Safe in the Car

Last updated
"Safe in the Car"
Song by Jeff Ament
from the album Heaven/Hell
Released19 April 2018
Genre Alternative rock
Length3:19
Label Monkeywrench
Songwriter(s) Jeff Ament
Producer(s) Greg Twigg

"Safe in the Car" is a song by the American musician Jeff Ament. It was first released as a music video on YouTube on 19 April 2018 and later appeared his third studio album Heaven/Hell three weeks later. Aments Pearl Jam bandmates Matt Cameron and Mike McCready played drums and guitar on the song respectively. Singer Angel Olsen also collaborated on the track.

Contents

Background

Ament, in an interview with Rolling Stone, said about the music video: I was seeing Cormac McCarthy's The Road – you're driving to the coast and you're trying to get away from the nuclear winter and you have your dogs in the car and you're just trying to escape this horrible apocalypse that just happened. [1] On his collaboration with Olsen Ament told NME , "when we were doing this song I kept hearing a woman’s voice on the chorus and I thought, ‘Man it would be great if I could get somebody to sing that’. I asked Angel if she would be up for doing it and she had a couple of days off in-between the tour and we were finishing the song up. It takes that chorus and the desperation to the next level, so great call". [2]

Ament said the first thing that came to his mind when asked what he wanted the video to look like was "grindhouse". He stated that he "always loved the super high-contrast, dark look of that. It's the world coming to an end and trying to have a sense of humor about it." Ament directed the clip, with Greg Twigg producing and Mark Shogren as director of photography, who both provided "more of the disturbing look" seen in the video. [3] Loudwire described the video as Ament behind the wheel attempting to "flee floods, fires, glacial advancement, mudslides and more that are hot on his trail". [3]

Reviews

Spin called it an "unwieldy tune - a weird bromide of chugging alt-rock and orchestral ambience...it’s a garish but simple little clip featuring close-ups of Ament singing while, quite literally, safe in a car". [4] Paste said the "confident, string-filled track is the perfect song for strutting the streets with Olsen’s hazy, silky vocals, Ament’s distorted snarls and McCready’s warped, swaggering electric guitar riffs". [5] Consequence of Sound stated it's "a strange bit of alternative, the verses progressing with a Primus-like stalk until the choruses break with a sort of haunted beauty". [6]

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Ten</i> (Pearl Jam album) 1991 studio album by Pearl Jam

Ten is the debut studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991, through Epic Records. Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. The group recorded a five-song instrumental demo tape that included contributions from Matt Cameron on drums. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle. Many of the songs on Ten were instrumental jams or reworked Mother Love Bone songs for which Vedder provided lyrics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of the Dog</span> American rock band

Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of the bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. The lineup included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar, Mike McCready on lead guitar, and Matt Cameron on drums. Eddie Vedder appeared as a guest to provide some lead and backing vocals and later became lead vocalist of Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, was released four months after Temple of the Dog's only studio album.

<i>Yield</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Pearl Jam

Yield is the fifth studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on February 3, 1998. Following a short promotional tour for its previous album, No Code (1996), Pearl Jam recorded Yield throughout 1997 at Studio Litho and Studio X in Seattle, Washington. The album was hailed as a return to the band's early, straightforward rock sound, and marked a more collaborative effort from the band as opposed to relying heavily on frontman Eddie Vedder to compose the song lyrics from the past four studio albums.

<i>Lost Dogs</i> (album) 2003 compilation album by Pearl Jam

Lost Dogs is a two-disc compilation album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 11, 2003 through Epic Records. The album has been certified gold by the RIAA in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike McCready</span> American guitarist

Michael David McCready is an American musician known for being a founding member and lead guitarist of Pearl Jam. McCready was also a member of the side project bands Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season, and The Rockfords. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of Pearl Jam in 2017 alongside the three other founding members, and former member Dave Krusen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Ament</span> American bassist

Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Ament wrote or co-wrote many of Pearl Jam's hits, including "Jeremy", "Oceans", "Dissident", "Nothingman" and "Nothing as It Seems".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Gossard</span> American guitarist and songwriter (born 1966)

Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician and songwriter who serves as a guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alive (Pearl Jam song)</span> 1991 single by Pearl Jam

"Alive" is the debut single by American rock band Pearl Jam. It was released on July 7, 1991, 51 days before the release of the band's debut album, Ten, on which "Alive" appears. Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, the song originated as an instrumental titled "Dollar Short" and was included on a demo tape circulated in hopes of finding a singer for the group. Vocalist Eddie Vedder obtained a copy of the tape and wrote lyrics that describe a somewhat fictionalized account of the time when he was told that the man he thought was his father was not actually his biological parent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy (song)</span> 1992 single by Pearl Jam

"Jeremy" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music composed by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in August 1992 as the third single from Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten (1991). The song was inspired by a newspaper article Vedder read about Jeremy Wade Delle, a high school student who shot himself in front of his English class on January 8, 1991. It reached the number 5 spot on both the Album and Modern Rock Billboard charts. It did not originally chart on the regular Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since it was not released as a commercial single in the US at the time, but a re-release in July 1995 brought it up to number 79.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Even Flow</span> 1992 single by Pearl Jam

"Even Flow" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, it was released in 1992 as the second single from the band's debut album, Ten (1991). The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included in Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror . A remixed version of the song was included on the 2009 Ten reissue.

<i>10/22/00 – Las Vegas, Nevada</i> 2001 live album by Pearl Jam

10/22/00 – Las Vegas, Nevada is a two-disc live album and the sixty-second in a series of 72 live bootlegs released by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam from the band's 2000 Binaural Tour. It was released along with the other official bootlegs from the second North American leg of the tour on March 27, 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Jam</span> American rock band

Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, as well as Matt Cameron (drums), who joined in 1998. Keyboardist Boom Gaspar has also been a touring/session member with the band since 2002. Former members include Dave Krusen, Matt Chamberlain, Dave Abbruzzese, and Jack Irons, all of whom were the band's drummers from 1990 to 1998. Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, and is considered one of the most influential bands from that decade, dubbed "the most popular American rock and roll band of the '90s".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal (Pearl Jam song)</span> 1994 single by Pearl Jam

"Animal" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released in 1994 as the third single from the band's second studio album, Vs. (1993). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Stone Gossard. The song peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save You (Pearl Jam song)</span> 2002 single by Pearl Jam

"Save You" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released in February 2003 as the second single from the band's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Mike McCready. The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light Years (Pearl Jam song)</span> 2000 single by Pearl Jam

"Light Years" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, "Light Years" was released on July 10, 2000, as the second and final single from the band's sixth studio album, Binaural (2000). The song peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

"Rearviewmirror" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. The song is the eighth track on the band's second studio album, Vs. (1993). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it was primarily written by vocalist Eddie Vedder. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

"State of Love and Trust" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by guitarist Mike McCready and bassist Jeff Ament, "State of Love and Trust" first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 film, Singles. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror . An early version of the song was included as part of the reissue of the band's debut album, Ten, in 2009.

<i>Live at Lollapalooza 2007</i> 2007 live album by Pearl Jam

Live at Lollapalooza 2007 is a live album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam that was released as an iTunes exclusive on September 18, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Stuverud</span> American drummer

Richard Allen Stuverud Jr. is an American drummer from Seattle, Washington. He lives in Oakland, California where he writes, arranges and produces songs. Stuverud played with Pearl Jam on several shows of the Gigaton Tour in May 2022, substituting for drummer Matt Cameron who had tested positive for COVID-19. Drumming duties during these shows were shared with Josh Klinghoffer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance of the Clairvoyants</span> 2020 single by Pearl Jam

"Dance of the Clairvoyants" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. The song was released on January 22, 2020, as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Gigaton (2020). An accompanying music video was released on the same day. The lyrics were written by Eddie Vedder and the music was written by all five members of the band.

References

  1. ↑ Leight, Elias (April 19, 2018). "Hear Pearl Jam Bassist Jeff Ament's Apocalyptic New Solo Song". Rolling Stone.
  2. ↑ Britton, Luke Morgan (May 4, 2018). "Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament talks new solo record, his band's upcoming album and tour, plus Kanye West and Trump". NME .
  3. 1 2 Childers, Chad (April 19, 2018). "Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament Takes a Dystopian Drive In 'Safe in the Car' Video". Loudwire .
  4. ↑ Cook-Wilson, Winston (April 19, 2018). "Video: Ament – 'Safe In the Car'". Spin .
  5. ↑ Manno, Lizzie (April 19, 2018). "Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament Releases Apocalyptic Video for Angel Olsen Collaboration "Safe in the Car"". Paste .
  6. ↑ Kaye, Ben (April 11, 2018). "Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament launches solo project with Angel Olsen-featuring 'Safe in the Car'". Consequence of Sound .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.