Even Flow

By the end of 2019, "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam had become the fifth most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio, with 132,000 spins, in a top ten made up entirely of 1990s songs. It had not been an easy record to make. Bassist Jeff Ament said there were a hundred takes of it and the band never nailed one. Guitarist Mike McCready said they played it until they hated each other, and he has wanted to improve his solo ever since.

Stone Gossard wrote the music and Eddie Vedder the lyrics. They describe a homeless man who sleeps on a pillow made of concrete. Vedder later said the song was inspired by a homeless Vietnam War veteran, also named Eddie, whom he befriended while working on the first album.

Epic Records released it in March 1992 as the second single from Ten, and it peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. A second recording, made with drummer Dave Abbruzzese for the Singles soundtrack sessions, was used for the video and the United Kingdom singles. The first video, shot at a nighttime zoo set by Rocky Schenck, was scrapped. The long shoot damaged Abbruzzese's wrists, and he drummed on the European tour with splints. A performance clip from the Moore Theatre in Seattle replaced it.