Dissident (song)

"Dissident" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, appearing as the fifth track on their second studio album, Vs.[1] It was written by band members Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Dave Abbruzzese. According to Vedder, "Dissident" is about a woman who secretly shelters a refugee but eventually turns him into the authorities because she cannot support him any longer, leading her to feel guilty about her decision.

"Dissident"
Single by Pearl Jam
from the album Vs.
B-side"Rearviewmirror" (live)
ReleasedMay 16, 1994
RecordedMarch–May 1993
GenreGrunge
Length3:35
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"Animal"
(1994)		 "Dissident"
(1994)		 "Spin the Black Circle"
(1994)
Audio
"Dissident" on YouTube

"Dissident" was released in 1994 as the fourth single from the band's second studio album, Vs. (1993), on May 16, 1994. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and in Denmark, number two in Norway, and number seven in Finland and Ireland. "Dissident (Part 2)" was also released as a single, reaching number two in the Netherlands and number 19 in France, and two live versions of the track found success in Denmark and Norway.

The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).[2]

Lyrical content

Pearl Jam lead vocalist Eddie Vedder said about the song "Dissident":

In "Dissident," I'm actually talking about a woman who takes in someone who's being sought after by the authorities for political reasons. He's on the run, and she offers him a refuge. But she just can't handle the responsibility. She turns him in, then she has to live with the guilt and the realization that she's betrayed the one thing that gave her life meaning. It made her life difficult. It made her life hell. But it gave her a reason to be. But she couldn't hold on. She folded. That's the tragedy of the song.[3]

At Pearl Jam's March 17, 1994, concert in West Lafayette, Indiana at Purdue University's Elliot Hall, Vedder said that the "holy no" in the song refers to date rape, explaining that "a woman's word is sacred and the no means no and that's what a 'holy no' is."[4]

Release and reception

While the "Dissident" single was released commercially to international markets on May 26, 1994,[5] the commercial single was not released in the United States until June 27, 1995, and was only available as a more expensive import version beforehand. "Dissident" peaked at number three on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart (now called the Mainstream Rock chart).[6] Outside the United States, the song peaked at number 97 in Germany,[7] reached the top 30 in France,[8] and was a top ten success in Denmark,[9] Finland,[10] Ireland,[11] and Norway.[12] It was additionally a top-20 success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.[13][14] Part two of "Dissident" reached number two in the Netherlands and the top 20 in France;[15][16] in the former country, it was the fourth highest-selling single of the year according to the Single Top 100 listing.[17]

Live performances

"Dissident" was first performed live at the band's May 13, 1993, concert in San Francisco, California at Slim's Café.[18] Live performances of "Dissident" can be found on the "Dissident" single, various official bootlegs, and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Touring Band 2000.

Track listings

All songs were written by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, except where noted.

"Dissident"/Live in Atlanta

Altogether, the three "Dissident" singles compile the band's April 3, 1994, concert in Atlanta, Georgia, with the only omissions being three songs from the yet-to-be-released Vitalogy ("Whipping", "Better Man", and "Satan's Bed") and the Dead Boys cover "Sonic Reducer". All three singles were available as a box set entitled Live in Atlanta released in Europe. Discs two and three became commercial hits in Denmark and Norway, where they peaked within the top five in both countries.[22][23][24][25]

Charts

Weekly charts

References
  1. "Pearl Jam – Vs.". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  2. "Pearl Jam – Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  3. Jones, Allan. Pearl Jam - The Illustrated Story, A Melody Maker Book. Hal Leonard Corp, 1995. ISBN 0-7935-4035-6
  4. "March 1994" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. PearlJam10YearsAgo.no.sapo.pt. April 7, 2002.
  5. "Ultratop.be – Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  6. "Pearl Jam Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pearl Jam – Dissident". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  8. "Lescharts.com – Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in French). Les classement single.
  9. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 24. June 11, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dissident". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  12. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pearl Jam – Dissident". VG-lista.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pearl Jam – Dissident (Part 2)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  16. "Lescharts.com – Pearl Jam – Dissident (Part 2)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  17. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  18. "Pearl Jam Songs: "Dissident"" Archived May 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. pearljam.com.
  19. "Dissident" – UK CD1 (CD sleeve). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660441 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. "Dissident" – European CD single (CD sleeve). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. EPC 660291 1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. "Dissident" – European 7-inch vinyl (Vinyl disc). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660441 7.CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 49. December 3, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  23. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  24. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pearl Jam – Live in Atlanta 2". VG-lista. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pearl Jam – Live in Atlanta 3". VG-lista. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  26. Live in Atlanta (Liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660291 5.CS1 maint: others (link)
  27. Live in Atlanta 2 (CD sleeve). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 661055 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  28. Live in Atlanta 3 (CD sleeve). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 661056 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  29. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 24. June 11, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  30. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  31. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 50, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  33. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 24. December 10, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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