Pearl Jam's 12 Most Significant Songs

Pearl Sam

I've identified what I think are the 12 songs that truly identify Pearl Jam. For most bands, Greatest Hits may suffice, but we all know that isn't the case here. To define significant - what songs do you think define Pearl Jam, are vintage Pearl Jam, and not necessarily the most famous? If I were making someone very important an all-encompassing compilation, here are the 12 songs I would include (in chronological order):

Alive
Black
Release
Daughter
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Corduroy
Better Man
Immortality
In My Tree
Red Mosquito
Wishlist
Do the Evolution

Last 3 records? Maybe they haven't had long enough to age? Or, maybe an artists's early works tend to be more defining? I'm not sure here, but by no means am I saying the last three records aren't like Pearl Jam, or are in any way insignificant (no pun intended).

8 Honorable mention (if the compilation were extended to 20 songs): State of Love and Trust, W.M.A., Rearviewmirror, Indifference, Nothingman, Off He Goes, Present Tense, Given to Fly

And, my favorite song, which is not mentioned above: Faithfull

BeerBaron

Wishlist? Really? It is hard to argue with most of the songs in your list, but I would remove Wishlist and Red Mosquito.

ledvedderman

NOTHING past Yield? Pearl Jam is a current band and to show someone they are good now you would pick songs all more than 11 years old?

mrshock13

I can respect your list and consequently, your differing opinion, but I personally believe a good amount of songs from the last 3 albums can be considered, as well as songs on lost dogs.

Vedd Hedd

Really depends on what "significat" means? Significant in terms of public knowledge? in terms of musical diversity? in terms of to themselves? It really depends.

In no particular order:

Jeremy
Alive
Even Flow
Black
Daughter
Betterman
Not For You
Yellow Ledbetter
Who You Are
Given To Fly
Do The Evolution
And I am having trouble with the 12th. Its between:
Bu$leaguer, World Wide Suicide, and Life Wasted. (and possibly I Got Shit)

Murderers.

Vedd Hedd wrote:

Really depends on what "significat" means? Significant in terms of public knowledge? in terms of musical diversity? in terms of to themselves? It really depends.

In no particular order:

Jeremy
Alive
Even Flow
Black
Daughter
Betterman
Not For You
Yellow Ledbetter
Who You Are
Given To Fly
Do The Evolution
And I am having trouble with the 12th. Its between:
Bu$leaguer, World Wide Suicide, and Life Wasted. (and possibly I Got Shit)

Bushleaguer? Hell no.

Pearl Sam

Vedd Hedd wrote:

Really depends on what "significat" means? Significant in terms of public knowledge? in terms of musical diversity? in terms of to themselves? It really depends.

In no particular order:

Jeremy
Alive
Even Flow
Black
Daughter
Betterman
Not For You
Yellow Ledbetter
Who You Are
Given To Fly
Do The Evolution
And I am having trouble with the 12th. Its between:
Bu$leaguer, World Wide Suicide, and Life Wasted. (and possibly I Got Shit)

Nice list, and it's hard to argue with any of those. I also like Faithfull, which I didn't mention originally. Thanks for giving your opinion.

Drop The Leash 10

id say brother for one of them. i mean it did reach number 1. that counts for something right?

Pearl Sam

ledvedderman wrote:

NOTHING past Yield? Pearl Jam is a current band and to show someone they are good now you would pick songs all more than 11 years old?

No. If my goal here was to persuade someone that Pearl Jam is still good, or still relevant, significant, important, etc., then I would have approached this differently. As always, you cater to what you are trying to do, right?

But, I stand by my list above - being as objective as humanly possible about PJ, which may be a paradox for me.

Vedd Hedd

Murderers wrote:

Vedd Hedd wrote:

Really depends on what "significat" means? Significant in terms of public knowledge? in terms of musical diversity? in terms of to themselves? It really depends.

In no particular order:

Jeremy
Alive
Even Flow
Black
Daughter
Betterman
Not For You
Yellow Ledbetter
Who You Are
Given To Fly
Do The Evolution
And I am having trouble with the 12th. Its between:
Bu$leaguer, World Wide Suicide, and Life Wasted. (and possibly I Got Shit)

Bushleaguer? Hell no.

Do you remember all the outrage that song created? Do you remember the Denver show in 2003? the fake bomb threats?

I would call that song very significant in those terms.

soulsinging

ledvedderman wrote:

NOTHING past Yield? Pearl Jam is a current band and to show someone they are good now you would pick songs all more than 11 years old?

They haven't done anything since Yield that is career-defining. There's not a single song or album since that gets the kind of universal praise and admiration that those first 5 albums got. That's nothing to be ashamed of though... how many bands have ever had that kind of run?

DPrival78

insignificance should be on the list

South of Seattle

Alive
Black
Even Flow
Better Man
Given To Fly
I Am Mine
Nothing As It Seems
RearviewMirror
Daughter
Jeremy
Corduroy
Smile

SPEEDY MCCREADY

saustin wrote:

I've identified what I think are the 12 songs that truly identify Pearl Jam. For most bands, Greatest Hits may suffice, but we all know that isn't the case here. To define significant - what songs do you think define Pearl Jam, are vintage Pearl Jam, and not necessarily the most famous? If I were making someone very important an all-encompassing compilation, here are the 12 songs I would include (in chronological order):

Alive
Black
Release
Daughter
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Corduroy
Better Man
Immortality
In My Tree
Red Mosquito
Wishlist
Do the Evolution

Last 3 records? Maybe they haven't had long enough to age? Or, maybe an artists's early works tend to be more defining? I'm not sure here, but by no means am I saying the last three records aren't like Pearl Jam, or are in any way insignificant (no pun intended).

8 Honorable mention (if the compilation were extended to 20 songs): State of Love and Trust, W.M.A., Rearviewmirror, Indifference, Nothingman, Off He Goes, Present Tense, Given to Fly

And, my favorite song, which is not mentioned above: Faithfull

ya know.....

thats a pretty damned good list you made ....................

im not gonna argue with it....

NICE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

South of Seattle

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

saustin wrote:

I've identified what I think are the 12 songs that truly identify Pearl Jam. For most bands, Greatest Hits may suffice, but we all know that isn't the case here. To define significant - what songs do you think define Pearl Jam, are vintage Pearl Jam, and not necessarily the most famous? If I were making someone very important an all-encompassing compilation, here are the 12 songs I would include (in chronological order):

Alive
Black
Release
Daughter
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
Corduroy
Better Man
Immortality
In My Tree
Red Mosquito
Wishlist
Do the Evolution

Last 3 records? Maybe they haven't had long enough to age? Or, maybe an artists's early works tend to be more defining? I'm not sure here, but by no means am I saying the last three records aren't like Pearl Jam, or are in any way insignificant (no pun intended).

8 Honorable mention (if the compilation were extended to 20 songs): State of Love and Trust, W.M.A., Rearviewmirror, Indifference, Nothingman, Off He Goes, Present Tense, Given to Fly

And, my favorite song, which is not mentioned above: Faithfull

ya know.....

thats a pretty damned good list you made ....................

im not gonna argue with it....

NICE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought your track listing would look like this SPEEDY?

1. Can't Keep
2. Love Boat Captain
3. Cropduster
4. Ghost
5. I Am Mine
6. Thumbing My Way
7. You Are
8. Get Right
9. Green Disease
10. Helphelp
11. Bushleaguer
12. All or None

evolvedmammal

Bugs
Aye Davanita
Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me
I'm Open
Untitled
Push Me, Pull Me
Rival
Bu$hleaguer
arc
Wasted Reprise