"I know someday you'll have a beautiful life; I know you'll be a start in somebody else's sky, but why can't it be, oh can't it be mine?"
Those words say it all. Such an iconic line that perfectly explains the pain of heartbreak and the toll it takes on someone's psyche to be left so hurt by love. If you've ever heard Pearl Jam's "Black", you can feel the pain and hurt in his voice during these lines and throughout the wailing in the latter half of the song.
"All the love gone bad. Turned my world to black. Tattooed all I see. All that I am. All I'll be."
Despite any personal predispositions to grunge rock or to Pearl Jam themselves, you simply can't ignore how masterful the song "Black" truly is. A staple for most Pearl Jam enthusiasts, "Black" was released as the fifth track on the band's debut album, Ten (1991). Ten is perhaps one of the greatest debut albums ever released, and if you haven't listened to the entire thing, I highly suggest doing so. There's also a review of the album itself right here at Drowned In Sound.
After Ten became a commercial success in 1992, Pearl Jam's record label Epic Records urged the group to release the song as a single. The band refused, citing the song's personal nature. Despite the lack of a commercial single release, "Black" managed to reach number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Remixed versions of the song were featured on Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror, and the 2009 Ten reissue.
The song originated as an instrumental demo under the name "E Ballad" that was written by guitarist Stone Gossard in 1990. It was one of five songs compiled onto a tape called Stone Gossard Demos '91 that was circulated in the hopes of finding a singer and drummer for Pearl Jam. The tape made its way into the hands of vocalist Eddie Vedder, who was working in San Francisco at the time. Vedder recorded vocals for three of the songs on the demo tape ("Alive", "Once", and "Footsteps"), and mailed the tape back to Seattle. Upon hearing the tape, the band invited Vedder to come to Seattle. On his way to meet the band, Vedder wrote lyrics for "E Ballad", which he called "Black".
"Black" became one of Pearl Jam's best-known songs and is a central emotional piece on the album Ten. "Black" was first performed live at the band's October 22, 1990 concert in Seattle at the Off Ramp Cafe. Pearl Jam performed the song for its appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1992. Live performances of "Black" were not always a guarantee, however, as Vedder often stated that he couldn't sing the song out of being too emotional about it. And if you've ever sat down and listened to this song on repeat after your own heartbreak, you know exactly what Vedder is talking about. And can you blame him?
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