Black (7:00)

“Black” is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. The song is the fifth track on the band’s debut album, Ten (1991). Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, “Black” is a soliloquy by a broken-hearted man, who is remembering his absent lover.

After Ten became a commercial success in 1992, Pearl Jam’s record label Epic Records urged the group to release the song as a single. The band refused, citing the song’s personal nature. Despite the lack of a commercial release, “Black” received airplay on American radio stations, and charted on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock Tracks charts. A remixed version of the song was included on Pearl Jam’s 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991–2003.