Why Go
| "Why Go" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Why Go" is the fourth song off Pearl Jam's debut album Ten. The song pairs music written by bassist Jeff Ament with lyrics written by lead singer Eddie Vedder. Ament plays a twelve string bass on the track.[1]
Background
Guitarist Mike McCready on the song:
The thing I remember most about this song is how thunderous Jeff Ament's huge 12-string bass was, and me getting to noodle over it. He had just gotten the Hamer Tom Peterson model, and "Why Go" was the first song he used it on. It sounded like a piano in your face. It was pretty intense.[2]
The song was played live from its debut in 1991 up until 1995 when it was dropped. The song made its appearance again in 2003 twice. The first time that year in Bristow, Virginia, the song missed most of the odd bars of 9/8 giving it a straighter feel. Also, the full band started the song without the Bass/Drums intro. Before the song was played, lead singer Eddie Vedder admitted "We don't know if it's going to be all right, playing this song is going to be like trying to drive a car when we're twelve."[3] The song has since returned to Pearl Jam set lists and was played many times during the band's 2006 tour.[4] Live performances of the song can be found on the "Oceans" single, the "Dissident" single, and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set.
Lyrical meaning
In the Ten liner notes Vedder dedicated the song to a girl named Heather. In an interview he elaborated further:
The song "Why Go"...was written about a specific girl in Chicago who is... I think her mom caught her smoking pot or something. She was about 13 years old and she was just fine. I think her mom thought she had some troubles when I think it was really maybe the parents that were having troubles and the next thing you know, this young girl was in a hospital. They kept her there for quite a long time. She was so strong that she refused to accept many of the accusations of her doing terrible things when she wasn't really doing anything and the next thing you know she was in this...she'd been hospitalized for like two years. The fact is that this is going on all over the place and this insurance thing that goes on with hospitals and insurance and these kind of counseling...prisons that they set up and it's really something that I think is really addressed subliminally in the song, but it has to be addressed on a bigger level. It happens everywhere and I just hope that someday we're able to change the fact that it is happening.[5]
References
- ^ "Jeff Ament's Gear". Sonymusic.com.
- ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Prime Cuts: Mike McCready - The Best of Pearl Jam!". Guitar School. May 1995.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Shows: 2003 July 1, Nissan Pavillion Stone Ridge Bristow, Virginia". pearljam.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Why Go"". pearljam.com.
- ^ Vedder, Eddie. "Interview with David Sadoff." KLOL FM, Houston, Texas. December 1991.
