Pearl Jam pick their favourite Bob Dylan song
Everything Pearl Jam has ever done has been a love letter to old-school rock and roll. They may have been the ones responsible for stomping out the old guard of hair metal, but they always knew to heap praise on those who came before them, whether it was Mike McCready quoting Stevie Ray Vaughan licks or Eddie Vedder’s never-ending love affair with The Who. If they were known for paying tribute to the biggest names in music, there’s no getting around talking about Bob Dylan.
Dylan may not have been looking to become the next leader of his generation, but some of the greatest lyrics in the rock canon came from his records. Regardless of which generation he was in, Dylan was known to say what was on his mind even if he was known to be a little bit messed up, either delving into his own emotions on Blood on the Tracks or blasting politicians for their unjust practices on The Times They Are A-Changin’.
For every great artist to emerge from the 1960s, Dylan did have a bit of a wilderness period, and his turn as a born-again Christian making gospel records was enough to throw many fans for a loop. Not everyone liked to hear the rock and roll rebel turning into a preacher, but Dylan’s return to roots on Time Out of Mind is what got Pearl Jam paying attention again.
Even though Dylan was content to just make raw rock and roll records for the rest of his career, this felt like he was out to remind everyone who he was. Coming up with excellent ballads like ‘Make You Feel My Love’, the band thought that ‘Not Dark Yet’ was when the real Dylan emerged from the shadows again.
Dylan may have been in the midst of a career resurgence, but he’s not sure about the world he found himself in anymore. Taking a page out of his more introspective material, Dylan sounds just as lost as he ever was, looking for answers to his problems and going through somewhat of an existential crisis as he talks about how cold the world has become since he first began.
A lot of people may have gotten a little bit turned off by hearing one of the biggest rock stars in the world talking about the rest of the world turning to shit, but that dour mood was something Vedder could relate to in a heartbeat. He was already going through a troubled time after Pearl Jam got big, and now that he saw what the life of a rock star was really like, it’s no wonder he’d resonate with a song that was wondering if modern life was really done in.
In fact, if you replace Dylan’s husky voice with a younger alternative singer, this honestly could pass for a decent grunge song, albeit one that actually seems to have a message beyond the angst that someone feels inside. Dylan didn’t really like the idea of shifting his sound to keep up with the times, but on ‘Not Dark Yet’, it felt like the rest of the world had caught up with him rather than the other way around.
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Bob Dylan Newsletter
All the latest stories about Bob Dylan from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.