| "Dissident" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPearl Jam | ||||
| from the albumVs. | ||||
| B-side | "Rearviewmirror" (live) | |||
| Released | May 16, 1994 (1994-5-16) | |||
| Genre | Grunge | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Pearl Jam singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Dissident" onYouTube | ||||
"Dissident" is a song by Americanrock bandPearl Jam, appearing as the fifth track on their second studio album,Vs. (1993).[1] It was written by band membersEddie Vedder,Jeff Ament,Stone Gossard,Mike McCready, andDave Abbruzzese. According to Vedder, "Dissident" is about a woman who secretly shelters arefugee 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 fromVs. on May 16, 1994. It peaked at number three on the USBillboardAlbum 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).[2]
Pearl Jam lead vocalistEddie 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 inWest Lafayette, Indiana atPurdue University'sElliot Hall, Vedder said that the "holy no" in the song refers todate rape, explaining that "a woman's word is sacred and the no means no and that's what a 'holy no' is."[4]
While the "Dissident" single was released commercially to international markets on May 16, 1994,[5] the commercial single was not released in the United States until June 27, 1995,[6] and was only available as a more expensive import version beforehand. "Dissident" peaked at number three on theBillboardAlbum Rock Tracks chart (now called the Mainstream Rock chart).[7] Outside the United States, the song peaked at number 97 in Germany,[8] reached the top 30 in France,[9] and was a top-10 success in Denmark,[10] Finland,[11] Ireland,[12] and Norway.[13] It was additionally a top-20 success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.[14][15] Part two of "Dissident" reached number two in the Netherlands and the top 20 in France;[16][17] in the former country, it was the fourth highest-selling single of the year according to theSingle Top 100 listing.[18]
"Dissident" was first performed live at the band's May 13, 1993, concert inSan Francisco,California at Slim's Café.[19] Live performances of "Dissident" can be found on the "Dissident" single, variousofficial bootlegs, and theLive at the Gorge 05/06 box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVDTouring Band 2000.
All songs were written byDave Abbruzzese,Jeff Ament,Stone Gossard,Mike McCready, andEddie Vedder, except where noted.
CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 1[20]
CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 2[20]
CD (US, Austria, Germany, Japan, and South Africa) – part 3[20]
| UK CD1[21]
UK CD2, "Dissident (Part 2)"[16]
CD (Europe)[22]
7-inch vinyl (Europe)[23]
|
Altogether, the three "Dissident" singles compile the band's April 3, 1994, concert inAtlanta,Georgia, with the only omissions being three songs from the yet-to-be-releasedVitalogy ("Whipping", "Better Man", and "Satan's Bed") and theDead Boys cover "Sonic Reducer". All three singles were available as a box set entitledLive 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.[24][25][26][27]
Disc one[28]
Disc two[29]
| Disc three[30]
|
"Dissident"
"Dissident (Part 2)"
| Live in Atlanta 2
Live in Atlanta 3
Year-end charts[edit]"Dissident"
"Dissident (Part 2)"
|
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