(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay
It seems that DOCK OF THE BAY is one of Pearl Jam’s most popular covers. It was written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper in 1967. It was recorded in December of 1967, just a few days before Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash. It was released after his death and became his biggest hit. And it’s no wonder. The song has a cool, breezy quality that was a change from his previous work. This has always been my favorite Otis Redding song. I love his voice, and I love the more laid-back style of this song as compared to other ballads like I’VE BEEN LOVIN’ YOU TOO LONG.
I’ve heard many versions of this song. Generally, I love the song so much that I tend to enjoy most of them. I’ve heard some bizarre reinventions, and I’ve heard a lot of acoustic renditions. But I didn’t really stop to think about how good Pearl Jam’s version was until I was in a store somewhere, and I heard Michael Bolton’s version. It made me start thinking about why Pearl Jam does such good covers of songs. They tend to sound distinctively Pearl Jam, but also faithful to the original…and tasteful.
It’s weird that Pearl Jam’s version, a live cover played only once, is still one of the best. Perhaps it was because they had Steve Cropper playing with them. Perhaps it was chance. From the distinctive opening to Steve Cropper breaking in to help out Ed’s faltering whistling, it’s one of the highlights of that show in Murfreesboro in 1994. It’s been called out as a request many times since, but they’ve never done it again. Why?
I’ve always been a fan of this cover, since I bought the unofficial boot “No Fuckin’ Messiah” a long, long time ago in the Vitalogy era. First boot I ever bought. Whereas I hadn’t had much exposure to the Who or other PJ touchstones, I was very familiar with “Dock of the Bay”, and it was a treat to hear my favorite band do such a faithful rendition.
This really is one of those special Pearl Jam covers. I just recently found the video of this performance on You Tube. Great stuff!! Plus, that stretch of shows in late March - early April 1994 is probably my favorite collection of Pearl Jam shows. I would have always loved a proper studio recording of this cover. Ed’s breezy vocals fit the mood of the song perfectly! Maybe one day we’ll hear it again, but I’m certainly not holding my breath.