurt were both masters at bringing it to light. It is so sad that it ended up claiming Kurt.
kurt's catapult to fame is what killed him. poor guy had a spotlight on him
@@jarnicules that was the sadistic irony of being a grunge band back then. Kurt hated materialism and fame and the egotistical nature of capitalist society and the upper class. He didn't like being famous and you could see it in any interview where he treats it as a joke. He didn't even like them putting his face on t shirts. Now he's dead 30 years and they're selling pictures of him as NTFs. It's tragic.
@@jarnicules Kurt was murdered, but he did loathe the fame, as he should, fame is a bad joke with no punchline
@@jarnicules i think heroin addiction killed him tbh
Eddie is so adeptly able to express the pain felt by Jeremy. Brings tears to my eyes every time. 😢
One of the most powerful and emotional songs I've ever heard. Your reaction was powerful as well.
"Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is a fantastic example of their mellower side. One of my favorites for singing along.
It may sound more like a ballad, still that song provokes quite a strong image and has quite a lot of emotion in it. It a great song live as well, with all the fans shouting 'hello' making me feel very lucky to be able to be there and experience it. And it has the great line "I changed by not changing at all".
Sang that in the shower just the other day.
I am more of a given to fly person, but i see your point
Yes, that is a good song!
Great song and great album. I know it's probably considered the obvious track on the album but Daughter is the one that always hits me.
Eddie used to just sing the hell out of songs with his face, you could see every word in his eyes, and he made you feel it. This song came out when I was in middle school, and we all loved it because it sounded amazing, without really knowing what it was about.
I love the emotion a singer can project not only through the notes but through their expression. Eddie is utterly amazing. Chilling every time I've seen him (which is three on this channel).
@@TheCharismaticVoice without sounding creepy, it's one thing I notice in your reactions and also in your own singing. It brings alot of dimension to the song and acts as a powerful image when the singer is able to project the soul of the song.
I’ve been listening to this song for 30 years and still get tears when I hear it. Just pure, raw emotion Eddie Vedder style.
Ten is a top to bottom masterpiece. Very few albums in the history of recorded music can stake that claim. Other examples, just at a moment's thought: Boston's debut; Fleetwood Mac's Rumours; George Michael's Faith; Pink Floyd's The Wall
Agree. Add to that list So by Peter Gabriel
"Lemon yellow" Sun, pools of "Maroon". Names of crayon colors. Love Eddie's writing so expressive. From the black board.... Great line with double meaning.
“Try to erase me - from the blackboard” from what I understand - was written very literally as well as metaphorically. When the young man took his life it’s rumored that there was much of him left on the blackboard that they had to try to clean up. Maybe just a rumor - but there will always be that image in my head.
@@andrewalfe8433 it definitely leans more towards that moment for sure. its a very clear and distinct meaning.
The line almost sounds cynical. "Try to erase THIS from the blackboard." I can almost see all the blood.
Philip D. Murphy,
That was intentional to bring home the fact that this was a 15 year old child who committed this act. It's a juxtaposition.
@@andrewalfe8433 9
This song was a musical masterpiece. Even the end when Jeremy put the gun in his mouth, the guitar note rose in a suspenseful but subtle crescendo.
The visual elements that stood out for me were the empty clothes of his parents, displayed so large, and on what could be considered a classroom whiteboard. They're absent. He can't access them. The father's suit is turned back-to. The implication is, his back is turned on both Jeremy and mom. Mother is facing forward but in a horizontal position; submissive to her husband but indifferent to her son. Her dress facing forward is a subtle common accepted misconception that all women are maternal. In Jeremy's case, that's not true. The mother is aware but doesn't care. She's represented as passive-aggressive.
The child crouched in the mouth of the wolf picture is another visual that stood out. He feels thrown to the wolves and at their mercy.
Then the huge open eye while Jeremy is trying to get his parents to notice and acknowledge him. When he gives up in resignation, the eye is closed. As if to say, God saw, but turned a blind eye. The darkness indicates both his mood of depression as well as the time that's elapsed since he first started trying to get their attention til the time he gave up.
The child draped in an American flag and "90210" along with words like " affluent" and "suburb" signify that, under the noses of the privileged, a child is deprived of love, security, comfort, stability, belonging. All of the things wealth provides. With all the unrest in third world countries, and our country having the "American Dream" reputation, we have children who seem to have it all killing themselves in such violent and shocking ways. This imagery indicates a sarcastic incredulity at such a notion.
This is becoming an essay so I'll stop. I just wanted to get my thoughts out. Thanks to whoever took the time to read this.
hey I appreciated your essay, very well said and I'd agree with your description/analysis, spot on Kat.
I think you nailed the symbolism. Thanks for posting.
A very good essay at that. Thank you.
One thing that has always struck me about this song is how the tension builds throughout the song but never releases. The ending slows down without resolving musically, ending on what I think is a 2nd and a 6th (I'm too lazy to check). The next song on the record (Oceans) is in a different key, so there isn't resolution there either, so the emotion invoked by this song just hangs there. It's like PTSD set to music. A brilliant piece of work.
Wow
@@bjbonin624 wow, never put that together. Thanks for pointing it out!
The lyrics are incredible, they conjure such imagery that the intent and purpose of the song hits hard. Genius.
This song was the inspiration for a short story that I wrote in high school. My parents accused me of plagiarism, they didn’t believe I could write. This song means something to me. Thank you 🙏
Just wow.. thank you to all the kind and supportive people on here regarding my dad. Something I've buried for years... my dad had a collection of Commodore Amiga computers back in the day. Around 35 years ago, my friend Adam would come over (he had an Amiga as well) and we'd play games learn programs, etc. He was in ROTC in junior high and I remember being one of maybe 2 friends of his. He was picked on daily and I would stick up for him as often as possible. One day it was too much after constant bullying and finally rejection from a girl he liked. He did just like in the video but at our friends house.. dressed in his ROTC uniform. I really tried to be a good friend but the pressure overtook him. This is the first time I watched this video because I wasn't ready back then. RIP my friend.
Eddie is just so...simply refined, especially in the grunge/alt rock world. He's a master for sure.
My younger brother, Jeremy, grew up with parents similar to those in this video. He turned to alcohol, drugs and other areas of self harm.
We lost him when his drunk girlfriend in her SUV accidentally ran over his drunk self on his motorcycle... just before his 21st birthday.
This song always strikes a very personal chord in me. 😥
Man… I’m so sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your family's loss. Life can be so tragic.
Eddie himself was also terribly abused as a child. Our generation was much less open, he had a creative outlet, not everyone did. For our generation this was an important social outlet.
I have a big connection to this song. I was driving by the school as they were bringing the body out and putting him in the back of the ambulance. And later I found out that I knew 1 person that was in the class when it happened and another that was across the hall and watched it happen as well. Both of them were seriously effected by this as well as all the other kids in the class. A song will always hit when it is sung with real emotion. Which is how Eddie sang this song. He did an amazing job getting the emotion across.
For the first time in the thousands of times I've listened to this song, it just dawned on me that the lyrics, "try to erase this...." goes on to say, "from the blackboard". It's Jeremy basically saying bet you can't erase brains from the blackboard. I'm beyond grateful for this channel.
It also references that the blackboard are his classmates memory
I never made the connection, either. This video deserves any and all accolades it received.
You can tell Eddie felt this 100% when he wrote the lyrics and almost 30 years later you can tell he still feels it just as much EVERY time PJ performs it live today.
I’ve got a cool story about Eddie Vedder. First I worked for an insurance company back in the day in the special lines field and remember actually speaking to Eddie about his boat policy! He said enjoyed calling instead of his agent! Very down to Earth and later we were able to meet at a Seattle Pearl Jam show so he was able to put a face to the voice on the phone 📱. ILL NEVER FORGET IT! RIP CHRIS CORNELL. The Seattle scene in the early 1990’s is unsurpassed by anything going on today!
one thing that I love about the music video, like you pointed out, is Eddie’s face.
You see bits of confusion such as
“What?...Why would this happen?...”
but you also see this dark, evil type grin which can be safely assumed to be about the depression and pain creeping in, slowly taking over like
“Yes, feel the pain. Get used to it because it’ll be all you will ever know”
and on the exact same coin
we see aspects of sorrow, sadness, and overall pain. Like
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t. Nobody is there for me, I have no one...”
Confusion, Evilness, Sadness
able to produce multiple aspects all at the same time which can be hard to do at times, but Eddie really nailed it perfectly given the inspiration of the song.
I’ve always thought a lot of Eddie for writing this song, regarding such a terrible tragedy. He also wrote “4/20/02” on the day he found out Layne Staley had died. I think that type of empathetic songwriting shows that he has real heart.
Jeremy’s mother didn’t see the empathy in it . Love Pearl Jam Love Eddie V . I didn’t know the meaning then I was about 19… Now I do know the story . As a mother myself I can see how his depictions using her son’s real name was very hurtful unintentionally disrespectful.
I hope the way Jeremy’s rage is expressed in this video doesn’t take away from the lead up to it. I saw this video when it premiered and, while gun violence was mentioned, the main thrust of the message the band was promoting was more the root cause of violence and how it affects people. The solution for gun violence is also the solution for all violence, and it starts at home.
I have chills. I love when an artist can touch me with their voice. It’s almost like Eddie is possessed by what he sings.
I was more of a Pumpkinhead back then and not into Pearl Jam that much but....Eddies VOICE. There is just something about it that commands you to pay attention. One of the best voices and most charismatic singers of the era. The tone, the emotions, the....it's like he's telling a story even without the words.
Eddie is just as great in the MTV Unplugged version.
The entire album "Ten" is truly up there with legendary albums like Sgt Pepper's. Its that good.
The Beatles are my favorite band, and it's not even close, but, I have always felt that this album is Beatle-esque, not in its music, but in its greatness. I totally get what you're saying.
"Sometimes you can't express it with lyrics anymore, you just have to let out the sound"
You said it!
Enter grunge, enter Pearl Jam...
This might sound weird, but as good as a vocal coach you are, italways amazes me the way you connect with the feels, rather tan just the techniques.
Love your videos! Both educational and emotional...
Thanks for sharing!
We need more Pearl Jam on this channel. They have over 3 decades of brilliant passionate music to explore.
Eddie’s ukulele songs were very popular too
Can't believe I've listened to this song hundreds of times without knowing the story behind it...I'll never listen to it the same again. Such a tragically, beautiful song
I have loved this song since it came out and I have basically worn out my tape version of “10”. I watched the video for years and didn’t figure out, until…’98/‘99, that he shot himself in class. I don’t know how I missed the gun in the mouth, I think I might have just noticed it, I’m not sure. I really don’t remember seeing that on MTV.
I didn’t know there was an actual back story to the song until today.
Hi Elizabeth, I remember hearing this song in the early '90s, and 30 years later, I can finally see Eddie Vedder's facial expressions in this MV, showing the aggression, pain, and frustration throughout the song. I also want to commend Pearl Jam for their continued activism to reduce gun violence. Thank you, Elizabeth!!! 💙
Thank you, Kirby. And I commend them as well for talking about mental health. Songs like this really do make me emotional, and they're tough topics that should be talked about.
The only way to reduce gun violence is proper education about gun safety and actual mental health care while reducing the tremendous economic disparity in today's society.
Jeremy spoke in class today over and over looks like his classmates repeating what happened, they were in shock at that moment.
And 30 years later, we still haven't fixed this problem whatsoever.
Thank you. I'm in tears. As a victim of bullying, physical and emotional abuse, living as manic bipolar, I've been close to death so often I've lost count. I searched for solutions in drug abuse for more than half my life, but, I found the solution in the AA, NA and MA program. I still suffer from physical and emotional trauma which I'm working through with professionals. I live a happy life today, 2 years sober, have a steady job and lots of friends who love and stand by me through anything life throws at me, I work everyday helping people with similar problems and that brings me true joy and happiness, I found my calling in life. Sadly there are those who never receive love and care and support that they need, so thank you for doing this video and mentioning the suicide prevention holiness. They exist in every country today and they matter, just like we all do, we all matter to someone. I prey that we can eliminate bullying completely so we all can live free. Thank you to Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder too. Never knew the meaning behind this song, thank you so much 🙏 ❤
❤️🙏🏼
❤
This was and remains an incredible song. That B section when the lyric "Daddy didn't give attention..." comes in and the guitars get angrier is both brutal and beautiful (and then the strings in the second verse changes it up in a fantastic way). It's compositional and arrangement perfection.
I always come to tears with this song. Especially the unplugged one, with all the Eddie's body language coming out, it's beyond words... I'm 34, father of two boys. Knowing this story is real is heartbreaking, and you never know what you gonna get. I would never be able to support a loss of a son in this way. I try to stay connected with them with all my love, but still strugling to avoid some errors I do as the human I am. We all gotta take care of our children so there's less "Jeremies" in this world! Peace.
I've heard this song more times than I can count and I still get chills every time I hear his voice. It's powerful but velvet. It's just beautiful with so much emotion behind it. Ugh.
хор Сретенского монастыря - Конь (HD качество)
please react to russian song in three different variation:
Sretensky monastery choir - Horse (HD quality)
My son took his own life less then 3 months ago due to mental illness.
I'm old enough to remember before this song first came out and now for some reason it gives me outlet for my grief that I cannot express my tears. My son's situation is so far removed from what happened to the real Jeremy but it still hits with the same impact that I felt when the first lump of Earth hit my son's coffin.
How I wish no parent ever feels the way I do and outlives their child. I would give anything to take his place in the cold lonely ground.
My condolences. Do take care, and never give up.
@@anthtan thank you
I’m reading this one year on from when you posted. Firstly, my sincere condolences and secondly, although this will never leave yo, hoping this finds you able to move forward with life.
This song still has so much relevance today. Thank you, Elizabeth for taking a deeper dive into this song. My daughter lost three friends to suicide in high school. I was 25 in 1993 and this song still resonates and continues to be a favorite.
The Nazi salute was Jeremy's psychological vision of his classmates seeing him as a leader once the power of "speaking" was instilled in his mind. It being a Nazi salute is symbolic of just how deep his cuts were and messed up his head was. Not sure Eddie Vedder got that part of it from the story or added it himself and the director, Mark Pellington.
My source for this was Eddie Vedder on a syndicated radio interview for the Vitology album in 1996. If I can ever find the actual source, I will add it here in place of this paragraph.
How can anybody not understand the nazi salute in that given context (the students pledging allegiance)?
The pledge of allegiance is not much different from the fuehrer oath in nazi Germany.
The brainwash behind both oaths/pledges is exactly the same.
And have you never heard of the Bellamy salute? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute
@@o.b.7217 Yes, like the black power racist salute and the communist salute. Identical.
Also note that the American flag in the background was hung "stars down". That is a common way to signal a call for help or someone is in distress. (which obviously he was)
@@danielcrockett8398 "Yes, like the black power *racist* salute and the communist salute. Identical. "
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You mean identical to the black panther salute that is done with a balled fist?
And identical to the communist salute that is also done with a balled fist _(and the left arm, depending on your beliefs)?_
You know: a balled fist is practically the exact opposite to a hand outstretched _(like it's used in the nazi (and Bellamy) salute)._
So, yeah, m@r@n...totally identical.
Thanks for showing off your "intelligence"...I'd even go as far as to say, your intelligence is identical to that of a very *thick* brick.
PS: thanks also for _(once again)_ showing off your own racism against black people.
@@o.b.7217 Excellent reply. More eloquent than I would have been. Let me add, that the tired link between fascism and communism is getting, well, tired. The raised fist of communism represents unity, strength, or resistance.
The whole album "Ten" is an amazing and emotional record and "Jeremy" is the epitome of it. I´m not the biggest grunge fan but in my humble opinion "Ten" is one of the best written albums of all time.
Your analysis of Eddies voice and singing completes the circle. Rick Beato did a "What makes this song great" about "Jeremy" - but he (as a musician) was more into the orchestration then itno the singing.
For all those out there who want to understand why this song is realy great, watch Elizabeths and Ricks analysis!
Agree! It’s always great to get both Rick’s and Elizabeth’s reactions & analysis. They are incredibly gifted musically and are able to impart their knowledge in a way that the rest of us can understand
Absolutely agree/ I think ten was their best music. Wasn't huge on grunge either besides pjam and soundgarden
and then imo Vs was better
Ya know what's weird? I have been watching your reaction videos to songs that have been important to me for 20-30 years and twice now I've been wildly overwhelmed. First, when you broke down Wings of Marie ( i wept). Second, this one. I've heard this song a thousand times, and knew it was important, visceral, and a wild show of Pearl Jam's talent and heart. It's never made me cry until right now. You're reactions and insights are incredible and devastating. I look forward to you exploring more songs that have I've enjoyed for most of my adult life. It's a joy. Good job!
My grade 10 english teacher made my class watch this video and we did a deep dive into the lyrics, and the imagery in the video. This had THE single biggest impact on me throughout my entire education. I (27M) have never been so moved by anything in my life. This song is damn near perfection.
edit: the original music video when jeremy was standing in front of the fire, they had him wearing a Nazi flag (which my english teacher showed) but was later removed to be able to be shown anywhere
Didn’t MTV remove him putting the gun in his mouth as well?
"Try to erase that from the blackboard" An absolutely flooring lyric. Most of us have lost friends and/or loved ones to suicide. I lost several friends to suicide in high school alone. And I was there myself. The world can be cruel. Music is a good salve though. It can help purify the day and get you through it. I hope you know that by you choosing to do this song and video for this song in your own inimitable way, Elizabeth, you are helping people who are struggling to get through their day. Thank God Eddie is still with us. Thanks Elizabeth.
Two thoughts from this:
1.) I remember the version of the video that they actually played on MTV being slightly confusing because they altered it so you don't see him put the gun in his mouth. I was 5 at the time, but I initially thought he killed the classmates because it just cut from him pulling out a gun (they didn't even show the gun) to the classmates covered in blood.
2.) My favorite artists as a child:
Chris Cornell: Suicide
Eddie Vedder: Most prominent hit is about suicide
Layne Staley: Drug overdose (slow suicide)
Kurt Cobain: Suicide
Scott Weiland: Drug overdose (slow suicide)
I wonder if it's the chicken or the egg lol Did I have an unavoidable darkness that drew me to them, or did they influence it. I believe the former. Their music would eventually get me through the hardest times of my life, which were caused by random circumstance. But it's still weird that all my childhood idols were so tortured. At least I was raised on the best music.
I used to think that when I was a kid too. In fact, I didn't realize there were at edits and watching it right now, seeing him put the barrel between his lips, I'd never seen that before. That really made me go, "holy crap!" 30 years later.
I think it's just that they're all historically amazing rock vocalists. I love them all too.
No..they had a sad darkness..not you. You just had excellent taste in tunes 🤟
“Kurt Cobain: Suicide” ok buddy…
You forgot lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots: Overdose.
I love your reactions to all the songs you listen to. You appreciate music, the lyrics, and have great breakdowns of the vocalists. Can see every emotion in your face. It's refreshing. You are awesome! Keep it up 😀
Great breakdown. Eddie Vedder has one of the best voices ever, anything he does is blessed with talent. Please do Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun
You already did Black live which gives me chills every time I hear it!
The way she enjoys music and singing, and the looks and expressions she gives! It's special!
“Indifference” by Pearl Jam is an incredible song lyrically and musically from Vedder.
My favorite PJ song!!
Yeah that would be a perfect selection
My fav off that album!
Two songs by Pearl Jam that I love and don't hear brought up often enough, Nothing Man and Come Back. I especially love how Come Back is written so it can be interpreted as a break up song, about a strained friendship, or longing for a lost loved one.
Eddie sings with his mouth,face,eyes,head and entire torso. He really gets into his vocals in more then one way. He's one of a kind!
The symbolism in having a harmony on the "King Jeremy the Wicked" indicating the duality of Jeremy's thoughts and the "lion" they unleashed. Excellent song structure.
I think this is also where that one particular 'disturbing image' of the class standing up comes from in the story. It basically expresses Jeremy's vision of everyone finally submitting to his will. It's a very strong image to describe such a psychological subtlety.
Elizabeth you're such a deeply emotional beautiful person, I'm really glad I found this channel.❤️
Thank you, Dave.
@@TheCharismaticVoice My pleasure ❤️
Been enjoying your reactions for a while and just want to say it is always such a pleasant and educational experience. Such a nice change of pace. So thank you for spreading some positive vibes.
You are the most emotionally and technically intelligent reactor I have ever come across. Your knowledge and emotion really help me get a better grasp of the songs you analyze, catch nuances I have missed despite countless times listening. Thank you so much for bringing your light to music and song, for breathing even more life into them.
I was 14 when this came out, and like any kid into the grunge music of the time, I saw this video a hundred times and I've heard it a thousand more since. I knew on a superficial level what it was about, but it was just another great song by a great band. Now, watching the video again for the first time in a decade or two and with a 16 year old son of my own, it carries a hell of a lot more weight than it ever did back then.
Exactly!!!! Nailed it!!!
Eddie is ….. truly magnificent. His voice is a gift to us all.
Thank you for your heartfelt analysis Elizabeth. This subject is so important and too many times they are overlooked. I love the way you weave the emotional elements into your analyses. And I'm sorry you had the experience you had. You said you know from experience the suicide hotline. Whether that was from possibly losing someone close to you or being in that dark place yourself, I know so many of us are very grateful you're here today. You and your channel are a gift to the world. *HUGS*
I found your channel only a week ago, and want to say so much but words get in the way. What you have created here is incredible, and you probably have no idea of the level of inspiration you inspire here. Fantastic in every way...
please react to хор Сретенского монастыря - Конь (HD качество)
This whole album (Ten) is just amazing. Everyone should give it a listen.
The craziest thing about ten, is that even though it's a brilliant album start to finish, it's hard to even say it's my favorite album from that year. 1991 was one of those years in music that everything seemed to come together. There's pearl jams 10, nirvanas nevermind, and soundgardens badmotorfinger and temple of the dog just in the grunge scene. On top of that there is REMs out of time, guns n roses use your illusion 1&2, rhcps blood sugar sex magic, Metallicas black album and more I'm probably forgetting. And that's just the rock side of things.
Don't forget Ten B-sides tho, listen all songs during this era.
Wash, Breath, Alone, Just a girl, State of love and trust...
I am grateful that you are able to allow your feelings to guide you through such a difficult subject. Thank you for expressing and analyzing this song in a way that I never felt before. Your talent is not just on the technical side but your emotional delivery is a gift I truly appreciate.
I never knew the backstory. Thanks Elizabeth for your great review and informative summation of this great song. Your take on music and "singers" is so amazing and refreshing in a way that we have never seen before. Thank you
The insane thing about Vedders voice is they are still putting on insane 3 hour shows, I’ve seen them a but over 100 times and no set list has been repeated and his voice never sounds strained.
Out of all the "grunge" music released in that one month, this song is one that still hits like the first time even after 30 years. Eddie's gift is his complete emotional openness, a true high wire act VERY few can match.
And 30 years later we still have yet to reckon as a country with the reality. This was a wake up call and we've pretended the phone hasn't been ringing for three decades.
One of the most heartbreaking songs. I shed tears many times while listening to this striking timeless work...Thank You Elizabeth for your emotional analisys this beautiful song ♥
Being a teen when this came out hit me hard and strong in my appreciation for music and the emotional vocal of the grunge era. I love how you( #thecharismaticvoice ) break down not only technical vocal science in lament terms, you also explain how emotion affects the vocal output. Big fan here.
Eddies ability to convey emotion, is amazing, lyrically and sonically.
And facially!!!