Heartwarming / Pearl Jam

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• "Alive" was written by Eddie Vedder about the grief associated with finding out his biological father was a man he had met a few times but did not know was his father until after his death when Eddie was 13, but audiences interpreted it as a life-affirming anthem. Vedder said in 2006 that the audience's interpretation changed the meaning of the song, stating that "They lifted the curse. The audience changed the meaning for me."
• "Release" is a heartfelt ode from Eddie to the father he never truly knew.
  Oh, dear dad, can you see me now? / I am myself, like you, somehow...
• "In My Tree" from No Code is about stepping away from celebrity and its pressures, and reclaiming one's innocence.
• From the same album, "Around the Bend" is a lullaby for Jack Irons' young son.
• "Given to Fly" is about a man who faces hardship and persecution, but continues to love others. Or an angel who gets his wings. Both interpretations are possible.
• "Wishlist" is a love song from Eddie to his then-wife, Beth Liebling. This became a Tear Jerker when they divorced two years later, giving rise to the Darker and Edgier Binaural album.
• Binaural did contain one straightforward and rather sweet love song, "Thin Air"
  There's a light / When my baby's in my arms / And I know she's reached my heart / In thin air...
• A twisted example from a rather dark album: "Help Help", from Riot Act - which came out soon after 9/11 - contains a fairly heartwarming Aesop about not labeling or demonizing others:
  The man they call my enemy / I've seen his eyes, he looks just like me...
• Their 2006 self-titled album has a lot of heartwarming moments:
  • "Life Wasted" is about finding hope during grief - it's a song about positivity and self-esteem, written after Eddie attended Johnny Ramone's funeral.
    I have tasted / A life wasted / And I am never going back again...
  • "Inside Job" is about choosing to live life hopefully. It's made even more heartwarming when you realize that the lyrics were written by Mike McCready, who battled drug addiction and Crohn's Disease before finding peace.
    I'll not lose my faith...
  • "Parachutes" is about finding meaning from love, even in a troubled world.
    And what a different life / had I not found this love with you...
• "Just Breathe" is both this and a Tear Jerker - a simple four-minute song about death, dying, and treasuring the simple moments in life, as well as the people who truly care for you:
  Oh, I'm a lucky man / To count on both hands / The ones I love...
  Stay with me / Let's just breathe... / Did I say that I need you? / Did I say that I want you? / Well, if I didn't, I'm a fool...
• From the same album, there's "Force Of Nature", which uses sailing metaphors to tell the story of a man who's willing to love and remain loyal to his partner, despite her faults. The guitar solo at the end is a Heartwarming Moment in itself.
• Eddie's cover of "Let it Go" at a concert in Milan, which was done as a special request from his little daughter.
• "Sirens", taken literally, is a moving love song - but the deeper meaning is passing on hope and love to the next generation. Either way, those are messages to live by.
• In the years following the Roskilde Festival tragedy in 2000, Stone Gossard reached ouy to family members of the young men who had lost their lives. At least one of the bereaved mothers has ended up becoming good friends with Gossard, talking to him several times a month via e-mail, and credits him with helping her and her husband go on after their loss. Pearl Jam had been her son's favourite band, and she's said in interviews that her son would no doubt be happy to know that his mother is now friends with his idols.

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