More than any of the Northwest bands that preceded them, Pearl Jam turned grunge into rock's dominant new sound. Their first album includes stories about homelessness ("Even Flow"), murder ("Once"), execution ("Footsteps"), incest ("Alive"), psychiatric hospitals ("Why Go"), and romantic disappointment ("Black"). Most notoriously, "Jeremy" told the story of a high school kid who takes revenge on his bullies by killing himself in class - though the lyrics don't make that clear, the accompanying video did. Pearl Jam committed themselves to songs of darkness and trouble, especially in adolescent life, and Eddie Vedder delivers them with conviction, in a voice that makes you feel like the events are happening right now, in front of you.
Pearl Jam appears on the list 1 time.
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