Do The Evolution

Album: Yield (1998)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is written from the perspective of a man who believes he and his creed have evolved to become the most superior species on earth, and are thus entitled to the spoils. In 1998 interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder explained: "That song is all about someone who's drunk with technology, who thinks they're the controlling living being on this planet. It's another one I'm not singing as myself."
  • Daniel Quinn's 1992 novel Ishmael was an influence on this song. The book questions the idea that the rise of humanity is the peak of evolution. After all, humans have ruled the planet for only a very short period of geological time. Eddie Vedder got really into the book and explored the concepts in this song.
  • Pearl Jam released a video for this song, which was big news - it was their first since "Jeremy" in 1992. The band felt that videos detracted from the music, and also hated the process of making them.

    Why the change of heart? For one thing, they didn't appear in the video - it's animated by Todd McFarlane, who draws the comic book Spawn. They explained in a statement: "As artists we are challenged to expand the meaning of our work and by utilizing this visual medium and collaborating with a visionary like Todd, we were able to further explore some of the themes we depicted in the song 'Do the Evolution.' Basically, we've tried to make a good stoner video."

    In the video, the history of the universe is compressed into four minutes.
  • The video debuted on MTV's alternative music showcase 120 Minutes on August 23, 1998. By this time, the band had been touring behind the Yield album for a few months. Pearl Jam didn't make another concept video until 2006 with "Life Wasted."
  • Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard wrote the music when he decided they needed another rock song for the Yield album. He developed a few riffs and played them for Eddie Vedder, who chose the one that became the song. The pair got right to work in the studio.

    "He gravitated toward that one right away," Gossard said in the Pearl Jam book Twenty. "We ended up just using the demo version of the song, which is really exciting. I play some bass and a bunch of guitars on it. It's probably one of my favorite lyrics I've ever heard him sings, as far as the sarcasm and the angle he approached."
  • Pearl Jam knew their fans would buy the albums, so they didn't release many songs as singles. For the Yield album, "Given To Fly" and "Wishlist" were sold as singles, but "Do The Evolution" was issued only as a promotional single, sent to radio stations to encourage them to play the song.
  • "Do The Evolution" is one of Pearl Jam's most popular live songs. They played it for the first time on November 12, 1997 at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California (capacity 800), where they were billed as the Honking Seals. This was their buddy Neil Young's 52nd birthday, so Eddie Vedder called him from the stage.
  • Did you know that Pearl Jam opened for the Rolling Stones? It happened in November 1997 at four Oakland dates on the Stones' Bridges To Babylon Tour. Pearl Jam hadn't toured in nearly a year and were a few months away from releasing the Yield album. Most bands couldn't get away with playing new material when they open for the Stones, but Pearl Jam played "Do The Evolution" in their sets along with a few other songs from the album, including "Given To Fly."

    The Rolling Stones put on heavily sponsored, highly produced concerts with the same basic setlists every night, the complete opposite of Pearl Jam, but the groups share a mutual respect and lots of crossover fans. For Pearl Jam, it was a relief to play shows they weren't responsible for staging, especially coming off their fight with Ticketmaster that forced them to do a lot of the logistics themselves.
  • To make the video, Todd McFarlane brought the project to Joe Pearson at Epoch Ink Animation and co-directed it with accomplished animation director Kevin Altieri (Batman the Animated Series). It was written and conceptualized by Joe Pearson and Kevin Altieri who together supervised the preproduction and animation teams. The Animation Preproduction was produced at Epoch Ink Animation in Santa Monica California with a team of 10 designers and storyboard artists. It was then animated in Seoul, South Korea at the studios of Sun Min Image Pictures and Jireh Animation and involved the work of more than 100 animators and colorists.

Comments: 23

  • Brian from Cleveland, OhI'm curious. What's with hte woman in the video?
    I tend to think that the video is saying that the world's going to hell and the devil is dancing and the woman represents the devil in some way, correct me if i'm wrong.
    By the way, the song and video AWESOME!
  • Zach from Tallahassee, FlGreatest Song Ever...
  • Martin from Rostock, Germany@brunospfc: I fully agree... just one correction. The lyrics are actually

    "I'm at peace with my lust. I can kill 'cause in god I trust"
  • Brunospfc from Maxassucetiz, Burkina Fasofor sure one of the best videos ever! very good song and powerfull lyrics :D

    "...i'm in peace with my lust, i can kill cause in good i trust..."
  • Nathan from New Orleans, Lagod, i love Vedder's voice in this song, and not to mention the guitar sounds awesome
  • Caroline from Cincinnati, OhDid the lyrics here say "Admire my clothes" and "Here's my coat" at one point?? Hahaha that's great. (Anyway, thanks to whoever fixed it.) Vedder just sounds so crazy in this song!! It's awesome!
  • Mirna from Portoviejo, Ecuadorthis song is sarcastic.. it defines how people see civilization
  • Sam from Newton Abbot, Englandto me this song and video seems pretty clear. the evolution shows how the worlds changed but for the worst. it shows war and the planet being ruined.
  • Adrian from Brookings, SdHands down the best Pearl Jam song ever!
  • Joe from Venice, CaI was the producer on this video which was made at my studio, Epoch Ink Animation. The principle director on the piece was Kevin Altieri. We conceptualized, wrote and supervised the animation together

    When the project was brought to us by Todd, the only real mandate was to do a cool, "stoner" video. When Kevin and I read the terrific and powerful lyrics by Eddie Vedder, we decided to use them as our guidelines for the video.

    It was a fantastic opportunity to really cut loose and create some strong images about man and his (our) history on this battered planet.
  • Robbie from Sydney, AustraliaHas anyone seen the Animatrix? Some of the animated short films (The Second Renaissance Parts I & II) are SO ripped off the video clip for "Do The Evolution". I'm not sure if Todd McFarlane worked on the Animatrix at all - but watch the music video again and you'll know what I mean. The world portayed in Do The Evolution is SO Matrix-esque.
  • Martin from Hamburg, GermanyI've got to agree with Chris on this one. The son-clone verse is also perfectly illustrated in the video: There is a Roman Emporer who proudly shows his son th city, and in the same fashion you see a industrial CEO who shows his son the factories. Every generation want their descendants to be just like them. Oh btw ... I LOVE THIS SONG!
  • Chris from Scranton, PaI am absolutely positive that Vedder says "...admire my son/ He's my clone". First of all because Vedder is trying to mock how much parents want their children to be like them, and secondly because "admire my song, here's my coat" makes no sense.
  • Elliot from St. Louis, MoI was basing my comment on another sites lyrics. I nust read this site's version of the lyrics and take back my statement.
  • Elliot from St. Louis, MoBefore I looked at the lyrics, my misunderstanding of a line made the song more political in my opinion. I misheard "Admire me, admire my house, admire my song, here's my coat" as "Admire me, admire my house, admire my son, he's my clone". The issue of cloning is a pretty big one in America. I misheard a similar line later in the song when it said "Admire me, admire my house, admire my song, admire my clothes" I heard "Admire me, admire my house, admire my son, admire my clones". Yet another stab at cloning. Personally, I like my version of those lines better, they fit in with the song more then "here's my coat" and "admire my clothes". Whatever. It would be cool if Eddie read this and decided to play Do The Evolution with my words instead. Unlikely. Pearl Jam rocks!!!!OMFG!!!!
  • Erica from Wanaque, Nj2010,watch It go to the fire, is taken from Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that decived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever
  • Drew from Kansas City, MoThis is my favorite "hard" Pearl Jam song. Some of the best lyrics to come spouting out of the whiney decade we call the 90s.
  • Alejandro from Mexico D.f., Mexicothis song has the best video ever made
  • Kelly from Newmarket, CanadaI have heard that this song, and the Yield album were written after/while the band read Ismael, by Daniel Quinn. His books are about evolution, what has happened to humanity and how we are destroying the earth. Daniel mentions Pearl Jam and this song on his website (ishmael.org). I have always been a huge pearl jam fan, and after reading this book I understood Yield in a different way. This is one of my favorite songs!
  • Reed from Hagerstown, Ini absolutely LOVE the line "i can kill 'cause in god i trust." that PERFECTLY illustrates the viewpoints of a LOT of people.....
  • Katie from Prince George, Canadathe lyrics speak for themselves. fabulous song.
  • Brian from Paoli, InYeah cool video. Not to mention a great song :p
  • B from Paris, United Statesone of the greatest videos of all time
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