20 Years of Pearl Jam’s “Alive”

It’s May, which means we spend a little more time talking about Pearl Jam than we usually do. This year seems to be a bit more pivotal than previous years, since the band is currently on the road, and this October will mark their 20th anniversary.

So, let’s kick things off with, perhaps, their trademark track “Alive”.

The origins of “Alive” can be traced to 1990 when Stone Gossard recorded a series of demos, while still in Mother Love Bone.

One of the instrumental tracks was “Dollar Short,” which would become “Alive”. After the demise of Mother Love Bone, Gossard, Jeff Ament and their new guitarist Mike McCready, circulated a demo of five tracks in the hopes of finding a singer and drummer.

The demo found it’s way from Seattle to San Diego and into the hands of one Eddie Vedder.

Vedder wrote and recorded the lyrics to three of the tracks, “Alive,” “Once,” and “Footsteps”. These three songs would become famously known as the “Mamasan Trilogy”.

The band liked what they heard from Vedder, so they invited him up to Seattle. With a singer now in place, the group dubbed themselves Mookie Blaylock and began recording demos, with “Alive” obviously being one of them.

The band was forced to change their name, because the basketball player they named themselves after was none too happy about the shout out. So, Pearl Jam was born.

“Alive” was demoed again during the recording of their debut album Ten, and the rest, as they say is history.

Not only was “Alive” one of the singles off Ten, it was also performed during the band’s first performance at the Off Ramp Cafe in Seattle on October 20, 1990.

Since then, the song has been performed some 540 times, with only “Even Flow” being the song played more.

Besides being a song that defined Pearl Jam, it became one of the anthems of a generation. Fans go nuts when the opening riffs begin. McCready always lays down a sweet solo. And, since the band has had numerous drummers, the percussion has had some slight modifications throughout the years. And, it’s also awesome to witness how the song went from curse to celebration.

So, here’s “Alive” throughout the years.

November 9, 1991 Rockville, MD (in-store performance)