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Dissident (song)

{{Short description|1994 single by Pearl Jam}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Dissident

| cover = Pearl Jam - Dissident album cover.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Pearl Jam

| album = Vs.

| B-side = "Rearviewmirror" (live)

| released = {{start date|1994|5|16}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Grunge

| length = 3:35

| label = Epic

| writer = {{hlist|Eddie Vedder|Jeff Ament|Stone Gossard|Mike McCready|Dave Abbruzzese}}

| producer = {{hlist|Brendan O'Brien|Pearl Jam}}

| prev_title = Animal

| prev_year = 1994

| next_title = Spin the Black Circle

| next_year = 1994

| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|4cpJ982JGOo|"Dissident"}}}}

}}

"Dissident" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, appearing as the fifth track on their second studio album, Vs. (1993).{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/vs-mw0000620499|title=Pearl Jam – Vs.|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=October 31, 2020}} 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 in to the authorities because she cannot support him any longer, leading her to feel guilty about her decision.

"Dissident" was released as the fourth single from Vs. 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 singles found success in Denmark and Norway.

The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/rearviewmirror-greatest-hits-1991-2003-mw0000139854|title=Pearl Jam – Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=October 31, 2020}}

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.Jones, Allan. Pearl Jam - The Illustrated Story, A Melody Maker Book. Hal Leonard Corp, 1995. {{ISBN|0-7935-4035-6}}

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."[https://pearljamhistory.no.sapo.pt/PJChronology1994-March.htm "March 1994"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225759/http://pearljamhistory.no.sapo.pt/PJChronology1994-March.htm |date=March 3, 2016}}. PearlJam10YearsAgo.no.sapo.pt. April 7, 2002.

Release and reception

While the "Dissident" single was released commercially to international markets on May 16, 1994,{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1994/Music-Week-1994-05-14.pdf|title=Single Releases|magazine=Music Week|page=27|date=May 14, 1994|access-date=June 24, 2021}} the commercial single was not released in the United States until June 27, 1995,{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dissident-Pearl-Jam/dp/B000002D0P|title=Dissident|publisher=Amazon|access-date=June 24, 2021}} 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). Outside the United States, the song peaked at number 97 in Germany, reached the top 30 in France, and was a top-10 success in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Norway. It was additionally a top-20 success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Part two of "Dissident" reached number two in the Netherlands and the top 20 in France; in the former country, it was the fourth highest-selling single of the year according to the Single Top 100 listing.

Live performances

"Dissident" was first performed live at the band's May 13, 1993, concert in San Francisco, California at Slim's Café.[https://www.pearljam.com/song/dissident "Pearl Jam Songs: "Dissident""] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523125221/https://www.pearljam.com/song/dissident|date=May 23, 2009}}. pearljam.com. 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.

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CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 1

  1. "Dissident" – 3:51
  2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Dave Krusen, McCready, Vedder) – 4:55
  3. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:31
  4. "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:05
  5. "Dissident" (live) – 3:25
  6. "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:50
  7. "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:42

CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 2

  1. "Jeremy" (live) – 3:00
  2. "Glorified G" (live) – 3:19
  3. "Daughter" (live) – 5:07
  4. "Go" (live) – 2:57
  5. "Animal" (live) – 2:48
  6. "Garden" (live) – 6:52
  7. "State of Love and Trust" (live) – 3:58
  8. "Black" (live) – 5:45
  • Live tracks recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 3

  1. "Alive" (live) – 5:08
  2. "Blood" (live) – 3:39
  3. "W.M.A." (live) – 6:24
  4. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (live) – 3:43
  5. "Rats" (live) – 4:37
  6. "Once" (live) – 3:21
  7. "Porch" (live) – 11:01
  8. "Indifference" (live) – 5:00
  • Live tracks recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

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UK CD1{{cite AV media notes|title=Dissident|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type= UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=660441 2}}

  1. "Dissident" – 3:32
  2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder) / "Rearviewmirror" (live) / "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 15:22
  • Live tracks recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

UK CD2, "Dissident (Part 2)"

  1. "Dissident" – 3:32
  2. "Dissident" (live) / "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament) / "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 11:52
  • Live tracks recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

CD (Europe){{cite AV media notes|title=Dissident|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=EPC 660291 1}}

  1. "Dissident" – 3:35
  2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder)
  • Recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

7-inch vinyl (Europe){{cite AV media notes|title=Dissident|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type=European 7-inch vinyl disc|publisher=Epic Records|id=660441 7}}

:A. "Dissident" – 3:32

:B. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:08

  • Recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

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="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.

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Disc one{{cite AV media notes|title=Live in Atlanta|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type=Liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=660291 5}}

  1. "Dissident"
  2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder)
  3. "Rearviewmirror" (live)
  4. "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard)
  5. "Dissident" (live)
  6. "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament)
  7. "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament)

Disc two{{cite AV media notes|title=Live in Atlanta 2|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type=Liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=661055 2}}

  1. "Jeremy" (live) (Vedder, Ament)
  2. "Glorified G" (live)
  3. "Daughter" (live)
  4. "Go" (live)
  5. "Animal" (live)
  6. "Garden" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament)
  7. "State of Love and Trust" (live) (Vedder, McCready, Ament)
  8. "Black" (live) (Vedder, Gossard)

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Disc three{{cite AV media notes|title=Live in Atlanta 3|others=Pearl Jam|year=1994|type=Liner notes|publisher=Epic Records|id=661056 2}}

  1. "Alive" (live) (Vedder, Gossard)
  2. "Blood" (live)
  3. "W.M.A." (live) (with Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill of King's X)
  4. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (live)
  5. "Rats" (live)
  6. "Once" (live) (Vedder, Gossard)
  7. "Porch" (live) (Vedder)
  8. "Indifference" (live)
  • Live tracks recorded on April 3, 1994, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Charts

=Weekly charts=

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"Dissident"

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Peak
position

{{single chart|Flanders|41|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|refname="fla"}}
scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-06-11.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=24|page=14|date=June 11, 1994|access-date=August 20, 2019}}

|3

scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-06-11.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=24|page=12|date=June 11, 1994|access-date=July 2, 2020}}

|17

scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book|first=Timo|last=Pennanen|year=2006|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|language=fi|edition=1st|publisher=Tammi|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5|location=Helsinki}}

|7

{{single chart|France|24|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|refname="fra"}}
{{single chart|Germany|97|songid=12660|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="ger"}}
{{single chart|Ireland2|7|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="ire"}}
{{single chart|Dutch40|16|year=1994|week=26|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018}}
{{single chart|Dutch100|14|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|refname="d100"}}
{{single chart|Norway|2|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident|rowheader=true|refname="nor"}}
{{single chart|Scotland|20|date=19940528|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018}}
{{single chart|UK|14|date=19940604|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="uk"}}
{{single chart|Billboardmainstreamrock|3|artist=Pearl Jam|rowheader=true|access-date=July 2, 2020|refname="usmr"}}

"Dissident (Part 2)"

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Peak
position

{{single chart|France|19|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident (Part 2)|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="fra2"}}
{{single chart|Dutch40|9|year=1994|week=50|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="d402"}}
{{single chart|Dutch100|2|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Dissident (Part 2)|rowheader=true|access-date=October 24, 2018|refname="d1002"}}

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Live in Atlanta 2

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-12-03.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=49|page=13|date=December 3, 1994|access-date=July 2, 2020}}

|3

scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-12-10.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=24|page=14|date=December 10, 1994|access-date=July 2, 2020}}

|19

{{single chart|Norway|2|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Live in Atlanta 2|rowheader=true|access-date=July 2, 2020|refname="nor2"}}

Live in Atlanta 3

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Peak
position

scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-12-24.pdf|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|magazine=Music & Media|volume=11|issue=52|page=10|date=December 24, 1994|access-date=July 2, 2020}}

|3

scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

|26

{{single chart|Norway|4|artist=Pearl Jam|song=Live in Atlanta 3|rowheader=true|access-date=July 2, 2020|refname="nor3"}}

=Year-end charts=

"Dissident"

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Position

scope="row"|US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA42-IA2|title=The Year in Music: Hot Album Rock Tracks|magazine=Billboard|volume=106|issue=52|page=YE-62|date=December 24, 1994|access-date=April 2, 2025}}

|25

"Dissident (Part 2)"

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1994)

!Position

scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1994&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994|publisher=MegaCharts|language=nl|access-date=October 24, 2018}}

|4

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References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://pearljam.com/music/lyrics/all/all/20843/dissident Lyrics at pearljam.com]

{{Pearl Jam}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1993 songs

Category:1994 singles

Category:Epic Records singles

Category:Pearl Jam songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Brendan O'Brien (record producer)

Category:Song recordings produced by Eddie Vedder

Category:Song recordings produced by Jeff Ament

Category:Song recordings produced by Mike McCready

Category:Song recordings produced by Stone Gossard

Category:Songs written by Dave Abbruzzese

Category:Songs written by Eddie Vedder

Category:Songs written by Jeff Ament

Category:Songs written by Mike McCready

Category:Songs written by Stone Gossard