Ten

Pearl Jam’s Ten is one of the most beloved and well-known records of the whole grunge scene. It is constantly filled with amazing songs that are either complete jams or the most heart-wrenching ballads ever. And it is obviously one of my favorite records of all time.

Once is a perfect opener. It sulks for like 30 seconds before sending you right into an awesome riff and a great vibe. The lyricism is really great too.

Even Flow is straight banger. That’s all it is. I love everything about this song, from Eddie Vedder’s mumbled vocals which have become legendary at this point, to the super awesome wah-wah from Mike McCready. The chorus is so amazing and it gives me chills every time I hear it.

Why Go is an awesome song with some absolutely wild shredding, the melodies are also great.

Alive is a killer song. The lyrics are tragic and the writing is just amazing. I love the chorus and Mike’s guitar chops are super fun.

Black is a song that one could consider to be the best on the album and one of the best songs of all time. The instrumentation is so epic and beautiful and Eddie is so expressive. The whole band seems to be in touch here and it’s just absolutely breathtaking.

And of course, in my opinion, the centerpiece of the album. Jeremy. I just love this song too much. This song is about the very real story about a boy who shot and killed himself right in front of his class at school. The opining riff is so good, and it immediately shoots you into the song. Eddie’s melodies on this song are so beautiful, the writing on this song is fantastic, and the guitar work is amazing. The chorus is just perfect as well. The way the song builds up so perfectly to the “ahh-hahs” in the end of the song where it just falls out is one of the golden moments in all of the 90s, and in my opinion, of all time. The horrifying music video to Jeremy just compliments the song perfectly. This is, for me, the best song off of Ten, and my 8th favorite song ever.

This song saved my life.

Oceans is a great rest break from Jeremy. Eddie’s voice here is beautiful and oddly nasally. It’s soothing either way.

Porch is super fast paced and catchy. It picks up right where Oceans left us, calm, and sent us right back into the true grunge of the rest of the album.

Gardens is super perfect and super long. Every second is just as amazing as the last. Just an awesome banger that gets better as you listen to it.

Deep is so catchy and fun. Kind of reminds me of other grunge bands at the time making really weird sounding riffs that just bang so hard.

And finally, Release, the finale to the 40 minute long journey you just went on. Vedder and the band are comforting and sad in this song instead of rocking and shredding. This song is really depressing, and the last 3 minutes are just the sounds from the beginning of Once, the first song on the album, so the album comes full circle and basically be a loop.

Overall, this album is a masterpiece. I don’t know why it ever became a trend to hate on Pearl Jam, because what’s there not to like? A charismatic frontman, an incredible guitarist, and an amazing band. This album breaks your heart, and immediately repairs it.

I’m feeling a 10 on Ten.