Everything in my demographic profile suggests that I should like Pearl Jam.
My age, my skin tone, my just-good-enough ability on the guitar, right down to my precise location on the masculinity-vulnerability spectrum. Run a thousand simulations of my life and most of the time Pearl Jam will wind up being the most important band of my adolescence. Most of the time I’ll end up chasing their tours around the country, “Black” will be the first dance at my wedding, and my wife and I will move to Seattle and buy dog named Vedder.
But in this timeline, I really don’t like Pearl Jam that much.
I like – even love – plenty of bands that were Pearl Jam-adjacent, and a few of them have appeared on this blog. Pearl Jam itself? Not for me. And I think it’s less about their music, which isn’t all that different from other bands of the era, and more about Eddie Vedder’s voice.
To me, nobody epitomizes the stereotypical 90s rock voice more than Eddie Vedder. Kurt Cobain was the metaphorical voice of a generation, but the literal interpretation of that award goes to Vedder. His broad vowels, sheep-like vibrato, and the way his voice too often seems to sit neither in his head or his chest but somehow in the back of his throat. It just bugs me.
Well then, thank goodness for this song, from the soundtrack to the 2007 film “Into the Wild.” The original version earned Vedder a Golden Globe Award, and an Oscar nomination. The version I’m sharing here was included on the soundtrack as a hidden track (so very 90s), and thanks to its sparing use of vocals I really like it.
I’m not about to move to Seattle or name a dog after him, but at least now I can say I have a favourite Eddie Vedder song.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. By humming rather than singing, Vedder actually highlights the rich tonal quality of his voice. I’d always thought of him as a high tenor, but those lower notes really resonate when he’s not doing his sheep voice thing.
2. By humming rather than singing, it fits better with the theme of the movie it was written for. Nothing implies a semi-aimless soul-searching adventure more than humming.
3. Although the chord structure never changes, the different melodies he hums prevent it from feeling too repetitive.
Recommended listening activity:
Ambling.