Yellow Ledbetter
| "Yellow Ledbetter" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pearl Jam | |
| Released | August 1992 |
| A-side | "Jeremy" |
| Recorded | March 27 – April 26, 1991 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington |
| Genre | Grunge, alternative rock, blues rock |
| Length | 5:01 |
| Label | Epic |
| Writer(s) | Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder |
| Producer(s) | Rick Parashar |
"Yellow Ledbetter" is a song by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready, "Yellow Ledbetter" was an outtake from the band's debut album, Ten. "Yellow Ledbetter" was selected by the band to be on the B-side 1992 single for the song "Jeremy", where it was first released. The song eventually found its way onto radio, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on the 2003 B-sides rarities album Lost Dogs, and on the 2004 greatest hits album Rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).
"Yellow Ledbetter" was a Ten outtake and one of the first songs Pearl Jam wrote as a group. The song features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready. The version of "Yellow Ledbetter" that was eventually released was the second take of the song. McCready says of the song:
That was written around the time of the first record [Ten]. I think that was the second thing Ed and I wrote together. It came out of a jam in the studio and Ed didn't really have any lyrics. He came up with some ideas right there on the spot, and that's what we recorded. For some reason, it didn't make it on Ten. I was kind of bummed at the time. I really wanted it to be on our first record. But at the time, I was really young and just happy to be around this situation, so I did whatever.
"Yellow Ledbetter" is based on a I-V-IV chord progression in the key of E major. McCready plays his on the track in the style of Jimi Hendrix, incorporating hammer-ons and pull-offs into the subtle chord work. He uses the guitar's whammy bar during the solo, bending notes to create a vacuum-like sound.
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