Jim Adams is the sparkler-wielding host of Song Lyric Sunday. Jim says:
This week we have the delightful, lovely, magnificent, marvelous, splendid prompts of Best/Better/Good/Great and hopefully this will fit for everyone.
Here are the “rules”:
• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not. If it does not fit, then please explain why you chose this song.
• 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 or place your link in the comments section below.
• 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.
From wikipedia:
“Better Man” is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. It is the eleventh track on the band’s third studio album, Vitalogy (1994.) The song was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder. Despite the lack of a commercial single release, “Better Man” reached the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and spent a total of eight weeks at number one.
The song was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder when he was in high school. He said,
I wrote ‘Better Man’ before I could drink—legally—on a four-track in my old apartment.
In another interview, Vedder stated,
Sometimes I think of how far I’ve come from the teenager sitting on the bed in San Diego writing ‘Better Man’ and wondering if anyone would ever even hear it.
Its melody and chord progression are based loosely on the song “Save It for Later” by The English Beat, which the band sometimes jams to live after “Better Man”. Vedder first performed it with a San Diego, California–based group called Bad Radio, with slightly faster tempo but altogether quite similar to the Vitalogy rendition. Vedder later recorded it with Pearl Jam, although Pearl Jam was initially reluctant to record it and had initially rejected it from Vs.due to its accessibility.
Producer Brendan O’Brien said of the song:
There’s a great song we recorded for Vs., “Better Man,” which ended up on Vitalogy. One of the first rehearsals we did they played it and I said “Man, that song’s a hit.” Eddie just went “uhhh”. I immediately knew I’d just said the wrong thing. We cut it once for Vs., he wanted to give it away to this Greenpeace benefit record, the idea was that the band was going to play and some other singer was going to sing it. I remember saying to the engineer, Nick [DiDia], “This is one of their best songs and they’re going to give it away! Can’t happen!” And we went to record it and I’m not going to say we didn’t try very hard, but it didn’t end up sounding very good. I may have even sabotaged that version but I won’t admit to that. It took us to the next record, recording it two more times, before he became comfortable with it because it was such a blatantly great pop song.
Al Weisel of Rolling Stone called the song a
haunting ballad about a woman trapped in a bad relationship.
When “Better Man” was performed on VH1 Storytellers in 2006, Vedder introduced it as a song about “abusive relationships.” Before a performance of the song at Pearl Jam’s show on April 3, 1994 in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre, Vedder clearly said
it’s dedicated to the bastard that married my Momma.
He was referring to his stepfather, Peter Mueller, a California attorney whom Vedder had long believed to be his biological father and who divorced his mother in the early 1980s.
Waitin’, watchin’ the clock, it’s four o’clock, it’s got to stop
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech
As he opens the door, she rolls over
Pretends to sleep as he looks her over
She lies and says she’s in love with him, can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Oh
Talkin’ to herself, there’s no one else who needs to know
She tells herself, oh
Memories back when she was bold and strong
And waiting for the world to come along
Swears she knew it, now she swears he’s gone
She lies and says she’s in love with him, can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can’t find a better man
She lies and says she still loves him, can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Yeah
She loved him, yeah, she don’t want to leave this way
She feeds him, yeah, that’s why she’ll be back again
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Songwriters: Eddie Vedder
Tao Talk 
Li? It says VIDEO UNAVAILABLE ??
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Sorry, I just got on for the day. I changed the video maybe it will play now.
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😊 Ok thanks. I’ll take a look!
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Sounds good Lisa. I don’t think I’ve ever heard this one.
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Really??? This is one that got a lot of radio play around here.
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No I don’t think I’ve heard it. Remember though I only listened to the radio in spots since the 90s…when I got satellite I listened more.
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I like the slow burn beginning and upbeat ending, but those lyrics kill me. 😦
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Eddie got a rotten deal. Mom didn’t tell him his stepdad wasn’t his birth father until after birth dad passed on.
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Geeze. No one ever said parents were smart…or put their children first.
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Such a sad song and so haunting. A brilliant choice. I never listened much to pearl jam .. perhaps I need to revisit. Cheers for the reminder 💜
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Willow I wish you would give them a chance. Their first couple of albums were screamers for the most part, but they’ve mellowed down so much since then.
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Okay I shall have a look see, as I am laid up most of the time at the moment 💜💜
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This one always get to me…too true for too many…(k)
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Yes, K.
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I have listened to this song many times before although I never knew it was called ‘Better Man’ even though that is repeated many times in this song. I read that Pearl Jam got their name because a Pearl makes something good out of nothing and they took Jam because they liked the way Neil Young jammed.
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You learned something new today and first time hearing that theory on their name. The first name they chose for themselves, I think, was Mookie Blaylock, the name of an NBA player.
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Yes that was their original name which they were forced to change.
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I had trouble as it said video not available but I found it on YouTube. Great song Lisa and I loved the pic of Pearl Jam you used. 🙂
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Sorry, Christine. I went over to Chrome from firefox as my browser and now the youtube have ads I have to watch first before the content among other glitches. I went to firefox and switched out the video, hoping it plays now (for others. glad you were able to find it on youtube)
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I ❤ Pearl Jam. Didn't realize the backstory to this one. Thanks for sharing.
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Glad you liked it, J, thank you 🙂
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Good song, and interesting information about it. Love Pearl Jam and was one of the best concerts I ever went to. 🙂
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🙂 They do jam, don’t they 🙂
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I was not sure I had heard it before until I listened to it and I had. Great choice, Lisa.
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Thanks Ricky, glad you enjoyed a listen. I’m way behind on reading and SLS is on my list…
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This song means a lot to me. That’s my all time favorite band. Thanks a lot!!!
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Chandra, we have something in common, because PJ is my all time favorite band also!
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This is truly amazing. Sending my virtual high five to you and lots of love!!
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🙂 :::high five::: back
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