Who You Are [Single] - Pearl Jam (CD 1996)

I rate singles on two criteria normally, the artwork and the quality of the B-side. I mean seriously, for true fans that is what you are buying. There's no need to rate the A-side since casual fans will already have heard it. With that in mind, the lack of a B-side on this single forces me to rate the A-side.

First, the artwork. It's lame. It's a black and white photo taken with a moving camera. Whoo.

The B-side isn't a B-side at all but is instead the studio version of Habit which can be found on the No Code album. I like this song. Musically, it's nothing spectacular. It is rather fast and repeats itself often, "never thought you'd habit... never thought you'd habit.." etc. etc. One does get the feeling that the song means something to the writer.

The A-side is a great blueish song Who You Are. It too is from the No Code album. This is a really great song. It does not sound like typical grunge rock. It was Pearl Jam's first single released that broke from the typical mold. For that alone it is significant. Another band would have chosen Hail, Hail as the first single from No Code. It is more "radio friendly." Who You Are is a bit more challenging to the listener and is worth the effort. It's a wonderful song.

You could live without ever buying this single. There's nothing new here if you have No Code. But, if you're like me, not owning it would leave a glaring hole in your collection.