Pearl Jam: Single Video Theory

Mike McCready:
This song kinda reminds me of a wave... in a way how the wave starts off small, then it gets taller and bigger and bigger... and then reaching it's crest... [humming]... and then when it finally breaks, it just goes...

Eddie Vedder:
Stone wrote a real pretty great melody... listen to it all the time... didn't know what to do with it... people keep saying, 'Do you have one for this? Do you have something for that'... Yeah... just workin' on it

Stone Gossard:
I had recorded that riff on my little microcassette recorder... that was probably the first one I went, 'This is one I really want to concentrate on' and try to get the band to fall in love with and keep playing every time there was a rehearsal... just kind of 'What'd think?'

Eddie Vedder:
The studio's fun... you know when you're all getting along and people are just creating and creating... no matter what it sounds like... I know where you're trying to take it, so let me do what you need... you know totally selfless just to the song and to music... so that's like pure creative process.

Stone Gossard:
It really means more than just slow down because someone else has the right-of-way

Eddie Vedder:
It's really give way to... uh... nature... it's what I've been thinkin'

Jack Irons:
We paced ourselves and we didn't rush through it and we tried to be as creative as our collective minds would let us be over some course of time instead of just trying to rush through a record

Mike McCready:
I get afraid of losing that creative energy... where it's like 'where's it going to come from'... am I going to lose it someday... or will I have it for a while and then will it just run out because I've seen that happen to other bands.

Eddie Vedder:
You know, people say it's like a marriage, but it's not, I don't think we are married. I think we come back because we want to and... um... and we can go other places if we want. Someone could walk in and say, 'Look, I'm going to take a year off' and what would we do?

Jeff Ament:
I think music is , at least for me, is one of the more healing artforms. You know, I think anybody can put on a pair of headphones... you know... put on a disc, play their records or whatever and have it change their mood for the day.

Eddie Vedder:
Just to feel... not what to feel, but just to feel something

Stone Gossard:
I don't write... um... a lot of lyrics, so usually it's just kinda coming up with riffs and ideas that I like. I still think that the same riff I would have liked 8 years ago I probably would still like now. I like rhythmic things that butt up against each other in a cool way.

Jack Irons:
The most inspirational time of a song might be the inception of a song, ya know? When actually it was like- the song was given, so to speak.

Eddie Vedder:
Obviously it's in a car and you're getting the f*** out of a problem, ya know, or a bad situation.

Eddie Vedder:
You might wanna give an E bow a try on that thing... I mean it's just such the sound.

Stone Gossard:
I can't, I can't get to an E bow... if you wanna to do it...

Eddie Vedder:
If I wanna do it... I can get to an E bow easier than... what do you, what do you... easier than you can get to an E bow?

Stone Gossard:
Well, I can't get to an E bow out of, coming out of a finger-picking part... cause the first note is like on the one.

Eddie Vedder:
Can you get to an E bow? [Laughing]

Mike McCready:
Um... I might be able to ge to an E bow... possibly.

Stone Gossard:
It probably wouldn't... I mean... I... my... whatever.

Eddie Vedder:
I understand.

Eddie Vedder:
It sounded like flying... to me.

Stone Gossard:
I think that's one thing about this record... is just... everyone got individual efforts on this record. Everybody got to be part of this one in a new kind of way... um... which is... a nice evolution... everyone learned a lot from that process of kind of letting go... and and... um... and thinking, 'You gotta just kinda trust the band and let it kinda do what it... you know... it's naturally going to do'.

Jeff Ament:
I don't know... it's, it's it's... it's more intense... you know? I find myself sweating more when I'm playing... even though it's 60 degrees in the room.

Eddie Vedder:
Um... so at the end, someone needs to, do you want to the...

Stone Gossard:
Where do you want it at the end?

Eddie Vedder:
What's that?

Stone Gossard:
Where at the end?

Eddie Vedder:
Oh, um... coming out of the um... the uh... last verse... the ver... uh... the last chorus, the last realy chorus

Stone Gossard:
Do you know where that is? Do you know where he wants it?

Mike McCready:
At the end. [Laughing]

Stone Gossard:
You gotta explain yourself a little better.

Eddie Vedder:
Oh, I'm sure I do, yeah.

Stone Gossard:
Oh yeah, at the end. Sure, I'll be there for you baby.

Mike McCready:
Man... how could I blow that solo? It's the easiest solo I've ever done. F***in' three notes.