“Even Flow” put Pearl Jam on the international map and was immediately greeted as a modern classic upon its release. But this was no overnight success story. While “Even Flow” is most certainly one of the most famous alternative rock songs of the 1990s, it had taken the quintet that made up this Seattle quartet years to be granted this opportunity.
But what was Eddie Vedder so passionately mumbling about? And why did this style of singing launch thousands of imitators?
Today, I am examining the lyrical meaning and narrative of “Even Flow,” one of Pearl Jam’s most iconic early songs.
Pearl Jam’s Journey to Making “Even Flow”
Pearl Jam was a grunge band that was inspired, in quite equal measure, I think, by quirky alternative rock as by conservative classic rock radio. DEVO fans liked them, but Bad Company supporters liked them more.
Did the group want to become massively successful? Well, we know for a fact that the band out of whose ashes it had sprung certainly did. Mother Love Bone was a glam-rock group that, fronted by Andrew Wood, had ambitions of global fame.
The story has been told a million times. But let me refresh your memory by telling you that singer Eddie Vedder was the unlikel candidate chosen to replace Wood, who tragically passed away from drug abuse.
Vedder was chosen, mainly, I gather, because he did not try to imitate Wood’s style, and due to the quality of the vocal demo he had sent in. The songs on that demo, including “Alive,” were later reworked in what would be some of Pearl Jam’s first compositions.
Joined by guitar virtuoso turned grunge riff master, Mike McCready, Pearl Jam received all the luck and good fortune that Mother Love Bone had been denied. They captured the zeitgeist thanks, in no small part, to the association with Nirvana, the rock band of the early 1990s.
And, despite not tailoring its efforts for rock radio, Pearl Jam’s singles and some album tracks made the group immensely successful. “Even Flow” was the first of its kind.
Meaning of the Lyrics of “Even Flow”
Eddie Vedder’s passionate baritone vocals and hypnotic world play launched numerous parodies and plenty of imitators. But did the lyrics of “Even Flow” just fit the music well, and mean nothing? I don’t think so!
Sure, “Even Flow” was a piece of music that guitarist Stone Gossard had had in his back pocket ever since 1990.
Gossard, the architect for the multi-platinum-selling album “Ten,” wasn’t exactly holding on to the song. This was not a piece in a master plan. He explained that: “I knew it was a great song all along, and I felt that it was the best song that we got the worst take of on the first record. There were a hundred takes on that song, and we just never nailed it.”
I’ve been in a position of playing a piece of music so many times that I began to hate hearing it. So did Pearl Jam. Guitarist McCreedy says, “We did ‘Even Flow’ about 50, 70 times. I swear to God it was a nightmare. We played that thing over and over until we hated each other. I still don’t think Stone is satisfied with how it came out.”
But, more than anything, “Even Flow” captures the spirit of “Ten.” It’s a tortured, paranoid vision brought to life by Vedder’s lyrics.
What do those lyrics mean? Vedder, I believe, wrote from the position of observer of men in desperate states. The lyrics seem to describe the day of a homeless man who, most likely, is also suffering from a mental condition. As the lyrics state, the man is freezing, winter is on its way, and he is covering himself with newspapers while dreaming of starting his life again.
Vedder writes with empathy. Whether penning personal lyrics or choosing characters with whom he found common ground, many of Pearl Jam’s early songs deal with the lives of those who have fallen on hard times. Most of these tales, however, also have a glimmer of hope about them. I think that’s why Pearl Jam, eventually, became pratically an arena rock group.
The Music Video for “Even Flow”
Pearl Jam, Vedder especially, was hesitant to shoot music videos to promote the singles. The band would later be part of a storyline-based video for the single “Jeremy” and would hate the process.
For “Even Flow,” the band’s second single, Rocky Schenk was chosen to film a real music video. The concept involved the band members interacting with wildlife inside a closed zoo during nighttime hours. It’s unclear what happened to that video, but it was never officially released. The myth is that the group members disliked both the result and the process of filming it.
As a consequence, Josh Taft was tasked with filming a performance-based music video. He’d done the same for “Alive.” Taft simply shot the band performing at the now legendary Moore Theatre in Seattle. Notable moments include Vedder’s climbing to the top of the theatre’s balconies, McCreedy throwing his guitar at the camera, and the band’s singer yelling: “This is not a TV studio, Josh! Turn these lights out! It’s a fucking rock concert!”
Legacy Of “Even Flow” and of Pearl Jam
“Even Flow” was a colossal success. It solidified grunge’s place in popular culture. Essentially a Seattle variant of garage rock music, the style was for a few years the most popular music genre in the world.
“Ten,” Pearl Jam’s debut, sold more than 15 million copies, and is easily one of the most successful grunge albums of all time as well as the group’s most famous release.
And while the group has had issues with its fame, it’s come to terms with just what “Even Flow” means to people. It’s the song that Pearl Jam has played live the most often.
