Save You

Album: Riot Act (2002)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder trying to save friends from their addictions and their demons. The band is from Seattle, where drug addiction claimed the lives of many of the band's friends and cohorts. Kurt Cobain, who was Pearl Jam's nemesis in some ways, was the most famous casualty, but other losses include the rockers Stefanie Sargent and Mia Zapata, and Andy Wood, who fronted a band with future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament called Mother Love Bone.
  • In the Pearl Jam Twenty book, this song is described as "the tale of a mutually detrimental love-hate relationship." It's a band composition, credited to all five members.

    In the book, guitarist Mike McCready explains that it started with a riff he brought in. Drummer Matt Cameron really got into it, pounding away so hard his headphones came off in the middle of the take.
  • "Save You" was the second single from Pearl Jam's Riot Act album, following "I Am Mine." Two key events shaped their direction since their previous album, Binaural, in 2000. First, there was the Roskilde Festival tragedy on June 30, 2000, when nine fans in the crowd were killed in a crush. Then there was the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The band didn't tour in 2001 and detoured into various side projects, with guitarist Stone Gossard becoming the first member to release a solo album (unfortunately on 9/11). When they got back in the studio, they had a lot on their minds and a lot of material to work with.
  • Eddie Vedder drops a few F-bombs in the lyric, which he felt were necessary to make his point. The band didn't make a clean version, but the kind of radio stations that played new Pearl Jam songs in 2002 weren't all that worried about a little profanity, especially when delivered in Vedder's muffled tones.

    Vedder did have to censor the song when they performed it on The Late Show with David Letterman, so he substituted "cuff" for "f--k."
  • The band dedicated the Riot Act to The Who's John Entwistle, The Ramones' Dee Dee Ramone and jazz double bassist and cellist Ray Brown, all of whom died just a few months before the album was released. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • Pearl Jam made a performance video for this song and four other Riot Act tracks at a two-day shoot with director James Frost at a Seattle club called Chop Suey. These were their first videos since the animated "Do The Evolution" in 1998, and the first with the band on camera since "Oceans" in 1992.

Comments: 6

  • Nik from Devon UkYes given what Eddy said in London and rereading the lyrics. I think I could have a guess at who he is talking about. I guess it's not really for us to know. The sentiment is what's important and sadly could apply to many and sadly the last band I see play in Hyde park lead singer is no longer with us.

    Riot act is one of my Favourite Pearl Jam albums.
  • Linz from UkPretty sure this isn't about McCready. Just heard it played live in London tonight and Vedder said it was the first time they'd played it since losing the person who it was written for
  • Ian from Lakeville, MaYeah I think Michael is right, I've heard several times that this is about Mike McCready.
  • Michael from Perth, AustraliaI thought this was written about Mike McCready.
  • Veddie Edder from Seattle (coincidence), -You're right, Pete. Not a lot of people liked this album that much, but I loved it, and this song is one of the better ones for sure.
  • Pete from Melbourne, AustraliaI can't believe that I am the first to comment on this ball-tearer of a track. The Pearlers wrote this about their old drummer, Jack Irons and his battle with drug addiction.

    It is a classic hard-edged rock track that just explodes. 10/10
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