Satellite

Album: Ukulele Songs (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ukulele Songs is the second solo studio album by American singer and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. It comprises original songs and covers all played on the ukulele. The album was released on May 31, 2011. Vedder explained to Rolling Stone that he decided the build his new songs around the instrument to unify the sound of the record. He said, "I just wanted it to be the one sound. At first it was kind of a joke, and then it became a little bit of a challenge, a puzzle, to see if I could create 11 or 12 songs with just a ukulele. It's like painting with one color. You can really appreciate the subtleties and changes in tone."
  • This paean to patience in love and everything else was inspired by the loyalty shown to Death Row prisoner Damien Echols by his wife Lorri Davis. Echols is one of the three men, known as the West Memphis Three, who were convicted in the killing of eight-year-olds Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore at Robin Hood Hills, West Memphis, Arkansas, on May 5, 1993. The case has received considerable attention and many critics charge that the arrests and convictions were a miscarriage of justice. Echols' case has seen significant support from numerous musicians, including Vedder. In 2006, Echols contributed lyrics to the song "Army Reserve", on Pearl Jam's self-titled album.

    Lorri Davis' devoted efforts to clear her husband's name were finally rewarded in August 2011 when the West Memphis Three were all freed after spending more than 18 years in prison.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.