I Got Id

Infobox Song
Name = I Got Id


Artist = Pearl Jam featuring Neil Young
Album = Merkin Ball (EP)
Background = lightsteelblue
Released = December 5, 1995
track_no = Track 1
Recorded = February 7, 1995 – February 10, 1995 at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington
Genre = Grunge
Length = 4:53
Label = Epic
Producer = Brett Eliason
Writer = Eddie Vedder
Chart position =
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next_no = Track 2"I Got Id" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam featuring Neil Young. It appears as the A-side to the 1995 "Merkin Ball" single. The song reached number two on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number three on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and peaked at number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The song can also be found on the band's greatest hits album, "".

Note that the song's name is "I Got Id" (as in the Freudian concept) and "not" "I Got ID" (as in a form of identification), a frequent mistake in labeling the album's songs. "I Got Id" is also known as "I Got Shit" by the band and its fans. It is rumored that when Vedder proposed the idea of a single to Epic, the label made him change the title of the song.cite web
url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fzfyxq9jld6e~T0
title=Merkinball
author=Cohen, Jonathan
publisher=Allmusic
accessdate=2007-04-29]

Origin and recording

The song was written by frontman Eddie Vedder. The song was recorded during the sessions for the Neil Young/Pearl Jam collaboration "Mirror Ball". Only two members of Pearl Jam appear on the track, Vedder and drummer Jack Irons. Neil Young plays lead guitar on the track and "Mirror Ball" producer Brendan O'Brien plays bass.

Upon introducing the song at Pearl Jam's September 19, 1998 concert in Washington, D.C., Vedder stated that " [Neil Young] gave me a song writing lesson at a half-price rate; this is what I came up with...on my final, he gave me a B+ I think." [ [http://www.fivehorizons.com/tour/cc/t1998p3.shtml "Pearl Jam: 1998 Concert Chronology: Part 3"] . fivehorizons.com.] At Pearl Jam's May 10, 2006 concert in Toronto, Vedder revealed that the song's chorus melody was inspired by the verse melody in Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl". [ [http://www.twofeetthick.com/tft/cc2006.action "Pearl Jam Concert Chronology: 2006"] . TwoFeetThick.com.]

Lyrics

The song's lyrics carry the theme of unrequited love. The lyrics describe an anxiety-ridden narrator and his or her goal of returning to a less controlled state.

Reception

As the A-side of the "Merkin Ball" single, the song peaked at number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100. On the rock charts, the song peaked at number two on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number three on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart. It appeared on "Billboard" magazine's Hot 100 Airplay chart, reaching the top 40.

In Canada, the song reached the top 80 on the Canadian Singles Chart. "I Got Id" reached the top 30 in the UK and peaked at number two on the Australian Singles Chart. "I Got Id" reached the top 40 in the Netherlands, the top 30 in Ireland, and was a top ten success in Finland and Norway. It was a moderate top 20 success in New Zealand and Sweden.

Jonathan Cohen of Allmusic called "I Got Id" "an even mix of "Vitalogy"'s raw rock and "No Code"'s major-key majesty." David Browne of "Entertainment Weekly" called "I Got Id" a "standard PJ chest thumper." [Browne, David. [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,300051,00.html "Merkin Ball"] . "Entertainment Weekly". December 22, 1995.]

Live performances

The song was premiered live at the band's February 21, 1995 concert in Osaka, Japan. [ [http://pearljam.com/songs/song.php?song=IGotId "Pearl Jam Songs: "I Got Id""] . pearljam.com.] A performance of "I Got Id" can be found on the DVD "Touring Band 2000".

Chart positions

References