Jeremy (song)

"Jeremy"
In a monochrome image, a child look below while holding a pistol on the right hand with a set of crayons on the background. The word "Jeremy" has the second "e" lowered.
Single by Pearl Jam
from the album Ten
B-side
ReleasedAugust 17, 1992 (1992-08-17)[1]
RecordedMarch 27 – April 26, 1991
StudioLondon Bridge (Seattle, WA)
GenreGrunge[2]
Length
  • 5:18 (album version)
  • 4:46 (single edit)
  • 5:21 (promo version)
LabelEpic
Composer(s)Jeff Ament
Lyricist(s)Eddie Vedder
Producer(s)
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"Even Flow"
(1992) 		"Jeremy"
(1992) 		"Oceans"
(1992)
Music video
"Jeremy" on YouTube

"Jeremy" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music composed by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in August 1992 as the third single from Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten (1991). The song was inspired by a newspaper article Vedder read about Jeremy Wade Delle, a high school student who shot himself in front of his English class on January 8, 1991.[3] It reached the number 5 spot on both the Album[4][5] and Modern Rock Billboard charts.[6][5] It did not originally chart on the regular Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since it was not released as a commercial single in the US at the time, but a re-release in July 1995 brought it up to number 79.[7]

The song gained popularity for its music video, directed by Mark Pellington and released in 1992, which received heavy rotation by MTV and became a hit. The original music video for "Jeremy" was directed and produced by Chris Cuffaro. Epic Records and MTV later rejected the music video, and released the version directed by Pellington instead. In 1993, the "Jeremy" video was awarded four MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Video of the Year.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Miller, Bobbi; Nevins, Annette (January 9, 1991). "Richardson teen-ager kills himself in front of classmates". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  4. ^ "Pearl Jam | Chart History. Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. October 17, 1992. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Pearl Jam | Awards. Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "Pearl Jam | Chart History. Alternative Songs". Billboard. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. September 5, 1992. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  7. ^ "Jeremy [UK] - Pearl Jam | Awards. Billboard Singles". AllMusic. All Media Network. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "1993 MTV Video Music Awards". Rockonthenet. Retrieved September 5, 2007.