Black (Pearl Jam song)

"Black"
Promotional single by Pearl Jam
from the album Ten
ReleasedAugust 27, 1991[1]
RecordedLondon Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington[2]
Genre
Length5:43
LabelEpic
Composer(s)Stone Gossard
Lyricist(s)Eddie Vedder
Producer(s)

"Black" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. The song is the fifth track on their 1991 debut album, Ten, and features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard.

After Ten experienced major success in 1992, Pearl Jam's record label Epic Records urged the group to release the song as a single. The band refused, citing the song's personal nature. Despite the lack of a single release, the song managed to reach No. 3 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Remixed versions of the song were included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror, and the 2009 Ten reissue. "Black" remains one of the band's most popular songs, as well as a fan favorite.

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Pearl Jam - Ten". Allmusic. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. ^ Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin. August 2001.
  3. ^ "YouTuber Turns Pearl Jam's "Black" into a Type O Negative Song: Stream". Consequence of Sound. March 25, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021. The brooding grunge ballad works nicely in the vein of the gothic metal legends.
  4. ^ "Readers Pick the Best Ballads of All Time Pictures - 9. 'Black'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Law, Sam (January 19, 2021). "The 20 greatest Pearl Jam songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved March 9, 2022.