Before Eddie Vedder became the iconic grunge singer in Pearl Jam, he worked as a security guard in San Diego. He worked the night shift so in his free time, he would spend mornings surfing on the coast of the Pacific. Aside from brief bouts in other bands, Vedder had received a demo tape from future bandmates, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament. During an early morning foggy surfing session, Vedder felt inspired by the demo and thoughts of his father. That is, his real father.
When Eddie Vedder was a teenager, he learned some harsh news. The man he believed to be his father was actually his stepfather. His real father, Edward Severson, had already passed away by the time Vedder discovered this truth. For years, this shook Vedder’s perception of reality and later inspired his writing. During this specific surfing session, Vedder strung together his thoughts, adding lyrics to the demo tapes that were sent to him. He pieced together the three tracks into one “min-opera”, titled Mamasan. Vedder drew inspiration from his love for The Who’s Quadrophenia, which opens with the sound of waves on “I Am The Sea”.
The opening track of the mini-opera became “Alive”, the band’s breakout single. Upon hearing this demo tape, the future members flew Vedder up to Seattle. There, the band was in the studio with Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden. Together, they were recording a tribute album called Temple Of The Dog, for their late mutual friend and musician Andrew Wood. In the studio, Cornell decided to let Vedder contribute additional vocals to the song “Hunger Strike”. It became a hit single in 1992 once their record label realized they had a collaboration between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, after Pearl Jam found mainstream success in 1991.
Pearl Jam Forms, Taking Grunge Into The Mainstream
After Temple Of The Dog finished and released their only album, Pearl Jam began recording their debut album, Ten. Their lead single, “Alive”, was released on July 7, 1991. It peaked at No. 16 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and No. 18 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The success of the single set their debut album, Ten, up for future success. “Alive” is one of three songs included in the mini-opera demo, Mamasan. “Once”, the second song on the demo, was also included on the band’s debut album. The third track, “Footsteps”, appeared on the band’s rarities and B-sides compilation Lost Dogs, released in 2003.
Released on August 27, 1991, Ten went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 a whole year later. Fueled by a string of hits with “Alive” and then “Even Flow” in March 1992. Following the release of “Jeremy” in August 1992, the album became a massive commercial success. Also, by this point, Nirvana had helped push grunge into the mainstream when they peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1992. In August 1992, Ten peaked at No. 2, held from the top spot by Billy Ray Cyrus’ Some Gave All.
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