Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
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| “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Pearl Jam | |||||
| Album | Vs. | ||||
| Released | October 19, 1993 | ||||
| Recorded | March 1993–May 1993 at The Site, Nicasio, California | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:15 | ||||
| Label | Epic | ||||
| Writer | Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder | ||||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam | ||||
| Vs. track listing | |||||
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"Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is a song by Pearl Jam which appears on the band's 1993 album Vs. It is the tenth track on the album. The length of the song's title was a reaction by the band to the fact that most of its songs featured one-word titles.[1] The song is often referred to simply as "Small Town" by the band and its fans. The song was not released as a single, however it still managed to reach number 17 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. An acoustic version of the song can be found on the "Go" single. The song was included on Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991–2003.
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[edit] Origin and recording
When discussing how he initially came up with the song, Vedder stated that "it was so quick." He elaborated further:
We were recording the second record, and we stayed in this house in San Francisco, and I was outside the house in my own world and the little outhouse had a small room. I'm talking the size of a bathroom. I was able to fit a Shure Vocal Master, which is a 1960's PA, and two big towers of PA and a little amp and a 4 track. I slept in there too. I remember waking up one morning and playing pretty normal chords that sounded good, and I put on the vocal master to hear myself and it came out right quick. I don't even think I scribbled the lyrics down. It took 20 minutes. Stone was sitting outside reading the paper, and he was like "I really like that." So we recorded it that day.[2]
[edit] Reception
Without being released as a single, the song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 17 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994.
David Browne of Entertainment Weekly said the song has "an unexpected melodic delicacy."[3] The acoustic guitar-driven "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" is still played on popular rock radio.
The lyric page for the song in the album's liner notes featured a picture of an "elderly woman," but at some point after the first pressings another picture was used in place of the original. Allegedly, the original woman never gave permission for her picture to be used, so Pearl Jam changed the picture to another woman. The difference is easy to spot, as "the new and improved woman behind the counter" is printed below the picture.
[edit] Lyrical meaning
Eddie Vedder about "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town":
It's kind of about a lady, and she's getting on in years, and she's stuck in this small town. Small towns fascinate me: You either struggle like hell to get out, to some people want to stay 'cause then they're the big fish in the small pond, and then others just kind of get stuck there. So here she is working in this little place, and then an old flame comes in, and he's probably driving a nice car and looking kind of sharp - not a fancy car, but he's moved on. And then she sees him, and at first she doesn't even remember who he is, and then she realizes who it is. She's just too embarrassed to say 'hello'.[4]
[edit] Live performances
The song was premiered live at the band's June 16, 1993 concert in Missoula, Montana.[5] A live version of "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" was included on the live album Live on Two Legs. This version managed to reach number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1998. Live performances of the song can also be found on the "Dissident"/Live in Atlanta box set and on the live album Live at the Gorge 05/06. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Live at the Showbox.
[edit] Cover versions
A version of the song by Charlotte Martin can be found on the 2007 album Reproductions.
[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[6][7]
[edit] Vs. version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | US Modern Rock Tracks | 17 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 23 |
[edit] Live on Two Legs version
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 21 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 26 |
[edit] References
- ^ Vedder, Eddie. "Rockline Interview". KISW-FM, Seattle, Washington. October 18, 1993.
- ^ Scaggs, Austin. "Eddie Vedder: Addicted to Rock". Rolling Stone. April 21, 2006.
- ^ Browne, David. "The Courtship of Eddie". Entertainment Weekly. October 22, 1993.
- ^ Wall, Mick. Pearl Jam. Music Book Services Corporation, 1996. ISBN 1886894337.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Songs: "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town"". pearljam.com.
- ^ Pearl Jam Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
- ^ Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
[edit] External links
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