Pearl Jam has no problem filling a set full of bangers of their own. Die-hard fans know every word to even the deepest album cuts and scream along with Eddie Vedder in communal nostalgia, reliving the glory days of Dr. Martens and layered, ultra-baggy clothing. They are objectively one of the best live rock bands on the planet. So they wouldn’t have to be the immaculate curators of cover songs they are, both on stage and on record. But they do it anyway, and it adds yet another level to their greatness. here are our favorite five covers they’ve chosen to bring their own creative spin to.
Videos by American Songwriter
5. “Last Kiss” by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
Eddie Vedder discovered an old recording of “Last Kiss” while record shopping at an antique mall in Seattle. Wayne Cochran released the first version in 1961, but it became a hit for J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers in 1964. Pearl Jam performed the song on tour in 1998 and recorded it at a soundcheck in Washington, D.C., the same year. It appeared on a charity album benefitting Kosovar refugees and later on the band’s rarities collection, Lost Dogs (2003). Pearl Jam’s unique take on the old love song sounds like…well, Pearl Jam. Most bands covering oldies try mimicking the era’s sound, but this version wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Yield.
4. “Eruption” by Van Halen
Yes, you are reading this correctly. In tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen, guitarist Mike McCready steps on a Phase 90 (the guitarists know what this is) and melts several rows of Pearl Jam fans’ faces shredding through this classic from the first Van Halen album. Van Halen’s songs are really difficult to pull off, and the intricacies in his playing are the things most people miss when they try feebly to recreate his solos. But McCready understands the unteachable stuff, which is evident in his own solos with Pearl Jam. (More inside baseball talk: it’s crucial to mention that McCready plays “Eruption” on a Fender Stratocaster with single-coil pickups, which means he’s working much harder than if he’d used Van Halen’s Frankenstein guitar with a Les Paul-style humbucker. It’s like a sprinter running in boots. Hats off!)
3. “Rockin’ in the Free World” by Neil Young
At the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, Pearl Jam raged forcefully through their then-new single, “Animal.” After Vedder barked and snarled his way through the Pearl Jam classic, Neil Young joined them on stage to cover his ode to President George H. W. Bush. Like Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” is a protest song often misinterpreted as a feel-good anthem. Vedder is skilled at sounding like his heroes and himself at the same time. Young appears possessed as he bends his guitar, “Old Black,” to his will like a rock ‘n’ roll war machine.
2. “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” by Mother Love Bone
Pearl Jam evolved from the dissolution of Seattle’s Mother Love Bone, a band featuring Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. As Mother Love Bone was ascending to stardom, lead singer Andy Wood died tragically young. Gossard picked up the pieces by jamming with Mike McCready and later reconnecting with Ament. They recorded a demo tape and searched for a drummer and a singer.
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Jack Irons passed on the offer to join, but he did give the demo to a friend in San Diego. Irons’ friend was playing in a local band called Bad Radio while working part-time at a gas station. His friend’s name was Eddie Vedder, and the vocals he recorded over the instrumentals on the demo became “Alive,” “Once,” and “Footsteps.” Drummer Dave Krusen completed the lineup, and Pearl Jam (initially named Mookie Blaylock after the Seattle SuperSonics favorite) was born. “Crown of Thorns” is Mother Love Bone’s signature song; the heavy sadness of a close friend dying young hangs eerily over Pearl Jam each time they perform it live.
1. “Love, Reign O’er Me” by The Who
The Who’s rock opera Quadrophenia ends with a blessing where Pete Townshend’s protagonist, Jimmy, finds redemption in the pouring rain. Eddie Vedder found his own kind of redemption, playing Quadrophenia on endless repeat as a teenager. Pearl Jam covered the song “Love, Reign O’er Me” for the Adam Sandler film of the same name. Sandler asked Pearl Jam to cover the Who classic, but Vedder was initially reluctant—The Who is like a religion to him. After discussing it with Roger Daltrey, Vedder said yes, and Pearl Jam’s version plays over the ending credits. They performed the song again, honoring The Who, at the 2008 VH1 Rock Honors ceremony. Hearing Vedder scream the chorus lyrics sounds like he’s channeling the kid in the bedroom belting the anthem into a hairbrush or whatever else was available to use for a microphone.
Photo by John Shearer/WireImage
