Thread: Best Pearl Jam Song?

Why not keep Hawg's theme from the best AIC jam going?

Everyone that was coming of age in the 90s remember the first time they heard the album "Ten". This was grunge at its' finest, Eddie's voice is one you will instantly recognize, the range of the band from heavy jams like "Porch", teenage angst in "Better Man", to love songs and sing alongs like "Black", or "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter In a Small Town". Every Pearl Jam song has the ability to transport me back to a specific memory, a point in time and place, that always put a smile on my face. The bus stop in 10th grade before I got my license singing along to "Jeremy" when a guy I barely knew asked me if I'd be interested in auditioning for his band (my first band and the first time I ever realized I had any sort of musical talent), when Eddie mumbles his way through "Yellow Ledbetter" or Mike McCready hits those harmonics it makes me think of the first time I got drunk (on Zima!), so many!!!

They're still putting out great music to this day!

So, if it came down to it, what are your three favorite Pearl Jam songs?

1 - Black. Who can't relate to a song about love lost and being sad and mad at the same time?

I take a walk outside
I'm surrounded by
Some kids at play
I can feel their laughter
So why do I sear

2 - Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town - A bus ride to a track meet in high school, headphones on, jamming out, just loving the song... led me to my first love and real relationship. Funny that it's a song about a woman working in a diner in a small town who runs into an old boyfriend. I don't know why before the bus ride, but this song has always been special to me because of the song, but just as much the moment.

3 - Yellow Ledbetter - Yeah, you had to look up the lyrics. So did everyone. Nobody knows what they REALLY are. Eddie changes them to suit his mood or whatever, he told a story once about it where it was loosely based on a Chicago friend whose brother went to fight in the Gulf War and was killed. I've always loved the guitar at the opening, and all the fills and harmonics throughout. McCready is a very underrated guitarist.

I could go on for days, Alive, Wishlist, Better Man, Even Flow, Just Breathe, Given to Fly(!!), Off He Goes (Holy shit I love it), etc.

What are your songs, and maybe moments?

I think the first band tshirt I got was a PJ Alive from a record store in Federal Way in 1991. I bought a demo cassette of another grunge band with Rhino backing, but they never made it. There were heady years, every moment was laden. This is who I am, these years.

I have a very strong PJ memory, I was 15 or 16 and I had to load and deliver a cord of split oak. I went to the jobsite with the 5-yard Ford dump truck my dad had recently bought, I brought my boombox and Ten, loaded a cord of oak in the back. Loading a cord of oak takes a moment, long enough to listen to an album, maybe longer. Three times? When you are like that, the music is all you got. I knew the catchy songs, but hadn't yet done much of a deep dive into the album. I remember the more ballad like songs really hit home, I was impressed. It never felt like 'hot damn' or 'ok, I'm a convert', but it felt very satisfying.

I'm going to go through all the albums and give my top 3 Pearl Jam songs, a mix of now/then/in-between in terms of pleasure derived. This is an exception band.

1 - State of Love and Trust
2 - Off He Goes
3 - Daughter

My gut reaction was to put Elderly Woman at #1 because it's the next song my 'band' is going to learn, at my request, so I can sing it (attempt two days ago, listener discretion advised). That song still connects. Maybe it should be higher. It's tough.

I can't believe nothing from Ten is on there, but that's ok. Ten was solid from Once to Release. Alive is the winner on Ten.

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

It never felt like 'hot damn' or 'ok, I'm a convert', but it felt very satisfying.

I missed my point.

It's a super strong memory, it has occurred over and over, unbidden. That means something.

Personally for me its "Oceans".

But the entire TEN album is a masterpiece, everything after that record has only a couple of songs here or there that i enjoy.

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

I think the first band tshirt I got was a PJ Alive from a record store in Federal Way in 1991. I bought a demo cassette of another grunge band with Rhino backing, but they never made it. There were heady years, every moment was laden. This is who I am, these years.

I have a very strong PJ memory, I was 15 or 16 and I had to load and deliver a cord of split oak. I went to the jobsite with the 5-yard Ford dump truck my dad had recently bought, I brought my boombox and Ten, loaded a cord of oak in the back. Loading a cord of oak takes a moment, long enough to listen to an album, maybe longer. Three times? When you are like that, the music is all you got. I knew the catchy songs, but hadn't yet done much of a deep dive into the album. I remember the more ballad like songs really hit home, I was impressed. It never felt like 'hot damn' or 'ok, I'm a convert', but it felt very satisfying.

I'm going to go through all the albums and give my top 3 Pearl Jam songs, a mix of now/then/in-between in terms of pleasure derived. This is an exception band.

1 - State of Love and Trust
2 - Off He Goes
3 - Daughter

My gut reaction was to put Elderly Woman at #1 because it's the next song my 'band' is going to learn, at my request, so I can sing it (attempt two days ago, listener discretion advised). That song still connects. Maybe it should be higher. It's tough.

I can't believe nothing from Ten is on there, but that's ok. Ten was solid from Once to Release. Alive is the winner on Ten.

Elderly Woman has always been one of those songs for me, as soon as it starts I can't help but turn it up and sing along. Absolutely love it. Not a bad rendition my friend, tell me more about this band, I'm interested!!

Originally Posted by Davii

Elderly Woman has always been one of those songs for me, as soon as it starts I can't help but turn it up and sing along. Absolutely love it. Not a bad rendition my friend, tell me more about this band, I'm interested!!

<3

Dad band, we all have scouts in the same scout troop. Drummer is a guitarist who owned a music instrument store, guitarist started taking guitar lessons a couple years ago and is getting up to speed, and me and another dude switch between bass, guitar, keys, and vocals. I wish we could practice daily or at least twice a week, but it's been a once a week thing until lately, when the other bass/keys/vocals guy's wife ran against some medical issues and hospitalizations. It's taken a back seat, understandably.

This is my first band and I so wish I had made more of an effort to do this much younger. First time I said 'I'll try to sing it' and next thing you know I'm the default singer. I suck, but I'm improving and gaining confidence. I remember first time singing the chorus on Semisonic's Closing Time (hey, not my pick) for the first time--you know, the "I know who I want to take me home", gotta belt it--and the other vocalist was like 'dude, that's brave, I do not have that in my bag'. It wasn't great, but wasn't godawful. In time it's become easier and more natural. Playing and singing at the same time has also been a steep learning curve, but I love it. It's getting almost to where someone might want to listen. I'm circling around finding my authentic voice, getting closer.

Setlist right now is Hey Jude, Desire Lines (Deerhunter), Closing Time, Blitzkrieg Bop, Femme Fatale, American Girl, Three Marlenas (Wallflowers). All in various stages of incubation. A couple we might be able to pull off live right now, but they need a little more time in the oven. Next up is Elderly Woman. I'll be sure to share a recording

We are also working out an original, maybe, at this point it's more of a groove with chords (no melody or lyrics yet) that I came up with. Something to jam to while homeboy is dealing with his family sitch.

Sorry to OT! Easy for me to talk about my favorite things...

Originally Posted by Northman

Personally for me its "Oceans".

But the entire TEN album is a masterpiece, everything after that record has only a couple of songs here or there that i enjoy.

I love Ament's bass sound on this cut. Straight up jazz. Such a great song.

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

<3

Dad band, we all have scouts in the same scout troop. Drummer is a guitarist who owned a music instrument store, guitarist started taking guitar lessons a couple years ago and is getting up to speed, and me and another dude switch between bass, guitar, keys, and vocals. I wish we could practice daily or at least twice a week, but it's been a once a week thing until lately, when the other bass/keys/vocals guy's wife ran against some medical issues and hospitalizations. It's taken a back seat, understandably.

This is my first band and I so wish I had made more of an effort to do this much younger. First time I said 'I'll try to sing it' and next thing you know I'm the default singer. I suck, but I'm improving and gaining confidence. I remember first time singing the chorus on Semisonic's Closing Time (hey, not my pick) for the first time--you know, the "I know who I want to take me home", gotta belt it--and the other vocalist was like 'dude, that's brave, I do not have that in my bag'. It wasn't great, but wasn't godawful. In time it's become easier and more natural. Playing and singing at the same time has also been a steep learning curve, but I love it. It's getting almost to where someone might want to listen. I'm circling around finding my authentic voice, getting closer.

Setlist right now is Hey Jude, Desire Lines (Deerhunter), Closing Time, Blitzkrieg Bop, Femme Fatale, American Girl, Three Marlenas (Wallflowers). All in various stages of incubation. A couple we might be able to pull off live right now, but they need a little more time in the oven. Next up is Elderly Woman. I'll be sure to share a recording

We are also working out an original, maybe, at this point it's more of a groove with chords (no melody or lyrics yet) that I came up with. Something to jam to while homeboy is dealing with his family sitch.

Sorry to OT! Easy for me to talk about my favorite things...

Next time I’m in Denver maybe I’ll be lucky enough you’re having practice!

Better Man
Daughter
Yellow Ledbetter

For me, I think it's:

1. Elderly Woman

2. Wishlist

3. Better Man

3b. Just Breathe


Too hard to really pick. So much great stuff.

Yellow ledbetter, hands down.

Easy choice for me.

Originally Posted by slim

Yellow ledbetter, hands down.

Easy choice for me.

What about that song makes it such an easy choice Slim? I love Yellow Ledbetter, one of my all-time favorites, not just Pearl Jam. Makes me think of the line in Shawshank Redemption when Andy played the records for the whole prison yard, Red said he had no idea what those ladies were singing about, but it was beautiful. Once you know what Eddie is singing about it STILL makes you feel good when you hear the song.

I’ll go in a different direction. I didn’t much like the stuff past “Vs” so my picks are:

Even Flow - love the groove of that tune.
Jeremy - back in my younger days I used to do it in Karaoke in foreign ports.
Animal - just another in your face song with a great groove
Dissident - very soulful and a good use of Vedder’s range.

I was never really much of a Pearl Jam guy during the 90’s. AIC, STP, and Soundgarden were more my jam before I got sucked in by Tool, Korn, Sevendust, Chevelle, RATM etc.

1. Black
2. Given to Fly
3. Wishlist
4. Rearview Mirror
5. Corduroy

And even though this list is not indictive of it, my favorite album of theirs was Vitalogy. It just came to me at a really weird moment in my life and it reminds me of being bored and free and young which is the exact opposite of where I am now lol

Originally Posted by MasterShake

1. Black
2. Given to Fly
3. Wishlist
4. Rearview Mirror
5. Corduroy

And even though this list is not indictive of it, my favorite album of theirs was Vitalogy. It just came to me at a really weird moment in my life and it reminds me of being bored and free and young which is the exact opposite of where I am now lol

I'm glad Corduroy got a vote!