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"Dissident"
Single by Pearl Jam
from the album Vs.
B-side	"Rearviewmirror" (live)
Released	May 16, 1994 (1994-05-16)
Genre	Grunge
Length	3:35
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Eddie Vedder Jeff Ament Stone Gossard Mike McCready Dave Abbruzzese
Producer(s)	Brendan O'Brien Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"Animal" (1994) "Dissident" (1994) "Spin the Black Circle" (1994)
Audio
"Dissident" on YouTube

"Dissident" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, appearing as the fifth track on their second studio album, Vs. (1993). It was written by band members Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Dave Abbruzzese. According to Vedder, "Dissident" is about a woman who secretly shelters a refugee but eventually turns him in to the authorities because she cannot support him any longer, leading her to feel guilty about her decision.

"Dissident" was released as the fourth single from Vs. on May 16, 1994. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and in Denmark, number two in Norway, and number seven in Finland and Ireland. "Dissident (Part 2)" was also released as a single, reaching number two in the Netherlands and number 19 in France, and two live singles found success in Denmark and Norway.

The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003).

Lyrical content

Pearl Jam lead vocalist 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 on May 16, 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 Album Rock Tracks chart (now called the Mainstream Rock chart). Outside the United States, the song peaked at number 97 in Germany, reached the top 30 in France, and was a top-10 success in Denmark, Finland, Ireland, and Norway. It was additionally a top-20 success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Part two of "Dissident" reached number two in the Netherlands and the top 20 in France; in the former country, it was the fourth highest-selling single of the year according to the Single Top 100 listing.

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 listings

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

"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. Discs two and three became commercial hits in Denmark and Norway, where they peaked within the top five in both countries.

Charts

Weekly charts

References

1. "Pearl Jam – Vs.". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
2. "Pearl Jam – Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
3. Jones, Allan. Pearl Jam - The Illustrated Story, A Melody Maker Book. Hal Leonard Corp, 1995. ISBN 0-7935-4035-6
4. "March 1994" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. PearlJam10YearsAgo.no.sapo.pt. April 7, 2002.
5. "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. May 14, 1994. p. 27. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
6. "Dissident". Amazon. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
7. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
8. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
9. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in French). Les classement single.
10. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 24. June 11, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Dissident". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
13. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident". VG-lista.
14. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
16. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident (Part 2)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
17. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident (Part 2)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
18. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
19. "Pearl Jam Songs: "Dissident"" Archived May 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. pearljam.com.
20. ^ "Pearl Jam – Dissident" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
21. Dissident (UK CD1 liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660441 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
22. Dissident (European CD single liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. EPC 660291 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
23. Dissident (European 7-inch vinyl disc). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660441 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
24. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 49. December 3, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
25. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
26. ^ "Pearl Jam – Live in Atlanta 2". VG-lista. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
27. ^ "Pearl Jam – Live in Atlanta 3". VG-lista. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
28. Live in Atlanta (Liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 660291 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
29. Live in Atlanta 2 (Liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 661055 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
30. Live in Atlanta 3 (Liner notes). Pearl Jam. Epic Records. 1994. 661056 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
31. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 24. June 11, 1994. p. 12. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
32. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 26, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
33. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
34. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 50, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
35. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 24. December 10, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved July 2, 2020.

External links

• Lyrics at pearljam.com

• 1993 songs
• 1994 singles
• Epic Records singles
• Pearl Jam songs
• Song recordings produced by Brendan O'Brien (record producer)
• Song recordings produced by Eddie Vedder
• Song recordings produced by Jeff Ament
• Song recordings produced by Mike McCready
• Song recordings produced by Stone Gossard
• Songs written by Dave Abbruzzese
• Songs written by Eddie Vedder
• Songs written by Jeff Ament
• Songs written by Mike McCready
• Songs written by Stone Gossard