Red Mosquito

Album: No Code (1996)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about Eddie Vedder's illness during the band's Vitalogy tour. Vedder got very sick, probably from food poisoning, and Pearl Jam had to cancel some shows.

    The trouble started at a show in San Francisco on June 24, 1995, when Vedder got through seven songs before he couldn't go on. Luckily, Neil Young was on hand and stepped up to the mic, fronting the band for another 14 songs. This didn't sit well with the crowd but it did avert a riot. Pearl Jam had been working with Young on his Mirror Ball album.
  • Mike McCready simulated the mosquito buzz by playing slide guitar on this song. For a slide, he used a Zippo lighter given to Eddie Vedder by his grandfather.
  • "Red Mosquito" is part of Pearl Jam's fourth album, No Code. They didn't make any videos for it and refused to do any interviews, which gave them an air of mystery but made promotion difficult, since the fascination with grunge had waned by 1996. The band was more than happy to pare down and play to smaller groups of more ardent fans. Vedder would sometimes feel guilty when Pearl Jam was selling millions of albums because he knew there were so many deserving bands that were being ignored.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."