Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesdays, my weekly series where I rank personal favorites across music, film, books, and more. This week, I’m focusing on Pearl Jam, a band that took me by surprise and never really let go.
I’ve been on holiday the past few weeks, so thanks for your patience as I get back into the groove.
A First Time for Everything
There’s a first time for everything. A first kiss, a first wave, a first traffic ticket. We remember the firsts because we retell them over time, polishing the details, making them feel permanent, even if parts are fuzzy.
I was in my 30s when grunge hit and the music world changed direction. I wasn’t ready for it. I held out for years. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sounded raw and alien. If it came on MTV or the radio, I’d change the channel.
Then I heard Pearl Jam’s “Alive” one night and thought, Well… this isn’t half bad. Little did I know.
I started with Ten. It became my morning drive-time album. Later I picked up Vs. the day it was released and was shocked by the emotional weight and musical complexity of its songs. When “Go” played, I literally couldn’t breathe. My son Jon asked if I was okay. All I could do was point at the speaker and say, “Music.” My wife, Florence, told me to turn that noise off and asked if I needed a doctor. I think she thought I was having a stroke.
I still get that feeling when I hear “Go.” My wife still hates it.
My Top 10 Pearl Jam Songs
- Go – The song that hooked me on grunge. It’s on my personal song of the year for 1991 and ranks #10 on my all-time favorites list.
- Alive – I didn’t know this one would change my entire taste in music. But decades later, it’s one of the most influential songs of my life.
- Black – A song about a broken relationship I never personally experienced, yet it evokes real emotion. It feels so raw, so beautifully painful.
- Better Man – I used to sing this quietly when visiting my mom and stepfather… until I understood more about their relationship. Now it stings a little.
- Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town – A song about aging and regret. Retirement gave me new perspective. No fading away for me, thanks.
- Daughter – Vedder wrote it about how society tries to silence nonconforming kids. I relate. I was an odd kid. Still am. I love this song deeply.
- Yellow Ledbetter – Nobody really knows what it’s about, and I don’t care. McCready’s guitar work is stunning. I could listen to it on repeat for hours.
- Jeremy – At first, I thought this was just a song about suicide. It’s not. It’s about neglect, alienation, and the damage we don’t always see.
- Even Flow – This one changed the way I view homelessness. I shifted from judgment to compassion. Since then, I’ve helped feed hundreds and support a local shelter.
- Rearviewmirror – A song about moving on. It gave me the courage to walk away from toxic relationships. I’d forgotten how much this band meant to me in the ’90s.
Closing Thoughts
Grunge and the ’90s feel like yesterday to me. But now I see reaction videos online with young adults discovering Pearl Jam for the first time, treating it like an “oldies” band. It blows my mind.
Pearl Jam helped shape not just my musical taste, but how I see the world. Social justice, empathy, endurance, resistance, it’s all there in the songs. I didn’t realize how deeply their music had worked itself into my life until I started writing this post.
Sometimes music finds you when you need it most. Pearl Jam found me in my thirties and stayed.
🎧 Listen on Spotify: Top Ten Pearl Jam Songs
Peanuts In My Pocket 
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