Ranking all 11 songs from Pearl Jam's brilliant debut 'Ten' album
By Joel Wagler
Ranking all 11 songs on the Pearl Jam Ten album (6-4)
No. 6 - "Even Flow"
This terrific track has one of the better choruses on the album and the verses look to portray a state of homelessness. One could argue it's about literal homelessness or a figurative homelessness Vedder might feel about his childhood.
So many of these songs are a reflection of Vedder's childhood and his feelings about that time of his life, so it is easy to lean toward the latter theory. On this record, Vedder is such a raw, unpolished vocalist, but he is also passionate, emotional, and soulful. As a listener, you can feel all of those things in this song.
No. 5 - "Garden"
The soulful, haunting song is perhaps the least clear as to the story it is telling. It obviously has religious overtones, and the chorus stirs up images of Christ bearing the burden on the cross as he makes his way up Calvary. Whether or not, that is the intention of the song or not, it certainly can be interpreted that way.
There is also a lot of subtle imagery of death in the song, with the garden of stone being a cemetery. You get the feeling that Vedder is not afraid of facing his death, but that he has his own value of faith and doesn't want others to force theirs upon him.
Lyrically, this song is the most intriguing and the most ambiguous. Still, it is that haunting melody and chorus that draws you in and makes you love this song.
No. 4 - "Release"
This song is the most personal track on the album. According to Genius, the lyrics were improvised the first time they played the song and Vedder has never actually written down the lyrics.
The song is about Vedder and his stepfather, who he was led to believe was his biological father. It is emotional and soulful, and probably the most melodic track of the eleven. It is one of several songs that will grab you right away, and you will want to listen to it over and over.
Like many of Ten's songs, "Release" lacks a true chorus, but in this case, it doesn't matter. The biggest negative to the tune is a long, drawn-out coda that doesn't really match the rest of the song. It may not actually be a part of the song because it also seems to be a continuation of the brief intro to "Once", though much longer.