For the S Club 7 song, see Alive (S Club 7 song).

For the 2005 song by Melissa O'Neil, see Alive (Melissa O'Neil song).

"Alive" is one of the most popular songs by the rock band Pearl Jam. It appeared on their debut album Ten, and it was released as a UK single in 1991, charting at #16 (the single was available only in import in the US). The song's music was written in 1990 by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, while the lyrics were written later that same year by vocalist Eddie Vedder while he was working as a San Diego gas station attendant. Although it was not a huge hit upon its release (peaking at #16 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart), it has endured as a fan favorite and a staple of rock radio since then, as well as one of the most requested songs at the band's concerts. The song was peformed on Saturday Night Live in April 1992 in support of Ten. It was also included on Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003. Image File history File links Alive(single)_cover. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc. ... Typical 60-minute Compact Cassette. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is a genre of alternative rock inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // History Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Seversen III on 23 December 1964; sometimes listed as 1966) is the lead singer, lyricist, and sometime instrumentalist for the band Pearl Jam. ... Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966, Seattle, Washington) is the rhythm guitarist and founding member for American rock band Pearl Jam. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... Even Flow is the first hit for the grunge band Pearl Jam, in 1991. ... Alive was a single released by UK pop group, S Club on November 18, 2002. ... Alive is a pop song performed by Canadian Idol season three winner Melissa ONeil. ... Rock group (or later rock band) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20, 1966, Seattle, Washington) is the rhythm guitarist and founding member for American rock band Pearl Jam. ... Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Seversen III on 23 December 1964; sometimes listed as 1966) is the lead singer, lyricist, and sometime instrumentalist for the band Pearl Jam. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... Modern gas station A filling station, gas station or petrol station is a facility that sells fuel for road motor vehicles – usually petrol (US: gas/gasoline), diesel fuel and LPG. The term gas station is mostly particular to the United States of America and Canada, where petrol is known as... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (i. ... It has been suggested that Operaman be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see April (disambiguation). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ... Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of their decade. ... Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 is the first greatest hits album by Pearl Jam with 2 discs because the first compilation Lost Dogs was a b-side singles collection. ...

Prior to being commercially released, "Alive" was released as a promotional CD and cassette featuring different artwork and b-sides. While "Wash" was also a b-side to the commercial singles, "I've Got A Feeling" was only on this version of the single. The guitar solo at the end of "Alive" was also different from the Ten version, and there are a few other noticeable differences between the two. Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ...

Lyrical meaning

The song has been revealed by singer Eddie Vedder to be part autobiographical and part fiction.^{[citation needed]} When Eddie was a teenager, his mother revealed to him that the man he thought was his father was actually his step-father, and that his biological father was dead. It is the first piece to a trilogy of songs: "Alive", "Once" and "Footsteps." "Alive" tells a story of incest, which leads to the murderous killing spree described in "Once", and eventually looking back from a prison cell in "Footsteps". Incest is sexual activity between close family members. ...

The first and last verses detail the actual events described above, but the second verse is storytelling on Vedder's part: the lyrics read "She walks slowly across the young man's room/She said "I'm ready for you"/I can't remember anything to this very day/Except the look, the look/You know where/Now I can't see, I just stare," and Vedder revealed that "she" was the mother, and "the look" referred to was not the look on her face, but "the look is between her legs. Where do you go with that? That's where you came from".

Rather than being the inspirational song most interpret it as, Vedder had quite a different meaning in mind: [He's] still dealing with love, [he's] still dealing with the death of [his] father. All [he] knows is "I'm still alive"... that's totally out of burden.

Guitar solo

"Alive" features an extended guitar solo after its third chorus, which is likely one reason it's a favorite of so many fans. The solo to "Alive", performed by Mike McCready, was ranked #44 on Guitar World's list of 100 Greatest Guitar Solos [1]. Interestingly, when interviewed about his famous solo, McCready was quick to disclaim creative credit for it, saying he basically "copied Ace Frehley's solo from 'She'...which, of course, was copied from Robby Krieger's solo in The Doors' 'Five to One'." ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... Robby Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American rock and roll guitarist and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. ... The Doors, formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, is a popular and influential American rock band. ...

Track listing

1. "Alive" (Vedder, Gossard) - 5:40
2. "Once" (Vedder, Gossard) - 3:51
3. "Wash" (Gossard, Ament, McCready, Krusen, Vedder) - 3:34
   • Previously Unreleased

External links

• Music Video
• Lyrics