Alone (Pearl Jam song)
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“Alone” | |||||
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Song by Pearl Jam | |||||
Album | "Go" (Single) | ||||
Released | 1993 | ||||
Recorded |
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Genre | Grunge | ||||
Length | |||||
Label | Epic | ||||
Writer | Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder | ||||
Producer |
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"Go" (Single) track listing | |||||
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"Alone" is a Pearl Jam song which originally appeared as a B-side on the "Go" single.
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[edit] Origin and recording
The song originated as an instrumental demo under the name "Richard's E" 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.[1]
"Alone" became a Ten outtake. The Ten take, however, was not used for the "Go" single. Instead, another take recorded in 1992 with drummer Dave Abbruzzese was used. Abbruzzese gets writing credit for this song because it wasn't published until 1993 (when all members were getting equal credit), even though it was written a year before he joined the band and was originally recorded with drummer Dave Krusen.
A different version of "Alone" can be found on the Lost Dogs album. The music from this version is from the original Ten sessions (thus featuring Dave Krusen on drums) and is shorter than the "Go" single version. This version also has new vocals and slightly different lyrics.[2]
Guitarist Mike McCready on the song:
The guitar solo I think is a slide with a bottle. It just never really worked but I don't know why it didn't. I have a videotape of us from years ago, at like our third show, playing "Alone". It was actually sounding pretty cool, but we just stopped playing it after awhile. I think it's a really good song [he hums the riff]. For the first record, it may have been too mid-tempo, along with "Alive" and other songs that were of that same vein.[2]
[edit] Reception
In Allmusic's review of the "Go" single, it was stated that "Alone" "is a jagged, bouncing rocker that showcases the tricky dynamics they were capable of with this lineup."[3] David Fricke of Rolling Stone called the song a "crushing chunk of metal from back when grunge was not a dirty word."[4]
[edit] Lyrical meaning
Before a performance of the song at the band's February 28, 1992 concert in London, England, lead singer Eddie Vedder stated, "So if you've got a heart and give it away and someone breaks it, fuck 'em."[5]
[edit] Live performances
The song was premiered live at the band's October 22, 1990 concert in Seattle, Washington.[6] After the band's April 17, 1994 show at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the song was not played for over ten years. The song finally made a return appearance at the band's September 29, 2004 show in Boston, Massachusetts.[6] The song has since returned to Pearl Jam set lists. A live performance of "Alone" can be found on the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set.
[edit] References
- ^ Pearlman, Nina. "Black Days". Guitar World. December 2002.
- ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan. "The Pearl Jam Q & A: Lost Dogs". Billboard.com. 2003.
- ^ Torreano, Bradley. Go. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ Fricke, David. "Pearl Jam: Lost Dogs". Rolling Stone. November 20, 2003.
- ^ "Pearl Jam: 1992 Concert Chronology". fivehorizons.com.
- ^ a b "Pearl Jam Songs: "Alone"". pearljam.com.
[edit] External links
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