As many of us who were teenagers in the '90s might recall, Pearl Jam's "Black" (from the 1991 albumTen) was pretty much the go-to song for young Gen X-ers going through a breakup.Eddie Vedder's passionate vocals and desperate lyrics were just the thing for high school heartbreak: "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life / I know you'll be a star / In somebody else's sky / But why, why, why can't it be / Oh, can't it be mine?"
Now, 35 years later, it turns out those lovelorn lines are just as relevant as ever.
AsForbesreported, Pearl Jam's "Black" is back on the charts; specifically,Billboard'sHard Rock Streaming Songschart, which tallies hard rock songs getting the most streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. "Black" debuted at #24, the only hard rock debut of the week.
Somewhat surprisingly, this is only the second time Pearl Jam has appeared on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart. A little less than three years ago, "Evenflow" enjoyed a short stay on the same chart, though it peaked at #25.
Pearl Jam's 'Black' was never released as a single
While it's been a fan-favorite for decades, "Black" was never actually released as a single. Though the record company hoped to turn the emotional tune into a big hit, Vedder refused, according toGenius.
"Fragile songs get crushed by the business," he said. "I don't want to be a part of it. I don't think the band wants to be part of it."
As the singer once explained, "Black" is really about "letting go," perGrunge.
"It's very rare for a relationship to withstand the Earth's gravitational pull and where it's going to take people and how they're going to grow," he said. "I've heard it said that you can't really have a true love unless it was a love unrequited. It's a harsh one, because then your truest one is the one you can't have forever."
Harsh indeed.
Related: '90s Rock Legend Announces First Solo Tour in 7 Years
This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 7, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.
