"Off He Goes" | ||||
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Single by Pearl Jam | ||||
from the album No Code | ||||
B-side | "Dead Man" | |||
Released | 1996 | |||
Format | CD single, vinyl | |||
Recorded | September 1995 at Kingsway Studio, New Orleans, Louisiana | |||
Length | 6:02 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Eddie Vedder | |||
Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam | |||
Pearl Jam singles chronology | ||||
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No Code track listing | ||||
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"Off He Goes" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "Off He Goes" was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, No Code (1996). The song peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).
"Off He Goes" was written by vocalist Eddie Vedder. Bassist Jeff Ament plays upright bass on the song.
The story of "Off He Goes" concerns a friend who periodically comes whirling in and out of the protagonist's life. In an interview, Vedder revealed himself to be the friend. Vedder said, "The song "Off He Goes" is really about me being a shit friend. I'll show up and everything's great and then all of [a] sudden I'm outta there..." During a Pearl Jam performance on June 16, 2000 in Katowice, Poland at Spodek, Vedder said before starting the song that "this is about being friends with an asshole," and pointed at himself.
"Off He Goes" was released as a single in 1996 with a previously unreleased B-side titled "Dead Man", which can also be found on the compilation album, Lost Dogs (2003). The song peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 31 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia. In Canada, the song reached the top 40 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and later it charted on the Canadian Alternative Top 30 chart where it reached number 15 and stayed there for two weeks. "Off He Goes" would peak at number 46 on the Australian Singles Chart.