Brother The Cloud

Album: Earthling (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Eddie Vedder laments a lost loved one. His anguish is palpable as he pronounces, "there's no previous reference for this level of pain."
  • So, what fallen "brother" is Eddie grieving? Vedder was a close friend of the late Soundgarden and Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell, who committed suicide in 2017 at age 52. The Pearl Jam frontman also lost his own half-brother, Chris Mueller, in a climbing accident in 2016.

    During his concert in Newark, New Jersey, on February 6, 2022, Vedder told the crowd he wrote the song about a few people he knew who died. One of them is a father named Jeremy Richman who lost his daughter, Avielle, in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. According to Vedder, he tried to be positive about his loss, speaking at various seminars and conferences. They became close, then Vedder got news that Richman had died of an apparent suicide.

    "I wouldn't dare to question his motives, because after something as horrific as that happened to you... I wish I could've done more to save him," Vedder said. "I wish he would've known that I was on the other side ever-so-close just days away. I would never judge what he was going through because it must've been the worst thing a human could ever go through."
  • Vedder recorded the song for the Earthling album with a band comprising:

    Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith
    Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer
    Producer and musician Andrew Watt (guitar)
    Session musician Chris Chaney (bass)
  • Vedder wrote the song with Watt, Klinghoffer, and Smith, with Watt also serving as producer.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.