Love Boat Captain

Infobox Single |
Name = Love Boat Captain


Artist = Pearl Jam
from Album = Riot Act
B-side = "Love Boat Captain" (live) / "Other Side"
Released = February 18, 2003
Format = CD single
Recorded = February 2002 (Music) and June 2002 (Vocals) at Studio X, Seattle, Washington
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 4:36
Label = Epic
Producer = Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam
Writer = Boom Gaspar, Eddie Vedder
Chart position =
Last single = "Save You" (2003)
This single = "Love Boat Captain" (2003)
Next single = "Man of the Hour" (2003)Extra tracklisting
Album = Riot Act
Type = studio
prev_track = "Save You"
prev_no = Track 2
this_track = "Love Boat Captain"
track_no = Track 3
next_track = "Cropduster"
next_no = Track 4"Love Boat Captain" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on February 18, 2003 as a single from the band's seventh studio album, "Riot Act" (2002).

Origin and recording

The song features lyrics written by frontman Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and keyboardist Boom Gaspar. According to Gaspar, the song initially developed out of a jamming session he had with Vedder after the two first met in Hawaii. He added, "He had a guitar. I had a keyboard. It was a small set-up. And we wrote." When they were done, Vedder asked Gaspar if he was "ready to go to Seattle." [Paiva, Derek. [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Dec/01/il/FP612010330.html "Friendship takes stage at Pearl Jam concert"] . "The Honolulu Advertiser". December 1, 2006.] Vedder on the song:

I had a little recording setup for when I wanted to get away and do some writing. He just showed up and we started playing. That night we wrote what turned into "Love Boat Captain". Within an hour, we had this thing we put on the stereo and played it loud. It was probably about an 11-minute version at that point.Cohen, Jonathan. [http://web.archive.org/web/20021028101929/www.billboard.com/billboard/specialreport/pearl_jam/pearl_jam1.jsp "Inciting a 'Riot': Pearl Jam's New Album"] . "Billboard". November 2002.]

Bassist Jeff Ament said, "The demo to that was called "Boom B3". We played a version of it, and then it got re-arranged." Drummer Matt Cameron on the song:

There weren't any lyrics when we tracked it, so we did what we thought would be a good, tight instrumental version that would later have vocals on it. When we tracked it, I was like, "Huh? What's this?" It made no sense to me. But then when the vocals were added, it made perfect sense and it elevated the entire piece.

Lyrics

"Love Boat Captain" references the 2000 Roskilde tragedy with the line "Lost 9 friends we'll never know... 2 years ago today." When "Love Boat Captain" is performed in concert, Vedder modifies the lyric to reflect the passage of time since the tragedy (as of 2008, the lyric is "8 years ago today"). There is also a reference to The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love" with the lyrics "I know it's already been sung,...can't be said enough/Love is all you need,..all you need is love,..."

When speaking about the song, Vedder stated:

It feels a little strange talking about love that openly, but if you can't do it now, when can you do it? Love is one resource that the corporations aren't going to be able to monopolize. Which means there's hope for us human beings yet. [Kot, Greg. [http://web.archive.org/web/20021128231056/www.sunspot.net/entertainment/music/bal-to.filler16nov16,0,5263904.story?coll=bal-artslife-music "Pearl Jam Emerges from Adversity"] . "The Baltimore Sun". November 16, 2002.]

Release and reception

The single was exclusive to Australia, Canada, and Europe. While "Save You" was released as the second single for North America, "Love Boat Captain" was the second single for international markets. [ [http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/PearlJam/rumorpit/pit53.html "Pearl Jam Rumor Pit #53"] . SonyMusic.com. January 28, 2003.] In Canada, the song reached the top 20 on the Canadian Singles Chart. "Love Boat Captain" reached the top 30 in Australia and Italy.

Louis Pattison of "NME" called the song "a gorgeous example of Pearl Jam's gnostic expansiveness done right" and stated that it " [ranks] with Pearl Jam's best." [Pattison, Louis. [http://www.nme.com/reviews/pearl-jam/6824 "Pearl Jam: "Riot Act"] . "NME". November 12, 2002.] Kyle Reiter of Pitchfork Media said, "The devastated lyrics of "Love Boat Captain"...are affecting, but the song itself is a standard rocker, which seems an odd choice to accompany Vedder's poetic remorse." [Reiter, Kyle. [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/20784-riot-act "Pearl Jam: "Riot Act"] . Pitchfork Media. January 6, 2003.]

Music video

". The video was released in late 2002.

Live performances

The song was premiered live at the band's September 23, 2002 concert in Chicago, Illinois. [ [http://pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=LoveBoatCaptain "Pearl Jam Songs: "Love Boat Captain""] . pearljam.com.] Live performances of "Love Boat Captain" can be found on the "Love Boat Captain" single and on 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". The song is also featured during the closing credits of "Immagine in Cornice".

Track listing

;Compact Disc Single (Australia and Canada)
#"Love Boat Captain" (Boom Gaspar, Eddie Vedder) – 4:36
#"Love Boat Captain" (live) (Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:50
#*Recorded live in Seattle, Washington on December 6, 2002.
#"Other Side" (Jeff Ament) – 4:03

;Compact Disc Single (Europe)
#"Love Boat Captain" (Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:36
#"Other Side" (Ament) – 4:03;Compact Disc Single (Enhanced) (Europe)
#"Love Boat Captain" (Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:36
#"Love Boat Captain" (live) (Gaspar, Vedder) – 4:50
#*Recorded live in Seattle, Washington on December 6, 2002.
#"Other Side" (Ament) – 4:03
#"Love Boat Captain" (video) – 4:43
#*Filmed live at the "Chop Suey" club in Seattle, Washington.

Chart positions

References

External links

*YouTube | id = 7ItYVn2jcGU | title = Music video for "Love Boat Captain"
* [http://www.pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=LoveBoatCaptain Lyrics]