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Alive (Pearl Jam song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the S Club 7 song, see Alive (S Club song). For the 2005 song by Melissa O'Neil, see Alive (Melissa O'Neil song).
| "Alive" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Pearl Jam from the album Ten |
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| B-side | "Once" / "Wash" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD single, Cassette, Vinyl | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | January 29, 1991 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington and June 1991 at Ridge Farm Studios, Dorking, England (Guitar Solo) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Grunge | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 5:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Epic Records | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer | Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Pearl Jam, Rick Parashar | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pearl Jam singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Alive" is the debut single and one of the most popular songs by the rock band Pearl Jam. It appeared on their debut album Ten, and it was released as a UK single in 1991, charting at #16 (the single was available only through import in the US). The song's music was written in 1990 by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard when he was still a member of Mother Love Bone, while the lyrics were written later that same year by vocalist Eddie Vedder while he was working as a San Diego gas station attendant.[1]
Although it was not a huge hit upon its release (peaking at #16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart), it has endured as a fan favorite and a staple of rock radio since then, as well as one of the most requested songs at the band's concerts. The song was performed on Saturday Night Live in April 1992 in support of Ten. It was also included on Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003.
Prior to being commercially released, "Alive" was released as a promotional CD and cassette featuring different artwork and b-sides. While "Wash" was also a b-side to the commercial singles, "I've Got a Feeling" was only on this version of the single. The guitar solo at the end of "Alive" was also different from the Ten version, and there are a few other noticeable differences between the two. The B-side "Wash" can also be found on Lost Dogs.
Live performances of "Alive" can be found on the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Immagine In Cornice.
"Alive" is featured in the video game SingStar Amped for PlayStation 2.[2]
Contents |
The song has been revealed by singer Eddie Vedder to be part autobiographical and part fiction.[1] When Eddie was a teenager, his mother revealed to him that the man he thought was his father was actually his stepfather, and that his biological father was dead. It is the first piece to a trilogy of songs unofficially called "Mamasan". It comprises the songs "Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps". "Alive" tells a story of incest, which leads to the killing spree described in "Once", and eventually looking back from a prison cell in "Footsteps".
The first and last verses detail the actual events described above, but the second verse is storytelling on Vedder's part: the lyrics read "Oh, she walks slowly across the young man's room/She said "I'm ready for you"/I can't remember anything to this very day/Except the look, the look/You know where/Now I can't see, I just stare," and Vedder revealed that "she" was the mother, and "the look" referred to was not the look on her face, but "the look is between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from."
Rather than being the inspirational song most interpret it as, Vedder had quite a different meaning in mind: "[He's] still dealing with love, [he's] still dealing with the death of [his] father. All [he] knows is "I'm still alive"...that's totally out of burden."
"Alive" features an extended guitar solo after its third chorus (3:38), which is likely one reason it's a favorite of so many fans. The solo to "Alive", performed by Mike McCready, was ranked #44 on Guitar World's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos",[3] as well as being ranked #26 on Total Guitar's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". Interestingly, when interviewed about his famous solo, McCready was quick to disclaim creative credit for it, saying he basically "copied Ace Frehley's solo from 'She', which was copied from Robby Krieger's solo in The Doors' 'Five to One'."[4] Aside from that influence, it strongly highlights the Hendrix influences on McCready's playing, including extensive Wah Pedal use, frequent Whammy Bar dips and Vibrato, as well as the use of a battered Stratocaster guitar.
The video for "Alive" was shot on August 3, 1991 during a Pearl Jam concert at RKCNDY in Seattle, Washington. It was directed by Josh Taft, a childhood friend of Stone Gossard, who would later direct the videos for "Even Flow" and "Oceans". Pearl Jam's future drummer Dave Abbruzzese was in the audience when the video was shot. It was his first encounter with the band as he'd just arrived from Texas and only knew the songs from the "Alive" single.[5] He was recommended for the band by Matt Chamberlain who can be seen drumming in the "Alive" video. "Alive" was the first non-lip-synched video shown on MTV.[6] The video was nominated for Best Alternative Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.[7]
"Alive" was covered by Patti Smith at the Roskilde Festival in 2001. The song was performed in memory of the nine people who died during Pearl Jam's appearance at the Roskilde Festival in 2000.
All information taken from various sources.[8][9][10][11][12]
- "Alive" (Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard) – 5:40
- "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:51
- "Wash" (Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Dave Krusen, Vedder) – 3:34
- Previously Unreleased
- "Alive" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 4:57
- Recorded live on August 3, 1991 at RKCNDY in Seattle, Washington.
- "Even Flow" (re-recorded) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:07
- "Wash" (Gossard, Ament, McCready, Krusen, Vedder) – 3:35
- Previously Unreleased
- "Dirty Frank" (Vedder, Gossard, Ament, McCready, Dave Abbruzzese) – 5:39
- Previously Unreleased
- "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:40
- "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:51
- "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:40
- "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:51
- "Wash" (Gossard, Ament, McCready, Krusen, Vedder) – 3:34
- Previously Unreleased
- "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:40
- "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:51
- "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:40
- "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:51
- "Wash" (Gossard, Ament, McCready, Krusen, Vedder) – 3:34
- Previously Unreleased
All information taken from various sources.[13][14][15][16][17][18]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Australian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 13 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 16 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 18 | |
| German Singles Chart | 44 |
- ^ a b Crowe, Cameron. "Five Against the World". Rolling Stone. October 28, 1993.
- ^ Miller, Greg. "E3 2007: SingStar Amped Hands-on". IGN.com. July 11, 2007.
- ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Solos". Guitar World. 2007.
- ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Prime Cuts: Mike McCready - The Best of Pearl Jam!". Guitar School. May 1995.
- ^ "Dave Abbruzzese". Lukin.com.
- ^ "Pearl Jam: Timeline". pearljam.com.
- ^ 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. Rockonthenet. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ Alive [UK Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Alive [Live EP]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Alive [US Single]. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Alive Single. Lukin.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ pjcollectors.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ EveryHit.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
- ^ Pearl Jam Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ PEARL JAM - ALIVE (SINGLE) (12655). Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ The Irish Charts - All there is to know. Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved on 2007-04-29.
- ^ Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Single. musicline.de. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.