‘Alive’ – Pearl Jam
While Pearl Jam’s 1991 song may appear to be a hymn of resilience at first listen — especially when singer Eddie Vedder yells out “Yeah, yeah I, oh, I’m still alive” – a closer listen shows something quite different. The song is actually about Vedder discovering as a teenager that the guy he thought was his father was actually his stepfather and that his biological father had died. “He’s still dealing with love, and he’s still dealing with his father’s death.” All he knows is that ‘I’m still alive…’ “That’s completely free of charge,” Vedder once told Rolling Stone.
‘Alive’ Pearl Jam
‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ – Green Day
Green Day’s acoustic ballad became a major crossover smash in 1998, thanks in part to its appearance in the Seinfeld finale. With its somewhat wistful lyrics about the passage of time, the song has become a popular choice for proms, graduations, and weddings. Those delighted couples, on the other hand, should have read the lyrics — or at least the song’s title — a little more closely. The lyrics are not a sweet farewell, but an angry scolding to a lover who will one day regret leaving the “time of her life.”
‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’ Green Day
