[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Betterman” - Eddie Vedder and the Walmer School Choir
(Words/music: Eddie Vedder, available on The Molo Sessions, Ten Club 2007)

It’s easy to write, yet it’s very difficult to write with “voice.”  I’m a teacher in my “day job” and helping students write with voice remains the most difficult part of the writing process yet the most important; “voice” separates the average writing from the spectacular pieces, whether it’s a poem, a play, or an academic paper.  It’s difficult because, unlike grammar, it can’t be taught through a formula and it usually only develops through repeated attempts.  I still struggle to find my own voice every day as I write about songs – sometimes I agonize for an entire evening trying to decide what I want to say or how to say it.  Then, on other days, it comes to me clearly and quickly.  Sometimes it’s through lots of conscious and subconcious thought (yesterday’s post was an example of that), but other times it comes out of nowhere.  It’s almost like the story takes control and dictates how it needs to be told; there’s time to polish it up after the fact and time to tinker with it under the hood, but the main essence – the voice, if you will – screams out as clear as day.

My friend Mike (who I hope will plug any holes I leave in this entry in the comments section) and I have spent a lot of time discussing Pearl Jam (and much more on them another time), and I’ve argued that in a decade or so when Pearl Jam becomes anthologized into whatever will be “classic rock” at the time, “Betterman” will be the song. I’m not saying it will be the only Pearl Jam song that will survive nor is it “the best” or my favorite Pearl Jam song.  It is, however, the song that resonates the strongest with fans and non-fans alike – crowds at Pearl Jam shows will hijack the entire first verse and chorus from Vedder, and pop stations will occasionally let the song creep out during ’90s retro programming.  I’ve struggled to figure out why exactly this will be the band’s lasting legacy, but I’m starting to think it has to do with this nebulous “voice” idea.  Vedder wrote the song as a teenager, drawing on his own personal experiences, and through all its different permutations – solo demos, recordings with his previous band, and the final Vitalogy version – some of the details changed yet the essence of the song endured.  Even though he’s writing through a persona, Vedder still radiates through the song, whether written about his own family or not.  The plot isn’t as important as the theme – the idea of love’s warm embrace becoming a smothering blanket and struggling with ideas of self-assertion, self-worth, and self-empowerment.  As a teen, Vedder’s song became the vehicle for him to tell his truth – to share his feelings with the outside world.  Right now, I’m attending the Brave New Voices festival in Chicago with some students, and over the past few days I’m watching young people searching for and finding their voices through spoken word poetry.  Looking at this remarkable week of self-actualization, it’s even more incredible how Vedder could compose this song (or the song’s core, at least) as a teenager.  Even if it needed more work, Vedder found his voice and will be heard for decades to come.  “Betterman” will just be the gateway into what else he has to offer.

More on Eddie Vedder: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm