10 Best Rock Ballads Of The 90's

If there's anything the 90's were sorely not lacking in, it was angst. From every type of rock genre, one would be able to find the greatest depictions of brooding that the average songwriter could muster. While many bands have written their own tales of heartache, "Black" by Pearl Jam is a different musical animal entirely.

Starting as just a melodic hook from guitarist Stone Gossard, the song quickly blossomed once Eddie Vedder got ahold of the tune. The whole song is steeped in an internal melancholy that is perfectly juxtaposed by the initial riff's major key. The lyrical story of a relationship falling apart is so gut-wrenching, as if Vedder is reaching from the deepest depths of his soul for his muse. The whole song is encapsulated in the last lines, where Vedder wishes his partner peace, but just wishes he could be the person to share the rest of their life with.

The song became one of Pearl Jam's most notable tunes, despite never being released as a single at Vedder's insistence. Vedder has been outspoken that he may have put too much of himself into the making of this song, but that same honesty has helped many rock fans with their own problems for decades now.