Last Kiss
LAST KISS is catchy as hell and has been a hit in both English and Spanish. What propelled it from minor hit-land for a host of artists to being Pearl Jam’s biggest radio hit? Well, that would be Eddie’s voice. As he so often does, he builds suspense as he tells the story. This is what is lacking in most other versions. The first verses are expository, outlining the tragedy, the crash itself. Then with the second chorus, he modifies the vocal melody, bringing it up to a higher register and sings it with the intensity that we so associate with him. These lines in the last verse are particularly moving
I lifted her head she looked at me and said
Hold me darling just a little while,
coupled with the understated delivery of:
Well now she’s gone even though i hold her tight
I lost my love, my life, that night.
So there’s nothing really earthshattering about this song. And a lot of people seem to have disdain for it, but at every show, the crowd goes nuts when it gets played. Part of the fun of a Pearl Jam show is being a part of the that energy. I just don’t understand the hate that this song gets.
I think that much of the hate comes from those who were disappointed to see this song covered by the same band that releasd “Evenflow” or “Alive.” That is to say that Pearl Jam represented, to many, a balls-to-the-wall, hardcore rock band and I think people were upset to see the band release such a sappy, old-timey kind of song. I think that’s a silly reason to hate the song but I imagine that many fans took a lot of crap from their friends when PJ released a softy like “Last Kiss.”
And of course, there is the popularity issue. I really think that if this song would have stayed hidden in obscurity as a Ten Club Christmas single (and maybe just on that Kosovo record), there wouldn’t be so much contempt for it. But we know by now that when radio picks up a Pearl Jam song, there is that section of the fan base that just goes ape shit and hates the song immediately and forever. I think that might be part of it as well.
That said, I think it’s a catchy song and I’ve always appreciated the what the band did with it. I don’t really enjoy it when I hear it at a concert though, just because there are so many other songs I would rather hear. But I tend to get over that.
I have no complaints about Last Kiss except for this: When I mention pearl jam to some people, the only pj song they know is Last Kiss.
Although I still enjoy listening to this song I wish it wasn’t their BIGGEST hit.
Then again, this song probably grabbed more new fans than their last 3 studio efforts put together.
IN the summer of 2000 I drove from Colorado back to R.I….for the last time…on my way out of the country…and this song was on the radio the whole time…along with Ricky Martin’s Livin´la Vida Loca, and Madonna´s Beautiful Stranger…you can check the charts, but take my word for it, my car didn’t have a tape deck or cd player…just the radio…Pearl Jam’s pop moment…so much radio play…I can almost hear Casey Casem sending it out as a long distance dedication….but all these years later, it’s still so beautifully sung…..