Light Years (song)

Infobox Single |
Name = Light Years


Artist = Pearl Jam
from Album = Binaural
B-side = "Grievance" (live) / "Soon Forget" (live)
Released = July 18, 2000
Format = CD single, Vinyl
Recorded = September 1999 – January 2000 at Studio Litho, Seattle, Washington
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 5:06
Label = Epic
Producer = Tchad Blake, Pearl Jam
Writer = Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder
Chart position =
Last single = "Nothing as It Seems" (2000)
This single = "Light Years" (2000)
Next single = "I Am Mine" (2002)Extra tracklisting
Album = Binaural
Type = studio
prev_track = "Evacuation"
prev_no = Track 3
this_track = "Light Years"
track_no = Track 4
next_track = "Nothing as It Seems"
next_no = Track 5Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = LightYears.ogg"Light Years" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on July 18, 2000 as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, "Binaural" (2000). "Light Years" peaked at number 17 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song also appears on "".

Origin and recording

The song features lyrics written by frontman Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder, guitarist Mike McCready, and guitarist Stone Gossard. The song was re-worked from its original demo version as the band felt the original version was too similar to the song "Given to Fly".DeCurtis, Anthony. [http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/revolver2000.shtml "Do The Evolution"] . "Revolver". May 13, 2000.] Vedder on the song:

With "Light Years", Mike McCready had written some music. We were excited about it for a while, but when we got down to recording it, it was too nice, too right there - it was a little too close to "Given to Fly". We changed the tempos, and then one night Mike and I, after working on it all day and getting frustrated, just flipped it backwards, and in about 35 minutes it became "Light Years", with words and everything. It still has a fairly contagious chorus and melody, but it's just sideways enough to make me happy.

Bassist Jeff Ament on the song:

It sounded nothing like what it sounds like now. Mike had a couple of riffs, and Ed really sat down and tried to write to it. He initially had some problems, and one day he came in on his own and had some lyrics that were really heartfelt. He ended up completely rearranging the song. It got played a million different tempos and a million different angles on the drums. That was a hard song; probably more so on Matt's end just because it took so long.Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=812822 "Pearl Jam: Spreading The Jam"] . "Billboard". March 30, 2001.]

Lyrics

At the Pinkpop Festival in 2000, Vedder dedicated the song to Diane Muus from Sony Music, a friend of the band who passed away at the age of 33 in 1997. [ [http://www.twofeetthick.com/tour/cc/t2000.do "Pearl Jam Concert Chronology: 2000"] . TwoFeetThick.com.] He said there are "times you have got friends that don't fuck up at all and are great people. And then you just lose them for some reason. They are off the planet and you never had a chance to say goodbye. I only mention this because there was a person we used to know here and that was Diane and ah, we never got a chance to say goodbye. This is goodbye. And if you've got good friends, love them while they're here." [Vedder, Eddie. (Speaker). (2000). "6/12/00, Pinkpop, Landgraaf, Netherlands". [Audio Recording] . Epic.]

Release and reception

The song peaked at number 17 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside of the United States, the single was released in Australia, Austria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. "Light Years" reached the top 60 in the UK and the top 30 in Italy.

In Allmusic's review of the "Light Years" single, it was stated that "with [Pearl Jam's] more enduring and darker tones set in place, fans of Pearl Jam receive a raw and sincere taste of the band's new musical and melodic direction, perhaps ignited with the additional presence of newcomer Matt Cameron on drums."cite web
url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:djfixq9kldhe
title=Light Years/Greivance/Soon Forget [US CD]
author=Haney, Shawn
publisher=Allmusic
accessdate=2007-04-28] "NME" called the song "painfully beautiful" [ [http://www.nme.com/reviews/pearl-jam/2241 "Binaural" burns with the intensity and desperation of a last stand..."] . "NME". May 11, 2000.] in its review of "Binaural", while Christopher John Farley of "Time" described the song as "muted but passionate." [Farley, Christopher John. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,997155,00.html "Binaural" Pearl Jam; "Lifehouse: Elements" Pete Townshend"] . "Time". June 12, 2000.]

Live performances

The song was premiered live at the band's May 10, 2000 concert in Bellingham, Washington. [ [http://pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=LightYears "Pearl Jam Songs: "Light Years""] . pearljam.com.]

Track listing

;Compact Disc Single (US, Austria, and UK) and 12" Vinyl Single (Austria)
#"Light Years" (Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder) – 5:07
#"Grievance" (live) (Vedder) – 3:39
#"Soon Forget" (live) (Vedder) – 2:06
*Live tracks recorded live from Bellingham, Washington on May 10, 2000.

;Compact Disc Single (Enhanced) (Australia)
#"Light Years" (Gossard, McCready, Vedder) – 5:07
#"Grievance" (live) (Vedder) – 3:29
#"Soon Forget" (live) (Vedder) – 2:06
#"Do the Evolution" (video clip multimedia) – 3:54
*Live tracks recorded live from Bellingham, Washington on May 10, 2000.;Compact Disc Single (Austria and South Africa)
#"Light Years" (Gossard, McCready, Vedder) – 5:08
#"Grievance" (live) (Vedder) – 3:30
#*Recorded live from Bellingham, Washington on May 10, 2000.

;7" Vinyl Single (UK)
#"Light Years" (Gossard, McCready, Vedder) – 5:08
#"Soon Forget" (live) (Vedder) – 2:06
#*Recorded live from Bellingham, Washington on May 10, 2000.

Chart positions

References

External links

* [http://www.pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=LightYears Lyrics]