Yellow Ledbetter

"Yellow Ledbetter"
Song by Pearl Jam
Released August 1992
A-side "Jeremy"
Recorded March 27 – April 26, 1991 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Genre Grunge, alternative rock, blues rock
Length 5:01
Label Epic
Writer(s) Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder
Producer(s) Rick Parashar

"Yellow Ledbetter" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready, "Yellow Ledbetter" was an outtake from the band's debut album, Ten. "Yellow Ledbetter" was selected by the band to be on the B-side 1992 single for the song "Jeremy", where it was first released.[1] The song eventually found its way onto radio, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on the 2003 B-sides rarities album Lost Dogs, and on the 2004 greatest hits album Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).

Origin and recording

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

That was written around the time of the first record [Ten]. I think that was the second thing Ed and I wrote together. It came out of a jam in the studio and Ed didn't really have any lyrics. He came up with some ideas right there on the spot, and that's what we recorded. For some reason, it didn't make it on Ten. I was kind of bummed at the time. I really wanted it to be on our first record. But at the time, I was really young and just happy to be around this situation, so I did whatever.[5]

Composition

"Yellow Ledbetter" is based on a I-V-IV chord progression in the key of E major. McCready plays his Stratocaster on the track in the style of Jimi Hendrix, incorporating hammer-ons and pull-offs into the subtle chord work. He uses the guitar's whammy bar during the solo, bending notes to create a vacuum-like sound.[6]

Lyrics

The song title "Yellow Ledbetter" is derived from the actual name of an old friend of Vedder from Chicago, named Tim Ledbetter.[2]

Although many fans have made their own interpretations of the song, a common theory has been that the song is about someone receiving a letter and finding his or her brother had died overseas in war,[7] cited from the lyrics in the Live at the Garden version "I don't know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag".[8] On the official bootleg release of 5/3/03 - State College, Pennsylvania, Vedder sings "I'd like to wish this war away, and I tried but it just, just don't happen, don't happen that way/And my brother...they sent him off to fight for the flag, I just, I don't hope he comes home in a box or a bag", and "And I know that he's just following his path, as long, as long as it's not a box or a bag."[9] On the official bootleg release of 7/11/03 - Mansfield, Massachusetts, Vedder sings in the first verse "I think of him when I go to bed, and he's coming home in a box or a bag."[10] It's widely known that Vedder changes the lyrics of the song when singing it live, so it's difficult to know if what he's singing at the time are the original lyrics from 1991.

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

Reception

Without being released as a single, "Yellow Ledbetter" peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994. The song has managed to become a staple among fans of the band. Although the song was not released on one of the band's studio albums, it remains one of the band's most popular songs.

Steve Huey of Allmusic said that McCready's "airy Hendrix imitations provide the essential meat of the song." He added, "Eddie Vedder's vocal is alternately intense and achingly wistful, with the latter particularly suiting the song's mood." He proclaimed "Yellow Ledbetter" as "the sound of a band overflowing with prime material."[13] Will Hermes of Spin said, "The Hendrix-indebted power ballad "Yellow Ledbetter" is some of the best Pearl Jam music ever recorded."[14] In 2007, McCready's guitar solo from "Yellow Ledbetter" was ranked number 95 on Guitar World's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" list.[15][16]

Live performances

The first full live performance of "Yellow Ledbetter" occurred at the band's February 15, 1992 concert in Madrid, Spain.[17] "Yellow Ledbetter" is frequently performed at Pearl Jam concerts, generally as the last song of the concert. The freeform nature of the song allows Pearl Jam to improvise and change the song around when performing it live. During performances, McCready often plays the main riff quite differently than on the record, and uses overdrive as opposed to the previous clean channel. He also lengthens the outro, sometimes incorporating various songs which have influenced his playing style, such as "Little Wing". Similarly, Vedder almost always changes the lyrics around, sticking with the same rhythm as the original recording. Live performances of "Yellow Ledbetter" can be found on the "Daughter" single, the Tibetan Freedom Concert compilation box set, various official bootlegs, the live album Live at Benaroya Hall, and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. Performances of the song are also included on the DVDs Live at the Showbox and Live at the Garden. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Immagine in Cornice as one of the Special Features. The version of the song on Tibetan Freedom Concert is a performance by Vedder and McCready and was recorded live at the Tibetan Freedom Concert.

Trivia

Chart positions

Chart (1994) Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[19] 21
US Modern Rock Tracks[19] 26

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Guitar World United States "100 Greatest Guitar Solos"[15] 2007 95

See also

References

  1. ↑ Haney, Shawn. "Jeremy" (US) Review. Allmusic.
  2. 1 2 Neely, Kim. Five Against One. Diane Publishing Company. 1999. ISBN 0-7567-7409-8
  3. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Yellow Ledbetter" Review. Allmusic.
  4. ↑ Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin. August 2001.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan. "The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs" at the Wayback Machine (archived March 17, 2005). Billboard. 2003.
  6. ↑ "Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam". Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ Letkemann, Jessica, John Reynolds, and Kathy Davis. "In Search of "Yellow Ledbetter"". TwoFeetThick.com. March 12, 2005.
  8. ↑ Live at the Garden. Pearl Jam. Video. Epic, 2003.
  9. ↑ Vedder, Eddie. (Speaker). (2003). 5/3/03, Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pennsylvania. [Audio Recording]. Epic.
  10. ↑ Vedder, Eddie. (Speaker). (2003). 7/11/03, Tweeter Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts. [Audio Recording]. Epic.
  11. ↑ Vedder, Eddie. "Pearl Jam's First Online Chat at Lycos". Lycos.com. May 15, 2000.
  12. ↑ "2008 Eddie Vedder Concert Chronology". TwoFeetThick.com.
  13. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Yellow Ledbetter > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
  14. ↑ Hermes, Will. "Pearl Jam, Lost Dogs; Rage Against the Machine, Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium (Epic)". Spin. January 26, 2004.
  15. 1 2 "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". Guitar World. 2007.
  16. ↑ "Pearl Jam Music". Pearljam.com. 2003-11-11. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  17. ↑ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Yellow Ledbetter"". pearljam.com.
  18. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2004-05-11). "Pearl Jam helps bid adieu to 'Friends'". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
  19. 1 2 "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
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