Nothing as It Seems
| "Nothing as It Seems" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Insignificance" |
"Nothing As It Seems" is the first single from Pearl Jam's sixth studio album, Binaural. The single was released on April 25, 2000 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song also appears on Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003.
The song was composed by Jeff Ament. Ament plays upright bass in the song giving the song a very atmospheric feel. Although the song was not a major commercial success, it has been cited as a Pearl Jam fan favorite. The song was recorded using binaural recording techniques, and was produced by Tchad Blake.
A live performance of "Nothing As It Seems" can be found on the live album Live at Benaroya Hall. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Touring Band 2000.
Lyrical Meaning
Jeff Ament revealed that he wrote the song about his childhood growing up in a rural area of Northern Montana. He stated:
It's a little bit reflecting on where I came from...I grew up in really rural area in Northern Montana, and ["Nothing As It Seems" is] looking back at [that]. I think until two or three years ago, I looked back at my childhood as being a fairly utopian situation where I had the freedom to ride my bike around town when I was five years old, and my parents didn't have to worry about anybody taking me and killing me or whatever. In the last couple of years...there have been some things that have kind of allowed some darker things to come to the surface of my childhood, seeing things that I had kind of selectively forgotten for my own mental health or whatever. I had just seen Affliction and I had just read Nine Below Zero by this guy, Kevin Canty, all very kind of rural things that unearthed a lot of stuff. ["Nothing As It Seems"] is just kind of what came out. I'm just now starting to actually really analyze what I was talking about...because I still don't really have a grip on that."[1]
Formats and track listing
All information taken from various sources.[2][3][4][5]
- Compact Disc Single (US, Austria, and Japan)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Jeff Ament) – 5:26
- "Insignificance" (Eddie Vedder) – 4:33
- Compact Disc Single (Germany and Austria)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:26
- "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:33
- "Better Man" (live) (Vedder) – 4:37
- "Footsteps" (live) (Stone Gossard, Vedder) – 5:23
- Live tracks recorded live at the Bridge School Benefit 1999.
- Compact Disc Single (Australia)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:26
- "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:33
- "Footsteps" (live) (Gossard, Vedder) – 5:23
- "Better Man" (live) (Vedder) – 4:37
- Live tracks recorded live at the Bridge School Benefit 1999.
- Compact Disc Single (UK)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:26
- "Better Man" (live) (Vedder) – 4:37
- "Footsteps" (live) (Gossard, Vedder) – 5:23
- Live tracks recorded live at the Bridge School Benefit 1999.
- 7" Vinyl Single (UK)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:26
- "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:33
- 12" Vinyl Single (Europe)
- "Nothing As It Seems" (Ament) – 5:26
- "Insignificance" (Vedder) – 4:33
- "Better Man" (live) (Vedder) – 4:37
- "Footsteps" (live) (Gossard, Vedder) – 5:23
- Live tracks recorded live at the Bridge School Benefit 1999.
Chart positions
All information taken from various sources.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 7 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 22 | |
| Irish Singles Chart | 27 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 42 | |
| US The Billboard Hot 100 | 49 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 10 | |
| German Singles Chart | 98 |
References
- ^ Basham, David. "Pearl Jam's Ament Probes Childhood With "Seems"". MTV.com. May 3, 2000.
- ^ "Nothing as It Seems/Insignificance [US CD Single]". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Nothing as It Seems [Import CD Single]". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Nothing As It Seems Single". Lukin.com. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "pjcollectors.com". Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "EveryHit.com". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
- ^ "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Pearl Jam – Billboard Singles". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - NOTHING AS IT SEEMS (SINGLE) (4284)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Pearl Jam / Single". musicline.de. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ "PEARL JAM - NOTHING AS IT SEEMS (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
