Top 5 Pearl Jam Songs

5. “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” – Vs.
4. “Betterman” – Vitalogy
3. “Daughter” – Vs.
2. “Porch” – Ten
1. “Yellow Ledbetter” – Lost Dogs

Pearl Jam‘s “Yellow Ledbetter” may be music’s greatest B-Side. It’s Hendrix-esque intro is a melancholy masterpiece. The lyrics are almost completely impossible to understand, but the feelings behind the lyrics come through loud and clear. Major props to Mike McCready for the intro and the solo.

As amazing as the song is, it’s even more amazing that the song didn’t appear on a “normal” Pearl Jam album. It first showed up on the B-side to “Jeremy”, but was apparently recorded at the same time as Ten. It didn’t appear on a full album until Lost Dogs, and then on their Greatest Hits collection, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003).

The guitar sound on the intro has pretty much defined the perfect blues tone for me. If anyone knows what the rig is behind it, please drop me a line and let me know.