The untimely passing of Kurt Cobain in 1994 reverberated deeply, leaving a profound and enduring impact on countless musicians and music fans. In the months and years following his passing, therefore, the music world witnessed an outpouring of tributes dedicated to the late icon. However, some of these tributes, including those allegedly from renowned acts like Pearl Jam, carried nuanced intentions not immediately evident.
Pearl Jam released ‘Immortality’ on June 6th, 1994, as the third single from their third studio album, Vitalogy. Following Cobain’s death on April 5th, 1994, many musicians put pen to paper to craft the perfect tribute, so when ‘Immortality’ surfaced, its melody and lyrics made it impossible not to connect with the late singer.
In the lyrics, for instance, specific phrases hint at possible references to substance abuse, such as the imagery of an “artificial tear” that might symbolise the flow of substances from a syringe. Additionally, mentioning a “cigar box on the floor” is noteworthy, considering that a cigar box was discovered near Cobain’s body. However, while there are multiple implications about the song’s source of inspiration, it was actually written before Cobain’s demise.
In fact, in an interview in November 1994, Eddie Vedder addressed the song’s meaning, explaining that it was actually about his state of mind and that the cigar box was simply where he kept his tapes. When asked if the song was about Cobain, Vedder replied: “No, that was written when we were on tour in Atlanta. It’s not about Kurt. Nothing on the album was written directly about Kurt, and I don’t feel like talking about him, because it [might be seen] as exploitation.”
However, Vedder acknowledged the fact that similarities could be drawn within the lyrics between Vedder’s own experiences and Cobain’s, as he explained: “I think there might be some things in the lyrics that you could read into and maybe will answer some questions or help you understand the pressures on someone who is on a parallel train.”
Although both Pearl Jam and Nirvana spearheaded the grunge scene in their own unique ways, there existed a distinctive rivalry between Cobain and Vedder in the early 1990s, which seemingly all came down to differing musical tastes and a symptom of a scene that was becoming polluted. As Cobain said in 1992: “Those bands have been in the hairspray/cockrock scene for years and all of a sudden they stop washing their hair and start wearing flannel shirts. It doesn’t make any sense to me. There are bands moving from L.A. and all over to Seattle and then claim they’ve lived there all their life so they can get record deals. It really offends me.”
However, Cobain’s aversion to Pearl Jam appears to be rooted less in their music and more in his concerns about the intrusion of major record labels into the grunge scene. This is evident in his expressions of disdain towards his own audiences, such as his outburst at the entire Lollapalooza crowd, labelling them as “false alternative macho metal” enthusiasts. Therefore, in a broader context, Pearl Jam’s emergence could be seen as a manifestation of the ongoing deterioration of a music scene that Cobain believed was slowly losing its authenticity.
