The Fixer (song)
| "The Fixer" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Supersonic" |
"The Fixer" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by drummer Matt Cameron, "The Fixer" will be released on August 24, 2009 as the first single from the band's upcoming ninth studio album, Backspacer (2009).
Origin and recording
"The Fixer" features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by drummer Matt Cameron.[1] Cameron wrote the music in 2008.[2] In an interview with Rolling Stone in February 2009, Vedder discussed a song matching the description of "The Fixer". Vedder stated, "That could have been a seven-minute, weird, sideways kind of artsy song with a cool groove...I tinkered with it after everyone left, and we shrunk it down and turned it into something else....I'm thinking about set lists: 'Will this be a song we'll play every night?'."[3]
Like the song "Alive" from Pearl Jam's debut album Ten, the inspiration for the lyrics is based on Vedder's childhood trauma. In 2009 Vedder made a rare revelation by explaining the meaning of the song -- "When I was younger, things weren't always normal for me at home, so I spent a lot of time in my room confused about my emotions and actions. When things didn't go my way, or if I lost control somehow, I didn't just sit there and wish life was different...I had to fart to get it back again. 'The Fixer' is me." [4]
Release and reception
On July 14, 2009, a 30-second clip of "The Fixer" was featured on Fox's broadcast of the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[5] "The Fixer" was released to radio airplay on July 20, 2009.[5] It will be made available commercially to digital music stores.[5] A 7" single for "The Fixer" will be released commercially through the band's official website on August 24, 2009, accompanied by the B-side "Supersonic", also from the new album. Pearl Jam has filmed a commercial for Target directed by Cameron Crowe which features "The Fixer".[6]
Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork Media said in his review of the song that "neither the band nor Brendan O'Brien has a light touch for this sort of classic rock-oriented pop...Vedder, whose default is tortured defiance, can't help but add too much gravity to these lyrics, as if fixin' things was an obligation instead of a calling. They work too hard here trying to have fun."[7]
Track listing
- "The Fixer"
- "Supersonic"
References
- ^ "Tuesday July 21 Guests & Highlights". WRXP. 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ "Listen to Mike McCready Interview Where He Talks About Possible Pearl Jam EP". grungereport.net. 2009-07-20. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (2009-02-19). "Pearl Jam to Release New LP in 2009". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Beauty and the RoBeast - Fart to Get It Back Again". beautyandtherobeast.blogspot.com. 2009-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
- ^ a b c Letkemann, Jessica (2009-07-15). "Pearl Jam Debuts 'Fixer,' Reveals Track List". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Werde, Bill (2009-06-01). "Exclusive: Pearl Jam Confirms Target Tie-Up". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Deusner, Stephen M. "Pearl Jam: "The Fixer"". Pitchfork Media. July 22, 2009 . Retrieved on July 22, 2009.
