Sweet Lew

Album: Lost Dogs (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about the basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was known as Lew Alcindor when he played in college for UCLA. He played most of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships with the team.
  • Pearl Jam bass player Jeff Ament wrote this song and sang the lead vocal. The band recorded it during sessions for their 2000 album Binaural but it wasn't released until 2003 as part of the Lost Dogs compilation.

    "I never expected it to be on a record, but I thought it might have been a B-side," Ament said in the Pearl Jam book Twenty. "I believe it is known as the worst Pearl Jam song of all time!"
  • Pearl Jam aren't the first band to write a song about a Lakers star. In 1989, Red Hot Chili Peppers released "Magic Johnson," who like Kareem was part of the Showtime Lakers. Back in 1991, the Chili Peppers took Pearl Jam along as an opening act on their Blood Sugar Sex Magik tour.
  • Pearl Jam has played this song live just a few times, typically with Eddie Vedder dribbling a basketball while Ament sings.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."