Alive (Pearl Jam song)
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1993 Rolling Stone United States Top 100 Music Videos 84
2002 Kerrang ! United Kingdom 100 Greatest Singles of All Time 51
2003 Q United Kingdom The 1001 Best Songs Ever 497
2004 Kerrang ! United Kingdom 666 Songs You Must Own ( Grunge ) 3
2006 Total Guitar United Kingdom 100 Hottest Guitar Solos 26
2007 Guitar World United States 100 Greatest Guitar Solos 44
Accolades
Alive is the debut single by American rock band Pearl Jam. Alive also appears on the band's debut album, Ten (1991). Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, Alive originated as an instrumental titled Dollar Short and was included on a demo tape circulated in hopes of finding a singer for the group. Vocalist Eddie Vedder obtained a copy of the tape and wrote lyrics that describe a somewhat fictionalized account of the time when he was told that the man he thought was his father was not actually his biological parent. Alive charted at number 16 in the United Kingdom and number nine in Australia. To date, it is the only Pearl Jam song to receive a certification from the British Phonographic Industry, going Silver for sales greater than 200,000. It also reached the top 20 in Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The single was available only through import in the United States, so it was not able to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song did peak at number 16 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and number 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Remixed versions of the song were included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991-2003), and the 2009 Ten reissue.