Life Wasted
| "Life Wasted" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Come Back" (live) |
"Life Wasted" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 28, 2006 as the second single from the band'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".
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.
Lyrics
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, 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.[1]
Release and reception
The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number ten on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. 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.
A cover of "Life Wasted" is featured in Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360.[2]
Music video
The video for "Life Wasted" explores the song's themes of death and rebirth.[1] 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.[1] 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.
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.
Track listing
- 7" Vinyl Single (Europe) and Digital Download (UK)
- "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.
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | US Modern Rock Tracks[8] | 10 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks[8] | 13 | |
| UK Singles Chart[9] | 110 |
References
- ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian (2006-06-16). "The Second Coming of Pearl Jam". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ekberg, Brian. "CES 07: Guitar Hero II Hands-On". GameSpot.com. January 8, 2007.
- ^ 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 2007-07-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "2006 MTV Video Music Awards". Rockonthenet. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Life Wasted"". pearljam.com.
- ^ a b "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Chart Log: 1994-2006". Retrieved 2007-06-11.
