Life Wasted
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| “Life Wasted” | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Pearl Jam from the album Pearl Jam |
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| B-side | "Come Back" (live) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | August 28, 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | Vinyl, Digital download | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | November 2004–February 2006 at Studio X, Seattle, Washington | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:54 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | J Records | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Adam Kasper, Pearl Jam | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pearl Jam singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||
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"Life Wasted" is the second single from Pearl Jam's eighth studio album, Pearl Jam (2006). The song peaked at number ten on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. On Pearl Jam, "Life Wasted" is reprised as a modified version on the album's tenth track, "Wasted Reprise".
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[edit] Origin and recording
The song features lyrics written by frontman Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The main guitar riff for the song is similar to the one featured in "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones, and seems to stem from an improv song from Pearl Jam's performance in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 4, 2000.
[edit] Release and reception
A 7" single for "Life Wasted" was released in the UK on August 28, 2006. The B-side is "Come Back" from June 27, 2006 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The single was also made available as a download from the UK iTunes Store.
The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number ten on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
A cover of "Life Wasted" is featured in Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360.[1]
[edit] Lyrical meaning
The lyrics of the song were reportedly written about the death of Johnny Ramone and about the feelings one feels after driving home from a funeral. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie Vedder stated
When you leave that funeral, that drive is as important as any single stretch of road you'll travel on. You've got a renewed appreciation for life. And I think that feeling can last through the day, through the week, but then things start getting back to normal and you start taking this living and breathing and eating thing for granted. I think that song is there to remind you, 'This is that feeling'....The truth is--I'm a little sensitive and this is a close, personal relationship. I'll just say it. Fuck it. Right up front. Half the record is based on the loss of the guy who turned out to be the best friend I ever had on the planet. And that was Johnny Ramone.[2]
[edit] Music video
The video for "Life Wasted" explores the song's themes of death and rebirth.[2] The video was filmed over 10 months in locations such as Romania, Seattle, Washington, and George, Washington.[3][4] The video, which emulates the liner notes from the album, was directed by Fernando Apodaca without the aid of digital special effects. Apodaca created the physical sculptures for the video. Life casts were made of each of the band members' heads. Vedder sacrificed his eyelashes for the process.[2] During the video, the heads are shown being lit on fire, drenched with water, and inhabited by worms and bugs. The conceptual footage is interspersed with clips of Vedder singing and the band performing.
The video for the song was released on May 19, 2006 to the public on Google Video under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs license allowing copying, distributing and sharing.[5] This was most likely the first time that a video produced by a major record company was released under such a license. It was nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects in 2006.[6] This video marked the first time Pearl Jam had released a conceptual video since "Do the Evolution" in 1998.
[edit] Live performances
The song was premiered live at the band's April 20, 2006 concert in London, England.[7] The band played this song when it appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in May 2006 in support of Pearl Jam. Live performances of "Life Wasted" can be found on the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Immagine In Cornice.
[edit] Formats and track listing
Information taken from various sources.[8][9][10]
- 7" Vinyl Single (Europe)
- "Life Wasted" (Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder) – 3:54
- "Come Back" (live) (Mike McCready, Vedder) – 5:18
- Recorded live in Saint Paul, Minnesota on June 27, 2006.
- Digital Download (UK)
- "Life Wasted" (Gossard, Vedder) – 3:54
- "Come Back" (live) (McCready, Vedder) – 5:18
- Recorded live in Saint Paul, Minnesota on June 27, 2006.
[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[11][12][13]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | US Modern Rock Tracks | 10 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 13 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 110 |
[edit] References
- ^ Ekberg, Brian. "CES 07: Guitar Hero II Hands-On". GameSpot.com. January 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian (2006-06-16). The Second Coming of Pearl Jam. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
- ^ Jones, Alex. "Alum awarded at SDFF". thedailyaztec.com. October 3, 2006.
- ^ "McCready Talks About The Gorge". pearljam.com. May 8, 2007.
- ^ Steuer, Eric (2006-05-19). Pearl Jam Releases Its First Music Video In Eight Years Under a Creative Commons License. CreativeCommons.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Rockonthenet. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Life Wasted"". pearljam.com.
- ^ Life Wasted. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ pjcollectors.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam: "Life Wasted". Sony BMG. Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
- ^ Pearl Jam Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Chart Log: 1994-2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
[edit] External links
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