Riot Act (album) - Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics

Riot Act features a diverse sound, including folk-based and experimental songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said "Riot Act is the album that Pearl Jam has been wanting to make since Vitalogy—a muscular art rock record, one that still hits hard but that's filled with ragged edges and odd detours." Gossard said "Riot Act really seems to showcase all of our thing. There's the simple rock songs we could have written in the earlier era, but it covers all the different times and dynamics we've had and still holds together." The musical experiments also lead several songs on the album to use alternate tunings, including "You Are", "All or None" and "Bu$hleaguer".

The lyrics on Riot Act were more direct than on preceding records, in response to the political climate after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Bassist Jeff Ament commented that he felt that love was a major theme of the album, and Vedder tried to convey themes such as love, loss and struggle to make a difference because of the difficulty in leading with events such as the September 11 attacks and the accidental death of nine fans during Pearl Jam's performance at the 2000 Roskilde Festival - "You start feeling like, 'What do I have to say? What is my opinion?' Then I realized I did have an opinion. Not only did I have one, but I felt like it was formed by processing a lot of information and having good influences. Ament also told that "I think the time's right to turn our voice up a bit And Ed did it in a great way, with humour and a mystical, magical approach. It isn't just, 'We're pissed off, and fuck you! Riot! Anarchy!' Cos I don't think that's the method. At least at this point." Vedder, however, said, "I have to admit this record came out a bit one-sided. But I think we as a country need to understand why we're involved in the Middle East. This hollow patriotism frightens me." The singer added that the Riot Act lyrics "represent my state of mind these days. I'm optimistic yet disillusioned, hopeful yet frustrated." Several songs on the album were inspired by Roskilde tragedy, with the album's first single, "I Am Mine", being written by Vedder in 2000 in a hotel room before the band's first show after Roskilde, and "Love Boat Captain" including a brief lyrical reference ("Lost nine friends we'll never know... two years ago today"). Regarding the time period when the lyrics were being written, Vedder said, "There's been a lot of mortality...It's a weird time to be writing. Roskilde changed the shape of us as people, and our filter for seeing the world changed."

A few songs feature lyrical collaborations between Vedder and other members of the group, including one with Ament ("Ghost"), one with Cameron ("You Are"), and two with Gossard ("Bu$hleaguer" and "All or None"). Sole lyrical contributions from band members other than Vedder include Cameron with "Get Right" and Ament with "Help Help". The album's lyrics tackle existential matters ("Love Boat Captain", "Cropduster", and "I Am Mine"), as well as social and political concerns ("Green Disease", "Bu$hleaguer", and "1/2 Full"). The lyrics of "Save You" represent the anger felt by anyone who watches a close friend waste away his or her life. Regarding "Love Boat Captain", Vedder said, "Love is one resource that the corporations aren't going to be able to monopolize." Vedder said that "Cropduster" is "about man's giant ego, that he's the most important thing on the planet." Regarding "Green Disease", Vedder stated he was "mystified" at CEO and corporate-management salaries and "how someone can justify taking that much at the cost of other people's livelihoods." "Bu$hleaguer" is a satirical commentary on President George W. Bush.