Love Boat Captain is a song by Pearl Jam, featuring lyrics written by Eddie Vedder and music co written by Vedder and keyboardist Boom Gaspar, Love Boat Captain was released on February 24, 2003, as a single from the band’s seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). It became a top 20 hit in Canada and Portugal. The song was not released in the United States, where Save You was issued instead.
The lyrics for Love Boat Captain tackle existential matters. Love Boat Captain references the 2000 Roskilde tragedy with the line “Lost nine friends we‘ll never know two years ago today“. When Love Boat Captain is performed in concert, Eddie Vedder modifies the lyric to reflect the passage of time since the tragedy. There is also a reference to The Beatles‘ song All You Need Is Love with the lyrics “I know it’s already been sung…can’t be said enough/Love is all you need..all you need is love“.
Tracklist:
CD (Australia and Canada)
- Love Boat Captain
- Love Boat Captain (live)
Recorded live on December 6, 2002, at The Showbox in Seattle, Washington. - Other Side (Jeff Ament)
Tracklist:
CD (Europe)
- Love Boat Captain
- Other Side (Ament)
The music video for Love Boat Captain was directed by James Frost. The video was filmed at Seattle, Washington’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, Save You, Thumbing My Way, 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.
Love Boat Captain by Pearl Jam Lyrics
Is this just another day?
This God forgotten place
First comes love and then comes pain
Let the games begin
Questions rise and answers fall
Insurmountable
Love boat captain
Take the reigns and steer us towards the clear, here
It’s already been sung, but it can’t be said enough
All you need is love
Is this just another phase?
Of earthquakes making waves
Trying to shake the cancer off?
Oh, stupid human beings
Once you hold the hand of love
It’s all surmountable
Hold me and make it the truth
That when all is lost, there’ll be you
‘Cause to the universe, I don’t mean a thing
And there’s just one word I still believe
And it’s love
It’s an art to live with pain
Mix the light into grey
Lost nine friends we’ll never know
Two years ago today
And if our lives became too long
Would it add to our regret?
And the young, they can lose hope
‘Cause they can’t see beyond today
The wisdom that the old can’t give away, hey
Constant recoil
Sometimes life don’t leave you alone
Hold me and make it the truth
That when all is lost, there will be you
‘Cause to the universe, I don’t mean a thing
And there’s just one word that I still believe
And it’s love, love, love, love, love
Love boat captain, take the reigns
Steer us towards the clear
I know it’s already been sung
Can’t be said enough
Love is all you need
All you need
Is love
Love, love
Songwriters: Eddie Vedder, Kenneth Gaspar
