All the Way (Eddie Vedder song)

Infobox Single
Name = All the Way


Cover size =
Caption =
Artist = Eddie Vedder
from Album =
A-side =
B-side =
Released = September 18, 2008
Format = CD single, Digital download
Recorded = August 21, 2008 – August 22, 2008, Auditorium Theatre, city-state|Chicago|Illinois
Genre = Folk music
Length = 3:39
Label = Ten Club
Writer = Eddie Vedder
Producer =
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single = "No More" (2007)
This single = "All the Way" (2008)
Next single =
Misc = "All the Way" (also known as "(Someday We'll Go) All the Way" and referred to as "Go All the Way") [cite web|url=http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2008/09/vedder_to_cubs_someday_well_go.php|title=Vedder to Cubs: Someday We'll Go All the Way|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-18|publisher=Village Voice Media|work=Seattle Weekly|author=Kornelis, Chris] cite web|url=http://www.pearljam.com/goods/index2.php?https://secure.pearljam.com/store/product.spring?categoryId=11&sku=6196|title=Eddie Vedder Go All The Way MP3 Digital Download|accessdate=2008-09-20|publisher=PearlJam.com] is a song written and performed by city-state|Evanston|Illinois native and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder about the Chicago Cubs.cite web|url=http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/custom/redhot/red-091908-redhot1,0,3750734.story|title=Cubbie jam|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-19|publisher=Metromix|work=RedEye] It was first performed in public on August 2, 2007, recorded on August 21, 2008 and August 22, 2008, and released as a single on September 18, 2008.

The Cubs franchise last won the World Series in 1908, and Vedder has been a lifelong Cubs fan. The song, which fondly looks forward to the Cubs' next World Series victory, was written with the encouragement of certain Chicago Cubs, most notably Ernie Banks. The song was first performed in Chicago and was recorded at the Chicago ending of Vedder's first solo tour.

Origin and recording

multiple image
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header = Eddie Vedder's August 3, 2007 Wrigley Field visit
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width1 = 130
caption1 = Singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during seventh-inning stretch

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width2 = 170
caption2 = Throwing ceremonial first pitchAlthough Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who was raised in Evanston, Illinois and later city-state|San Diego County|California, [cite web|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CTRB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB426D82CAC9F8F&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=AA98CDC331574F0ABEAFF732B33DC0B2|title=Rebels With a Cause: Other Bands Talk About Revolution; Pearl Jam is Actually Leading One|accessdate=2008-09-22|date=1995-07-09|publisher=Newsbank|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Kot, Greg] is closely associated with grunge music,cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/celebritybuzz/ci_10529356|title=People: Eddie Vedder pens triumph song for Cubs|accessdate=2008-09-27|date=2008-09-22|work=The Denver Post|author=Smith, Lori Spencer] he has been a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan. He has performed the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at several Cubs games and thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field.cite web|url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2008/09/19/vedder_cubs_song/|title=Eddie Vedder writes Cubs theme song |accessdate=2008-09-21|date=2008-09-19|publisher=Rogers Sportsnet|work=Sportsnet.ca] His first seventh-innning stretch performance had been on Independence Day (July 4) 1998.cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/vedder%20spends%20a%20day%20with%20the%20cubs_1039777|title=Eddie Vedder - Vedder Spends A Day With The Cubs|accessdate=2008-09-21|date=2007-08-06|publisher=Contactmusic.com Ltd,|work=Contactmusic.com]

Vedder has attended the Cubs fantasy camp for several years.Brown, David. [http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Answer-Man-Kerry-Wood-talks-Eddie-Vedder-bowli?urn=mlb,90554 "Answer Man: Kerry Wood talks Eddie Vedder, bowling, nudity"] . Yahoo!. June 26, 2008.] While attending the camp one year, former Cubs shortstop and first baseman Ernie Banks requested that Vedder write a song about the Cubs. Vedder wrote "All the Way" the night before the camp started and first performed it at Pearl Jam's August 2, 2007 concert at The Vic Theater in Chicago with Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood and other Cubs players in attendance. [ [http://pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=alltheway "Pearl Jam Songs: "All the Way""] . pearljam.com.] On August 3, 2007, one day after "All the Way" was premiered live, Vedder performed "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field for the fourth time and threw out the first pitch for the first time. Vedder's band, Pearl Jam, was in Chicago that week to perform at Lollapalooza,cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/vedder%20spends%20a%20day%20with%20the%20cubs_1039777|title=Eddie Vedder - Vedder Spends A Day With The Cubs|accessdate=2008-09-21|date=2007-08-06|publisher=Contactmusic.com Ltd,|work=Contactmusic.com] where the band was the headlining act for the three day festival that ended on August 5, 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/08/06/pearl-jams-fierce-political-headlining-set-brings-lollapalooza-2007-to-a-fitting-end/|title=Pearl Jam’s Fierce, Political Headlining Set Brings Lollapalooza 2007 to a Fitting End|accessdate=2008-09-22|date=2007-08-06|publisher=RealNetworks, Inc.|work=Rolling Stone|author=Gendron, Bob]

work=Upcoming]

Lyrics

The 3:39 song is in the folk music genre, and it is perceived as a sing-along sea chantey or drinking song. The lyrics to the song include lines such as "Our heroes wear pinstripes/Pinstripes in blue/Give us a chance to feel like heroes, too." [cite web|url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/09/19/eddie-vedder-hoping-cubs-go-all-the-way/|title=Eddie Vedder Helping Chicago Cubs Go 'All the Way'|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-19|publisher=AOL|work=Spinner|author=Luerssen, John D.] The song makes references to Ernie Banks, Wrigley Field, and a specific reference to Banks' catch phrase of "Let's play two!" [cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060927&content_id=1685896&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc|author=Muskat, Carrie|title=Banks named Cubs' Hometown Hero|publisher=MLB.com|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2006-09-27] [cite web|url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/sportsprose/2008/09/eddie_vedders_song_pays_tribut.html|title=Eddie Vedder's song pays tribute to Chicago Cubs|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-18|publisher=Sun-Times News Group|work=Chicago Sun-Times|author=Koster, Kyle] The refrain includes the phrase "Someday we'll go all the way, Yeah, someday we'll go all the way," which anticipates the day the Cubs win the World Series, gives the song its name. [cite web|url=http://entertainment.msn.com/news/article.aspx?news=331479|title=Eddie Vedder pens song for Chicago Cubs die-hards|accessdate=2008-09-27|date=2008-09-20|publisher=Microsoft/Associated Press|work=MSN]

Release and reception

wall.

Philip K. Wrigley had employee Bill Veeck, Jr. add ivy to the outfield walls of Wrigley Field in September 1937. [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1389.html|title=Wrigley Field|accessdate=2008-09-23|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|author=Brown, Richard H.] [cite web|url=http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/chc/ballpark/index.jsp|title=Wrigley Field History|accessdate=2008-09-24|publisher=MLB Advanced Media, L.P. |work=Official Site of the Chicago Cubs] Wrigley Field is the home stadium for the Chicago Cubs, and its wall is well-known for being covered in ivy except for a few select places where signs are present as well as doors to locker rooms and such. The brick is visible under the ivy at the stadium in locations where the signs designate the distance from the wall to home plate measured in feet. The cover art image replaces the distance with the words "All the Way".

By the time of the single release, local Chicago radio stations and sports bars had begun to play the song in anticipation of the 2008 Cubs' playoff run. [cite web|author=Kreps, Daniel|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/19/eddie-vedder-writes-song-for-the-chicago-cubs/|title=Eddie Vedder Writes Song For the Chicago Cubs|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-19] The song is considered to be an earnest tribute to the Cubs.cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/19/listen-eddie-vedders-cubs_n_127795.html?show_comment_id=15972075|title=LISTEN: Eddie Vedder's Cubs Song|accessdate=2008-09-27|date=2008-09-19|work=HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.] According to at least one source, the song is reminiscent of "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and much less upbeat than the song "Go, Cubs, Go" by American folk music singer-songwriter Steve Goodman.cite web|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Eddie-Vedder-ready-to-go-All-The-Way-with-new-?urn=mlb,109107|title=Eddie Vedder ready to go 'All The Way' with new Cubs song|accessdate=2008-09-20|date=2008-09-19|publisher=Yahoo!|author=Brown, David] The Huffington Post encourages listeners to compare the song to Goodman's "Go, Cubs, Go". Another source compares the song to American country-folk singer-songwriter John Prine's 1974 song "Dear Abby" in terms of melody and cadence as well as the theme of Goodman's "A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request".cite web|url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/09/eddie-vedder-up.html|title=Eddie Vedder updates Chicago folk classics for 2008 Cubs anthem|accessdate=2008-09-21|date=2008-09-19|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Kot, Greg]

References

External links

* [http://www.pearljam.com/goods/index2.php?https://secure.pearljam.com/store/product.spring?categoryId=11&sku=6196 Download at pearljam.com]