This early gem from Pearl Jam is surprisingly subtle for it being as big of a hit as it is — so we have to look closely at the songwriting to find unique moves that make this song distinct.
- Switching between the major tonality of the verses and minor tonality of pre-chorus/chorus.
- Inserting a big internal jump in a middle of step-wise melody to catch listeners’ interest.
- Picking out a fragment of the chorus melody and mine it as the hook/motif.