Dissident (song)

Lyrics

Eddie Vedder said about the song "Dissident":

"In "Dissident", I'm actually talking about a woman who takes in someone who's being sought after by the authorities for political reasons. He's on the run, and she offers him a refuge. But she just can't handle the responsibility. She turns him in, then she has to live with the guilt and the realization that she's betrayed the one thing that gave her life meaning. It made her life difficult. It made her life hell. But it gave her a reason to be. But she couldn't hold on. She folded. That's the tragedy of the song."

At Pearl Jam's March 17, 1994 concert in West Lafayette, Indiana at Purdue University's Elliot Hall, Vedder said that the "holy no" in the song refers to date rape, explaining that "a woman's word is sacred and the no means no and that's what a 'holy no' is."

Release and reception

While the "Dissident" single was released commercially to international markets in 1994, the commercial single was not released in the United States until June 27, 1995 and was only available as a more expensive import version beforehand. "Dissident" peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Austria, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. "Dissident" reached the UK Top 20. "Dissident" peaked at number 97 in Germany, reached the top 30 in France, and was a top ten success in Ireland and Norway. It was a moderate top 20 success in the Netherlands.

Live performances

"Dissident" was first performed live at the band's May 13, 1993 concert in San Francisco, California at Slim's Café. Live performances of "Dissident" can be found on the "Dissident" single, various official bootlegs, and the Live at the Gorge 05/06 box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Touring Band 2000.

Track listing

All songs written by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, except where noted:

1. "Dissident" – 3:35
2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Dave Krusen, McCready, Vedder) – 4:54
3. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:30
4. "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:04
5. "Dissident" (live) – 3:24
6. "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:49
7. "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:44

1. "Jeremy" – 5:30
2. "Glorified G" (live) – 3:20
3. "Daughter" (live) – 5:08
4. "Go" (live) – 2:58
5. "Animal" (live) – 2:45
6. "Garden" (live) – 6:52
7. "State of Love and Trust" (live) – 3:58
8. "Black" (live) – 5:46

1. "Alive" – 5:09
2. "Blood" (live) – 3:39
3. "W.M.A." (live) – 6:25
4. "Ederly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (live) – 3:44
5. "Rats" (live) – 4:37
6. "Once" (live) – 3:21
7. "Porch" (live) – 11:01
8. "Indifference" (live) – 5:00

1. "Dissident" – 3:32
2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder) – 4:54
3. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:30
4. "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:04

1. "Dissident" – 3:32
2. "Dissident" (live) – 3:24
3. "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:49
4. "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:44

1. "Dissident" – 3:35
2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder) – 4:54
3. Recorded on April 3, 1994 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

1. "Dissident" – 3:32
2. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:08
3. Recorded on April 3, 1994 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alternate versions

Two alternate versions of the "Dissident" single were released that do not contain the song "Dissident" at all. The track listings of the alternate versions are as follows:

1. "Jeremy" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:00
2. "Glorified G" (live) – 3:19
3. "Daughter" (live) – 5:07
4. "Go" (live) – 2:57
5. "Animal" (live) – 2:48
6. "Garden" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 6:52
7. "State of Love and Trust" (live) (Vedder, McCready, Ament) – 3:58
8. "Black" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:45

1. "Alive" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:08
2. "Blood" (live) – 3:39
3. "W.M.A." (live) (with Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill of King's X) – 6:24
4. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (live) – 3:43
5. "Rats" (live) – 4:37
6. "Once" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:21
7. "Porch" (live) (Vedder) – 11:01
8. "Indifference" (live) – 5:00

"Dissident"/Live in Atlanta

Altogether, the three "Dissident" singles compile the band's April 3, 1994 concert in Atlanta, Georgia, with the only omissions being three songs from the yet-to-be-released Vitalogy ("Whipping", "Better Man", and "Satan's Bed") and the Dead Boys cover "Sonic Reducer". All three singles were available as a box set entitled Live in Atlanta released in Europe.

Disc one

1. "Dissident" – 3:35
2. "Release" (live) (Ament, Gossard, Krusen, McCready, Vedder) – 4:54
3. "Rearviewmirror" (live) – 5:30
4. "Even Flow" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:04
5. "Dissident" (live) – 3:24
6. "Why Go" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:49
7. "Deep" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 4:44

Disc two

1. "Jeremy" (live) (Vedder, Ament) – 3:00
2. "Glorified G" (live) – 3:19
3. "Daughter" (live) – 5:07
4. "Go" (live) – 2:57
5. "Animal" (live) – 2:48
6. "Garden" (live) (Vedder, Gossard, Ament) – 6:52
7. "State of Love and Trust" (live) (Vedder, McCready, Ament) – 3:58
8. "Black" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:45

Disc three

1. "Alive" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 5:08
2. "Blood" (live) – 3:39
3. "W.M.A." (live) (with Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill of King's X) – 6:24
4. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (live) – 3:43
5. "Rats" (live) – 4:37
6. "Once" (live) (Vedder, Gossard) – 3:21
7. "Porch" (live) (Vedder) – 11:01
8. "Indifference" (live) – 5:00