Waiting for Stevie

"Waiting for Stevie"
Single by Pearl Jam
from the album Dark Matter
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2024
Length5:41
Label
Composers
LyricistEddie Vedder
ProducerWatt
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"Wreckage"
(2024)		 "Waiting for Stevie"
(2024)
Official visualizer
"Waiting for Stevie" on YouTube

"Waiting for Stevie" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released as the fourth and final single from their 2024 album Dark Matter.

Composition and lyrics

"Waiting for Stevie" is inspired by soul singer Stevie Wonder's "tardiness", as when Wonder was recording a harmonica part on "Try" for Eddie Vedder's solo album Earthling, he was scheduled to appear in the studio at 4pm, but he arrived at 11pm.[1] Writing for Pitchfork, Zach Schonfield believed it was not actually about Stevie Wonder, but rather about self-doubt and depression.[2] Kerrang! critic George Garner writes it "tells the story of a young woman finding refuge in live music over a bright, slinking guitar line".[3]

Release and reception

"Waiting for Stevie" was named Record Store Day's Song of the Year.[4] It became a regular song on Pearl Jam's Dark Matter World Tour.[5] Uproxx critic Steven Hyden concludes it does work as a "screamingly effective revival of this band’s strengths", highlighting the guitar riff, which he notes sounds like "Black" if play 25% faster than played on Ten.[6] Pitchfork's Zach Schonfeld wrote that the song is "a meaty, anthemic rocker of the kind the band has largely shied away from this side of Y2K" while also noting that it had become "a favorite in the PJ fan community."

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Donovan, Thom (2024-05-02). "The Meaning Behind Pearl Jam's "Waiting for Stevie" and How a Music Legend's Tardiness Inspired the Song". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  2. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach. "Pearl Jam: Dark Matter". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Album review: Pearl Jam – Dark Matter | Kerrang!". www.kerrang.com. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  4. ↑ Staff, SPIN (2024-10-01). "Pearl Jam's 'Waiting For Stevie' Is Record Store Day's Song Of The Year". SPIN. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  5. ↑ Garro, Adrian (2024-10-14). "Pearl Jam Shares Live Video of "Waiting for Stevie" from Seattle". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  6. ↑ "The New Pearl Jam Album Is Their Best In Decades". UPROXX. 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  7. ↑ "Canada Mainstream Rock for the week of January 25, 2025". Billboard Canada. Retrieved December 27, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Year End Charts 2025: Canada Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Year End Charts 2025: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 9, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.