The Inspiration Behind Pearl Jam's Black

A big part of the appeal, beauty, and power of "Black" isn't just Eddie Vedder's vocal performance, but Vedder's lyrics: "And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds / Of what was everything / All the pictures had all been washed in black / Tattooed everything." Beyond such moving poeticism, the track ends with what is arguably it's most haunting, heart-broken lyrics: "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life / I'll know you'll be a star in someone else's sky / But why, why, why can't it be / Oh, can't it be mine?" With words like these, it isn't hard to see why "Black" stands out, why it impressed people when "Ten" was released, why it's stood the test of time, and why folks want to know more about the story behind its lyrics.

Song Stories Matter says that Vedder wrote those lyrics on the flight to meet his future band — or so the legend goes. Back then in 1990, Pearl Jam was still an incomplete outfit. Guitarist Stone Gossard wrote a five-track instrumental demo that he used to garner auditions for a singer and drummer. The demo contained "Dollar Short," which became "Alive," and "E Ballad," which became "Black" ("Black" is in E-minor). Vedder, who was working at a gas station in San Diego at the time, impressed Gossard with the vocals he laid down for the demo. And on his way to Seattle Vedder apparently drafted the words for "Black."

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