Who You Are (Pearl Jam song)

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"Who You Are"
Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"Merkin Ball"
(1995)
"Who You Are"
(1996)
"Hail, Hail"
(1996)
Audio sample

"Who You Are" is a song by American

UK Rock Chart
, and reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, Norway, and Finland—where the song reached number two and became the band's highest-charting single.

The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003). On Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, "Who You Are" has a slight lyric change. Instead of "circumstance, clapping hands",[3] it's "avalanche, falling fast".

Origin and recording

"Who You Are" features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by drummer Jack Irons and guitarist Stone Gossard. The polyrhythmic drum pattern for the song was inspired by a Max Roach drum solo that Irons heard at a drum shop when he was eight years old.[4] Irons said, "To turn my drum music into a song is pretty challenging, but the guys have been really supportive of me doing it, and we've worked some things into a few songs."[5] Vedder played an electric sitar on the song, giving it an Eastern-influenced sound. Regarding the song, Vedder said, "We realized that we had an opportunity to experiment."[4]

Release and reception

Vedder has admitted that the choice of "Who You Are" as the first single for No Code was a "conscious decision" intended to keep the size of the band's audience down.

Alternative 30 chart, where it reached number one; it came in at number 17 on that chart's year-end issue.[14][15][16]

Released in the United Kingdom on August 5, 1996, "Who You Are" reached the UK top 20, peaking at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.[17][18] Elsewhere, the single peaked at number five on the Australian Singles Chart, charted at number 26 in Sweden, and became a top-10 success in Norway and Finland; it is Pearl Jam's highest-charting single in the latter country, peaking at number two.[19][20] The song was also a top-20 success in Ireland and New Zealand.[21][22]

David Fricke of Rolling Stone said that the song has an "Indo-Bo Diddley glow" and called it a "buoyant electric variation on Vedder's recent collaborations with Pakistani vocal god Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan."[23] Christopher John Farley of Time also identified an influence of Vedder's collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, stating, "The spiritualized, bass-heavy "Who You Are" is a solid number, but it clearly owes a lot to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, with whom Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder worked on the sound track to the film Dead Man Walking."[24] Vedder denied that his collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had any influence on the song.[4]

Live performances

"Who You Are" was first performed live at the band's September 14, 1996, concert in

Cruzan Amphitheatre.[3] The song has since returned to Pearl Jam set lists. Live performances of "Who You Are" can be found on various official bootlegs
.

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States July 30, 1996 Epic [9][10][38]
United Kingdom August 5, 1996
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[17]
Japan August 28, 1996 CD Sony [39]

See also

  • Number one modern rock hits of 1996
  • List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles

References

  1. Consequence of Sound
    . p. 12. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Chick, Stevie (April 6, 2016). "Pearl Jam – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Pearl Jam Songs: "Who You Are"". pearljam.com.
  4. ^ a b c d Marks, Craig. "The Road Less Traveled". Spin. February 1997.
  5. ^ Peiken, Matt. "Jack Irons: This Inner Life". Modern Drummer. June 1998.
  6. ^ Who You Are (US CD single liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1996. 34K 78389.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Who You Are (UK CD single liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1996. EPC 663539 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Who You Are (Australian CD single liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1996. 663563 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ a b "Who You Are / Habit". Amazon. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Who You Are". Amazon. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Pearl Jam Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Pearl Jam Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Pearl Jam Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9921." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9625." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  16. ^ a b "RPM Year End Alternative Top 50". RPM. Retrieved December 17, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  17. ^ a b "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 3, 1996. p. 27. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  19. ^ a b "Pearl Jam – Who You Are". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  20. ^ "Pearl Jam – Who You Are". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Who You Are". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  22. ^ a b "Pearl Jam – Who You Are". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  23. ^ Fricke, David. "Pearl Jam: No Code". Rolling Stone. September 5, 1996.
  24. ^ Farley, Christopher John. "Identity Crisis". Time. September 2, 1996.
  25. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 35. August 31, 1996. p. 13. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  26. ^ "Pearl Jam: Who You Are" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 34, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  28. ^ "Pearl Jam – Who You Are" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  29. ^ "Pearl Jam – Who You Are". VG-lista. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  31. ^ "Pearl Jam – Who You Are". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  32. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  33. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  34. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". ARIA. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2019 – via Imgur.
  35. ^ "RPM Year End Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Retrieved December 17, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  36. Airplay Monitor
    . Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 23.
  37. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Modern Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 24.
  38. ^ "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1156. July 26, 1996. p. 39. Retrieved May 9, 2021. Note: Mistitled "Where You Are" on source.
  39. ^ "フー・ユー・アー | パール・ジャム" [Who You Are | Pearl Jam] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 29, 2023.

External links