Yield

Certain Songs #1513: Pearl Jam – “Wishlist”

April 16, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Yield
Year: 1998

One of the most straightforward songs in Pearl Jam’s catalog, I think that the analogy for “Wishlist” is “Every Breath You Take,” which shares the same kind of musical simplicity and lyrical repetition, with the major musical difference being that Sting actually bothered to write a chorus.

The major lyrical difference, of course, was that Sting was singing a song of suspicion and paranoia that has always felt kinda stalkery, and Eddie Vedder is singing a list of, well, wishes.

Certain Songs #1512: Pearl Jam – “Given to Fly”

April 15, 2019 by Jim Connelly

Album: Yield
Year: 1998

Now this was more like it.

After the, I’ll say, inconsistent No Code, Pearl Jam regrouped and put out what I think remains the finest album of their career, Yield.

Nearly ditching the experimentation, and balancing the ferocious rockers with incredibly strong mid-tempo songs that were chock full of loud guitars and strong melodies, they delivered their most consistent-sounding album since Ten, absent the murky sound.