Life is but a dream

You had to leave
On a fine sunny day
To chase after dreams

Of a life without me
The train slowly pass from sight
As memories of your shadow lingers on

Those dreams of yours
Are yours alone
You are not one to share

When you wake up
Things will be different
Wise men often says

Life is but a dream
And when you wake
What does your heart longed for?



"It's kind of about a lady, and she's getting on in years, and she's stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: you either struggle like hell to get out, to some people want to stay 'cause then they're the big fish in the small pond; and then others just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little place, and then an old flame comes in, and he's probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp. Not a fancy car, but he's moved on. And then she sees him, and at first she doesn't even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. But she's just too embarrassed to say 'hello'... ~ Eddie Vedder, lead singer of Pearl Jam on "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town" (or affectionately "Small Town")

That about sums up the song.

Pearl Jam could be considered the front-runner of the grunge rock movement together with Nirvana in the early 90's. Although not as as oft-mentioned with the latter group, most probably because Kurt Cobain killed himself at the height of success, their musical integrity is never doubted. And there's not that many baritone voices in rock as powerful as Eddie Vedder's.

It's ironic that grunge sounds raw and angry, in complete contrast with the preceding 'new-wave' music of the 80's. Whereas new-wave uses lots of synths and effects (particularly reverb), grunge was recorded 'dry' without much effects.

A sign of times perhaps where the 80's was always about materialism and experimentation, and the 90's a resurgent of activism, social issues and the sound of the 60's? And 'Britpop' started in the UK as a reaction against grunge at about the same time. Hmm, where was i during that time?