Released August 27, 1991 Length 3:30 Writer(s) Eddie Vedder | Genre Grunge Label Epic | |
Recorded March 27 – April 26, 1991 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington | ||
"Porch" is the eighth track off Pearl Jam's debut album Ten (1991). The song was written by lead singer Eddie Vedder.
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Meaning
When introducing the song at Pearl Jam's August 23, 1991 concert in Seattle, Washington, Vedder stated, "This song is about if you love someone, tell him."
Live performances
The song was premiered live at the band's December 22, 1990 concert in Seattle, Washington. The song was performed on Saturday Night Live in April 1992 in support of Ten.
The song features an instrumental break that is lengthened when performed live. During the band's first few years, Eddie Vedder would use this time to climb the stage scaffolding or dive into the crowd. When the band performed the song at the 1992 Pinkpop Festival, Vedder jumped from a TV-camera-mast right into the crowd. During the 1992 Lollapalooza tour at the Jones Beach Amphitheatre in Wantagh, New York, Vedder climbed the scaffolding to the top of the entire stage structure during the instrumental break; the stage is over 40 feet high at Jones Beach. When the song was performed on MTV Unplugged in 1992, Vedder famously used the instrumental break to climb on his stool and write "Pro-choice" on his arm with a magic marker.
Live performances of "Porch" can be found on the "Dissident"/Live in Atlanta box set and on the live albums Live at Easy Street and Live at the Gorge 05/06. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD Immagine In Cornice.