"Thumbing My Way" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "Thumbing My Way" is the seventh track on the band's seventh studio album, '' Riot Act'' (2002).

Origin and recording

"Thumbing My Way" was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder. Drummer

Matt Cameron Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of ...

revealed to Vedder that he considers it the nicest

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

Vedder has come up with. Vedder on the song:

"Thumbing My Way" was written real quick. There's something about writing real quickly that keeps the music in a nice pure state. You don't think of it as homework. You think, "Wow, that was a good half hour spent." There is a tangible joy about creating something that wasn't there before.

Bassist

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...

on the song:

We were out in the room playing the song and learning it. In the process, roducer_Adam_Kasper.html"_;"title="Adam_Kasper.html"_;"title="roducer_Adam_Kasper">roducer_Adam_Kasper">Adam_Kasper.html"_;"title="roducer_Adam_Kasper">roducer_Adam_Kasperwent_and_re-miked_everything_very_covertly._So_all_of_the_sudden_when_we_were_ready_to_play_it,_it_was_up_and_he_captured_it._Nailed_it._That_to_me_was_really_critical_and_kind_of_how_the_record_sounds._A_lot_of_times,_there's_that_cool_thing_when_you_don't_quite_know_the_song_and_everybody_is_really_concentrating._It_lasts_for_four_or_five_takes_and_then_it's_gone._After_that,_it's_all_cerebral.Cohen,_Jonathan._._''Billboard_(magazine).html" ;"title="Adam_Kasper">roducer_Adam_Kasper.html" ;"title="Adam_Kasper.html" ;"title="roducer Adam Kasper">roducer Adam Kasper">Adam_Kasper.html" ;"title="roducer Adam Kasper">roducer Adam Kasperwent and re-miked everything very covertly. So all of the sudden when we were ready to play it, it was up and he captured it. Nailed it. That to me was really critical and kind of how the record sounds. A lot of times, there's that cool thing when you don't quite know the song and everybody is really concentrating. It lasts for four or five takes and then it's gone. After that, it's all cerebral.Cohen, Jonathan. . ''Billboard (magazine)">Billboard''. November 2002.

Guitarist Stone Gossard about the song:

That's a real live performance with lots of room ambience. It's us trying to keep up with the chord changes! There are some nice drums and bass. The sentiment of the song is amazing.

Lyrics

The lyrics for "Thumbing My Way" are about a person in turmoil.Kaufman, Gil
"Pearl Jam: Readin' The Riot Act"

VH1.com VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. November 7, 2002. In an interview, Vedder stated that the song is not about himself. He elaborated by saying, "I'm pretty good at removing myself from most of the songs. One thing about writing songs is, they don't always have to be about you. When they are always about someone, I lose interest after a while." The song includes several references to hitchhiking. At the band's February 14, 2003 concert in Sydney, Australia at the

Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre (later known as Qantas Credit Union Arena) was a multi-purpose arena located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished in 1970 to make way for the ...

, Vedder said, "This song's about hitchhiking your way through a broken heart."

Reception

In its review of ''Riot Act'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' stated that "Thumbing My Way" "resembles an acoustic '

Love Will Tear Us Apart "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980 as a non-album single. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released the m ...

'" and called it one of the album's "best moments." Brett Hickman of '' Stylus'' said, "Never a band to make their quieter forays really work, the band deliver their best one with "Thumbing My Way". Through its muted organ, acoustic guitars, brushed drums and Vedder's semi-coherent line readings, the band matches intent with mood perfectly."

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "Thumbing My Way" was directed by James Frost.Mills, Fred
"Yield Not"
''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976. The newspaper ...

''. November 6, 2002. The video was filmed at

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

's Chop Suey club in September 2002. The video consists of a filmed live performance of the band rather than a conceptual video. It was one of five videos shot at the club to promote ''Riot Act'' (including "

I Am Mine "I Am Mine" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "I Am Mine" was released on October 8, 2002, as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, '' Riot Act'' (2002). The song peaked at number six ...

", " Save You", "

Love Boat Captain "Love Boat Captain" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by Vedder and keyboardist Boom Gaspar, "Love Boat Captain" was released on February 24, 2003, as a single ...

", and " 1/2 Full"). Up to that point the band had not made any music videos since 1998's " Do the Evolution". The video was released in late 2002.

Live performances

"Thumbing My Way" was first performed live by Vedder during a solo performance at the

Wiltern Theatre The Pellissier Building and adjoining Wiltern Theatre is a 12-story, Art Deco landmark at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The entire complex is commonly referred to as the Wiltern Center. Clad in a ...

in Los Angeles on February 26, 2002.Pearl Jam: 2002 Concert Chronology
fivehorizons.com. The first performance of the song with the full band took place at the band's December 6, 2002 concert in

at The Showbox."Pearl Jam Songs: "Thumbing My Way""
. pearljam.com. Live performances of "Thumbing My Way" can be found on various official bootlegs and the live album ''

Live at Benaroya Hall ''Live at Benaroya Hall'' is a two-disc live album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, recorded on October 22, 2003 at Benaroya Hall, Seattle, Washington and released on July 27, 2004 through BMG. Overview The concert—which to ...

''. Performances of the song are also included on the DVDs ''

Live at the Showbox ''Live at the Showbox'' is the third DVD release by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, and the first DVD of a complete show. It was released on May 7, 2003. Overview It was recorded on December 6, 2002 at The Showbox in the band's hom ...

'' and ''

Live at the Garden ''Live at the Garden'' is the fourth DVD release by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, recorded on July 8, 2003 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was released on November 11, 2003. Overview The DVD documents Pearl Jam on ...

''.

References

External links

Lyrics at pearljam.com
{{Authority control 2002 songs Pearl Jam songs Folk rock songs Songs written by Eddie Vedder Song recordings produced by Matt Cameron Song recordings produced by Eddie Vedder Song recordings produced by Stone Gossard Song recordings produced by Mike McCready Song recordings produced by Jeff Ament Song recordings produced by Adam Kasper