Pearl Jam’s favourite songs of all time
Pearl Jam is undeniably a rock band, but like most artists, there is a lot more than just people within their genre that inspire them. Growing up, as they steadily developed a love for rock music strong enough that they decided to start making it themselves, there were a lot of different genres they encountered on the way that continued to add to the pile of sounds they could draw from.
When you hear an album like ‘Ten’, that kind of music doesn’t just happen to a band. It has to be carefully crafted and put together by people with a far-reaching knowledge of music and want their contribution to it to be just as moving as the songs that drove them. As such, it’s no surprise that when asked to put together a list of some of their favourite pieces, Pearl Jam provided insight into various genres that drew from multiple periods in their lives.
One of the first tracks mentioned is ‘Sound of Silence’, by Simon and Garfunkel. The group states that it was one of the first tracks they heard outside of church and, ironically, is one of the pieces of music that led to a spiritual awakening. Around the same time, they heard Gary Wright and his song ‘My Love is Alive’, representing music’s versatility as excellent lyricism is put against more dance-infused instrumentation.
The only thing that remains consistent throughout the list as Pearl Jam rattles through different songs is inconsistency. Sex Pistols get a mention with ‘No Feelings’ and how it acted as a gateway drug into the world of hard rock. “The chords are all like pop chords… it’s so gratuitous,” they said.
That led to the discovery of heavier music like Mercyful Fate and Black Sabbath, both bands which couldn’t be any further away from the church music that Pearl Jam was initially listening to. “I had no idea what I had in store for me when my cousin Tina bought me that record,” said Eddie Vedder when discussing Black Sabbath’s debut. “I remember hearing that rain falling, and then on the cover, there was that witch on the cover, and then that chord came in, and it scared the shit out of me… Directly opposite to my catholic upbringing.”
A love for church music remains within the outfit, though, as George Michael gets a mention for his song ‘Father Figure’. Despite not being one of his most famous tracks, the band refer to the hymn-like qualities and how much that appeals to them.
They put together an incredibly versatile playlist where they find themselves inspired by instrumentation, song structure and lyricism. All of this comes together to eventually create what Pearl Jam achieved within their music, and it makes for great listening for any fan of the band.
Pearl Jam’s favourite songs:
- Simon and Garfunkel – ‘Sound of Silence’
- Gary Wright – ‘My Love is Alive’
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – ‘Proud Mary’
- Sex Pistols – ‘No Feelings’
- Black Sabbath – ‘Black Sabbath’
- Pretenders – ‘Precious’
- Cheap Trick – ‘Heaven Tonight’
- Frankie Goes To Hollywood – ‘Relax’
- David Bowie – ‘Fame’
- George Michael – ‘Father Figure’
- Motorhead – ‘No Class’
- The Gap Band – ‘You Dropped A Bomb On Me’
- Black Flag – ‘Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie’
- The Heavy – ‘How You Like Me Now’
- Janes Addiction – ‘Mountain Song’
- Aaliyah – ‘Try Again’
- Marillion – ‘That Time of Night’
- Radiohead – ‘Punch Up at a Wedding’
- Bob Dylan – ‘Not Dark Yet’
- Midlake – ‘Acts of Man’
- Mercyful Fate – ‘Desecration of Souls’
