Daughter [Single] - Pearl Jam (CD 1995)

Yeah, Pearl Jam's Daughter is overplayed, especially since the decade-old tune is on classic rock stations. Sure, I prefer hearing a live version any day of the week. But those facts don't take away from the excellence of the song itself. Daughter, probably the most well-known single from Vs., is a fine rock song filled with emotion and solid musicianship.

Daughter is a sad tale of a young girl who tries to please her mother but remains neglected. The chorus of "Don't call me daughter/ Not fit to" shows the defiant stance the girl takes, as does the song's apex: "She holds the hand that holds her down/ She will... RISE ABOVE!" Eddie Vedder's voice is clear throughout the song, and he belts out that climactic line with tremendous conviction.

Stone Gossard's guitar strumming is top-notch - soft but addictive and easily recognizable. The guitar work is accentuated by some very nice drumming from former drummer Dave Abbruzzese. The song ends with a cool fade complete with muffled vocals from Vedder. However, after hearing several different live versions of this song, it's hard to fully enjoy the original knowing that the fade won't melt into jamming of another song or two.

The first b-side is a live version of Blood recorded at Indio, CA, in 1993. Already a loud, blistering song, this version adds to that with its incredible rawness. Eddie sounds like he is tearing his vocal chords to shreds and could care less. Pounding drums, guitar distortion, and a wall of feedback turn this angry track into an intensely cathartic wall of noise.

The single ends with another 1993 recording, this time a version of Yellow Ledbetter taken from Mesa, AZ. I've always been amazed at how beautiful this song is despite Vedder's mumbling of odd lines. But he keeps on pulling it off. He doesn't change up many lines here, but he does ad-lib just enough to retain that part of the song's charm. Mike McCready's ommission from Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists list is a travesty, and this song is his strongest case for being regarded as a superstar guitarist. In every live performance I've heard, he's never failed to evoke some kind of emotion through his Hendrix-like soloing.

Pearl Jam scored a big hit with Daughter, mainly because the song was lighter than previous singles and therefore helped add on to their fan base. Vs. owners might be sick of the album version, but this single is a good catch mainly for the live tracks. Those just getting into Pearl Jam would like this disc because it contains one hugely popular song and two completely different live songs. This single works in showing Pearl Jam's single-making skills plus their powerful live skills. A good listen either way.



Also from Pearl Jam:

Full Lengths: Ten / Vs. / Vitalogy / No Code / Yield / Binaural / Riot Act / Lost Dogs / Pearl Jam

Singles: Even Flow / Jeremy / Oceans / Go / Spin the Black Circle / Not For You / Merkin Ball / Who You Are / Wishlist / Last Kiss / Nothing As It Seems / Save You

Live: Live At Benaroya Hall / Hartford, CT 9-13-98 / Saratoga, NY 8-27-00

DVD: Touring Band 2000 / Live At the Garden / Immagine in Cornice

Books: Five Against One by Kim Neely / Star Profile


::: Looking to trade some live Pearl Jam shows? Leave me a comment or email mreno81@yahoo.com. :::