15 Best Pearl Jam Tracks

When Ten came out in 1991, grunge had captured the hearts of a generation. Black was a ballad that appeared and changed the game. Epic, the band's record label at the time, loved the song so much they urged the band to release it as a single. But, Pearl Jam refused. Citing it as "too personal", they felt with a single release, the meaning would be lost.

Lyrically, it is one of Vedder's heartbreaking, beautiful best. A man longing for a love he once had, now lost. "Iknow someday you will be a star in somebody else's sky/But why, why can't it be mine?" It's hard not to get goosebumps when this is sung.

Written by Stone Gossard, it's based around an E major key. Starting off deceptively positive in tone, it quickly becomes a tearjerker. In May 2011, Rolling Stone readers voted it as the 9th best ballad of all time. That's a lot of songs left behind in Black's path.

Passion, emotion, power,pain and so many other emotions are shown in 5 short minutes. It is one of the band's most enduring legacies and one of the most powerful songs ever written. Thank you, Pearl Jam. 

What are your favourite Pearl Jam songs? Let us know in the comments!