Just Breathe by Pearl Jam


My father, an avid Pearl Jam fan, added this song to my first ever ipod ages ago.  Ever since that day, Just Breathe has been one of my favorite childhood songs.  Eddie Vedder, the band's lead singer, based this song off of one of his previous instrumentals that he put on movie soundtrack for Into the Wild.  This movie revolves around a man trekking across the country to live alone in the wilderness of Alaska.  The movie's specializes in showing how the slow life can be really fulfilling.  Likewise, in 2009, when Eddie and the band created this song its central idea involves taking time to slow down, enjoy loved ones, and be reflexive upon ones life.  

Pearl Jam puts forth this theme primarily through the language of the song.  In the beginning of the song he sings, "Oh I'm a lucky man, to count on both hands the ones I love. Some folks just have one, yeah, others they've got none"  In starting off the song with such a powerful idea, like love, really drives the listener to get into a deep thinking mindset.  With this initial change in mindset, it helps the listener focus on the bigger things in life, the less tangible things that most of humanity seems to have forgotten.  Furthermore, this quote achieves this reflective mindset because it serves almost as an indirect question pushing the listener to see if they've been a "lucky man who can count on both hands the ones [they] love".  This is basically the simplest way Eddie quantifies if he personally has lived a good life and gives the listener a way to do the same.

Eddie then later sings, "Stay with me... Let's just breathe..." implying that there is someone, a loved one, who he wishes to just take the time to be with.  This inclination is posed on the listener, because to them it seems as if Eddie is speaking directly to them.  His calming tone when he says relaxes the listener and brings them in just a little bit closer to the song.  This quote also contains the title of the song, this is the song's focal point.  This is what the listener walks away with after hearing the song.  The message; to just take the time to breathe and be together with loved ones, because that is what is important in life.

The chorus then proclaims "Did I say that I need you? Did I say that I want you?  Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see."  Eddie, in his video shows lots of images of his band mates, to emphasize how important fostering the relationships we have already is.  This use of rhetorical questions is literally meant for the listeners to ask themselves these questions about their loved ones, just like Eddie has. The last sentence in that quote just pushes the listener one more step to actually tell their loved ones that they care for them and need them in their life. Relationships are important, be them romantic or not, they help us get through the curve balls life throws at us.  They could even be death, which the song alludes to in the last verse, "Meet you on the other side...".  Eddie basically is saying that a good relationship will be eternal; one that has lifelong effects for all parties involved.

I find a really deep connection with this song as in today's world life just seems to be whizzing by with astonishing speed.  The idea that college is just around the corner scares me a lot.  Amidst all of the chaos concerning school, work, sports, this song centers me.  It reminds me to breathe and to appreciate the relationships I have created. The beautiful strum of guitar just brings me peace, something often forgotten in today's age.  It brings me joy.

Through the phrasing Eddie uses in Just Breathe, he pushes his listeners to reflect on their own lives and their own relationships as a way to slow down and enjoy life for a little bit.  A lesson that should be heeded by all.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 28, 2019 at 7:00 AM


    Postings provide comprehensive insight, understanding, and reflective thought about the topic by
    ...building a focused argument around a specific issue or
    ...asking a new related question or
    ...making an oppositional statement supported by personal experience or related research. (4)

    Postings present a specific viewpoint that is substantiated by supporting examples and links to websites or documents, but not all links enhance the information presented. (3)

    Postings are creatively and fluently written to stimulate dialogue and commentary. (4)
    Postings are written in a style that is appealing and appropriate for the intended audience and a consistent voice is evident throughout. (4)
    Postings reflect the author’s unique personality through expressive and carefully selected word choices that bring the topic to life. (4)
    All images, media and text created by others display appropriate copyright permissions and accurate citations. (4)

    Written responses are largely free of grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. The style of writing generally facilitates communication. (3)
    26/28

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I was

Image
I recognize that I'm not really the type of person that shares their thoughts and feelings on a consistent basis.  So, for all of you that I know will read this, I figured that I'll let you into the oddities of my mind.  At least for a little bit... I'm a person that wants to continue to get better.  Whether that be in the classroom or on the track or better as a person. Betterment was the word I came to Millbrook with and it remained in my "pocket" all 4 years.  Honestly, coming into freshman year I had no defined identity other than "I'm the kid that came from Catholic school."  I knew no one and didn't really feel comfortable talking to anyone.  I had always been a shy and relatively quiet kid who gave teachers a tough time in the "group contribution" category.  Oddly enough I think it was just scared to embarrass myself and have to deal with the people who saw your embarrassing act everyday, all day. Millbrook both gave ...
Read more

The American Dream

The American Dream.  It's a common phrase.  A phrase used regularly as a pedestal to put hope for a "better life" on.  After scouring the internet, I've come up with the definition that the American Dream is the belief in the opportunity to work hard and elevate yourself within society, regardless of individual characteristics.  I believe this to be the definition Fitzgerald functions on, my my own is slightly different based on some personal experience.  I define the American Dream as the ability to elevate one's self within society through hard work, SACRIFICE, and a dash of LUCK. My definition includes sacrifice and luck, because of what has happened to the two most influential men in my life.  Those being my dad and my grandpa Mosler.  My grandpa sacrificed a lot in my opinion during his life working as a janitor (during my childhood) and a butcher (ing my father's childhood) while trying to raise my father and his five other siblings.  He w...
Read more

Walt Whitman or Gandalf the Grey

Image
Upon initially looking at Whitman's notebooks I noticed the abundance of strike-throughs, hand-drawn images, and stamps.  I also noticed that everything was written in cursive, which would have been typical of his time and social status, as well as the constant mention of sailing and ships.  I think it's all important in characterizing Whitman.  For instance, the strike-throughs give us evidence to back up that he was a thoughtful man, with potentially scattered thoughts, but with the intent of always wanting the perfect wording of things.  The images, believed to be drawn by others, show us how sociable he was.  He was integrated in society and knew about it because he lived it, unlike other famous recluse poets who comment on the world from their exterior view.  The constant mention of ships and sailing describe a type of conflict, probably inner, that he was dealing with.  I say this because it was always about the waters raging or beating on the...
Read more