Jim Adams is the host of Song Lyric Sunday. Jim says:

March Tenth is also International Day of Awesomeness, so please contribute a totally awesome song today where the prompt is “Animal”.

Song Lyric Sunday is a fun prompt. If you want to play along,

Here are the “rules”:

• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

image link

l. to r.  Stone Gossard, Eddie Vedder, Jack Irons, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready

Per wikipedia: “Red Mosquito” is from, “No Code,” which is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996. No Code was the band’s first album with drummer Jack Irons, who had joined the band as Vitalogy was being completed. The lyrics to “Red Mosquito” were inspired by the events surrounding Pearl Jam’s June 24, 1995 concert at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which happened on the same day Vedder was hospitalized due to food poisoning. Vedder only made it through seven songs and the band was forced to cancel the remaining dates of the short tour that it was on.

Guiness on the PJ discussion boards in 2006 gave the following interpretation: I had always heard that this song was written after Ed left a show in San Francisco after 8 songs because he had bad food poisoning. Neil Young came out and finished the show with the band…This is a clear reference to the food poisoning. I think the red mosquito is temptation. At this time, the band was fighting with ticketmaster and really starting to pull away from the mainstream. I believe the devil and the red mosquito represent the temptation to stay mainstream. – I believe the bitten part refers to the fans at the show turning on the band as well as the media backlash for fighting with ticketmaster and the partial show. In a sense the devil reminding the band that their decision to pull back was not full proof and that they could lose it all. All they would have to do is give into the temptation and keep making the same albums and they could be on top forever. – I believe the slippery hills represent the band’s decision to fight with ticketmaster and change their sound and pull back. While they felt this was the right decision, the devil is always present – they end the song questioning if they did the right thing. Which ultimately they did, they might not sell as many albums but at least they have never sacrificed their visions for main stream success. As a result they have the most loyal fan base of any band touring today.

McCready’s guitar buzzes like a mosquito.

Watched out the window with a red mosquito…
I was not allowed to leave the room…
I saw the sun go down and now it’s comin’ up…
Somewhere in the time between…
I was bitten…must have been the devil…
He was just payin’ me…
A little visit a reminding me of his presence…
Lettin’ me know…he’s a waitin’ for me…
Red man’s your neighbor call it behavior…
While you’re climbing up slippery hills…
Two steps ahead of him, punctures in your neck…
Hoverin’ just above your bed… (2x)
I was bitten…must have been the devil…
He was just paying me…
A little visit, reminding me of his presence…
And lettin’ me know…he’s a-waitin’…he’s a-waitin’…
Up there…yeah…
If I had known then what I now know… (4x)

Songwriters: Eddie Vedder / Jack Irons / Jeff Ament / Mike Mccready / Stone Gossard