The 57-year-old Florida-born and Seattle-bred musician Mike McCready is an essential part of the iconic grunge band Pearl Jam. One of the “big four” grunge groups from the Pacific Northwest—along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden—Pearl Jam made huge waves in the early 1990s thanks to their debut LP, Ten.
Videos by American Songwriter
But McCready, the group’s epic lead guitar player, has had a hand in more than just the solos and riffs on the band’s songs. Indeed, he has helped pen tunes for the group, both with just one other member like Eddie Vedder and with the group as a whole.
[RELATED: 3 Movies Every Buddy Holly Fan Should See]
Here below, we will dive into four such songs co-written by McCready. Yes, these are four songs you likely didn’t know the six-string player wrote for the band.
1. “Let Me Sleep (It’s Christmas Time)”
Written by Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready
This song was released in 1991 as part of a standalone single (the B-side was a song called “Ramblings”). The band shared the track as part of its Ten Club fan club and on the song, which includes a bright electric riff from McCready, lead singer Eddie Vedder moans about wanting to sleep in because it’s the holidays. The brief, just-under-three-minute song, which was later released on the band’s 2003 compilation album, Lost Dogs, is a nice little ditty and a relief from some of the more typical holiday songs this time of year. Vedder sings,
Cold wind blows on the soles of my feet
Heaven knows nothing of me
And I’m lost, nowhere to go
Oh, when I was a kid
Oh, how magic it seemed
Oh, please let me sleep, it’s Christmastime
2. “Yellow Ledbetter”
Written by Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready
The music for this song was written by McCready and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament with lyrics penned by Vedder. Originally an outtake from their 1991 debut Ten, the song was released as a B-side for the hit single “Jeremy.” Later, it became one of the group’s most popular songs, both on record and live. In 2003, the group officially released it on their Lost Dogs compilation and in 2004 it was on their greatest hits LP. On the song, which includes a Jimi Hendrix-esque electric guitar intro, Vedder sings almost indiscernible,
Unsealed on a porch a letter sat
Then you said I wanna leave it again
Once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand
And on the sand I wanna leave it again, yeah
On a weekend wanna wish it all away
And they called and I said that I want what I said
And then I call out again
And the reason oughtta leave her calm, I know
I said I don’t know whether I’m the boxer or the bag
3. “Given to Fly”
Written by Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready
This song from the band’s 1998 album, Yield, was written by lead singer Vedder and lead guitarist McCready. The band’s most popular song from the album, it’s since been included on Pearl Jam’s greatest hits album, rearviewmirror, after hitting No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It includes an indelible lead guitar intro by McCready and has since become a fan favorite. On the compelling, propulsive song, Vedder sings—er, roars,
He could’ve tuned in, tuned in but he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree
The wind rose up, set him down on his knee
4. “Daughter”
Written by Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, David Abbruzzese
Another song that found its way to the band’s greatest hits album, this song was first released in 1993 from the band’s album that same year, Vs. Every one of the Pearl Jam band members garnered writing credit on this track, which hit No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later, “Daughter,” landed on their greatest hits album, rearviewmirror. On the emotive song, Vedder sings,
Alone, listless
Breakfast table in an otherwise empty room
Young girl, violence
Center of her own attention
The mother reads aloud, child tries to understand it
Tries to make her proud
The shades go down, it’s in her head
Painted room, can’t deny there’s something wrong
Don’t call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don’t call me daughter, not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don’t call me
Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
