When Pearl Jam released Ten, it wasn’t an immediate success. However, the album gained momentum in 1992 following the success of Nirvana and Soundgarden and the cultural rise of grunge. And singer Eddie Vedder became an uncomfortable avatar for Seattle’s export with his low voice, unease with fame, and brown corduroy jacket.
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Pearl Jam released ubiquitous anthems like “Alive”, “Even Flow”, and “Jeremy”. And before the group abandoned music videos, they were regulars on the channel and its award shows. Vedder’s style and voice were mimicked and recycled in the post-grunge years, but the imitators often missed the influence of The Clash, Fugazi, and The Who that were essential to his DNA.
The singer emerged from grunge music’s brief but consequential dominance, which isn’t surprising because Pearl Jam always sounded closer to Neil Young than Mudhoney. Though he fronts one of the most dynamic bands in the world, Vedder has occasionally branched out on his own. That’s dangerous territory for many singers from large rock bands. But as you’ll see here, Vedder has also recorded great tracks without Pearl Jam.
“Long Way”
Eddie Vedder assembled another great band when he went to work on Earthling, his third solo album. Two Red Hot Chili Peppers, drummer Chad Smith and former guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, as well as producer Andrew Watt, backed Vedder. You cannot separate Vedder from Pearl Jam, but this album sounds nothing like his famous band. “Long Way” echoes Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and showcases Vedder’s gift for melody. Here, he borrows a wise path from Bruce Springsteen, another of his heroes. This may be a solo album, but Vedder understands the importance of a powerful group.
“Hard Sun”
Sean Penn tapped Eddie Vedder to write the music for Penn’s 2007 film Into The Wild, and it became Vedder’s solo debut. His cover of Gordon Peterson’s (known as Indio) “Hard Sun” has the kind of lifting momentum of Pearl Jam’s “Given To Fly”. It’s Vedder’s superpower. Anthemic, communal. His wailing voice resonates like the defiance of a young man in the Alaskan wilderness—tiny within nature. No surprise when you remember one of his biggest hits is called “Alive”.
“Save It For Later”
Based in Chicago, The Bear regularly features Chicago artists or Chicago-related songs in its four extremely tense seasons. Eddie Vedder was born in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and his cover of The English Beat’s “Save It For Later” appears in Season 3. His woodsy folk version gives space to emphasize life, or love, or all of it beating you down: “Sooner or later / Your legs give way, you hit the ground.” Many of Vedder’s best songs speak to survival. The everyday episodes of desperation. Like the chaos in Carmy Berzatto’s kitchen.
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