10 Great Songs That Never Made A Studio Album
6. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam are rightfully celebrated as one of the forefathers of alternative rock. For anyone who is mildly interested in '90s music, the band's debut Ten stands as MANDATORY listening. But one of their greatest early songs came on the B-side to one of their biggest hits.
On the flip side of the single "Jeremy" was "Yellow Ledbetter," a song that showed a much mellower side of the band. The guitar line of the tune is ripped straight off Jimi Hendrix's playbook, which works perfectly when paired with Eddie Vedder's baritone vocal delivery.
The song tells the sad story of a young man's struggles as he receives a letter saying that his brother has died while at war overseas. As the song progresses, we see that this man's emotional journey goes from his sorrowful understanding of death to finding his own place in the world.
When most rock bands are celebrated as larger than life figures, Pearl Jam made this song to show us that we are still human at the end of the day. Going through life can be hard at points. Sometimes you're the boxer; sometimes you're the bag. But life goes on. And life feels better with this song.