Every Pearl Jam Album Opening Song Ranked From Worst To Best
7. Gonna See My Friend - Backspacer
13 years after they last made it to the top of the US album charts, Pearl Jam roared back to the summit with 2009's Backspacer.
A highly optimistic album inspired by the recent election of Barack Obama as President, Backspacer kicks off with a wholesome little tune about Eddie hanging out with a pal.
Oh wait, it's about drugs. Never mind.
Gonna See My Friend is actually about the title character going to persuade his buddy to stay off the bad stuff.
Despite this interesting twist on an existing formula, the lyrical content of the song isn't all that varied. There are some pretty uninspired rhymes and you won't get a whole lot from simply reading the words off a piece of paper, but the song is saved by a kickass riff that owes more than a little to Foo Fighters' Monkey Wrench.
Another completely fine way to open an album, Gonna See My Friend does its job, but not much else.