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{{Infobox Single
{{Single infobox | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
| Name = Who You Are
| Name = Who You Are
| Cover = 1221.jpg
| Cover = Pearl Jam - Who You Are single cover.jpg
| Artist = [[Pearl Jam]]
| Artist = [[Pearl Jam]]
| from Album = [[No Code]]
| from Album = [[No Code]]
| Released = [[1996]]
| B-side = "Habit"
| Format = [[CD single]] [[Vinyl]]
| Released = July 30, 1996
| Format = [[CD single]], [[Compact Cassette|Cassette]], [[Gramophone record|Vinyl]]
| Recorded = 1996
| Recorded = July 12, 1995&nbsp;– May 1996
| Genre = [[Grunge]]
| Label = [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| Genre = [[Alternative rock]]
| Producer = [[Brendan O'Brien]]
| Length = 3:50
| Label = [[Epic Records|Epic]]
| Producer = [[Brendan O'Brien (music producer)|Brendan O'Brien]], Pearl Jam
| Writer = [[Stone Gossard]], [[Jack Irons]], [[Eddie Vedder]]
| Last single = ''[[Merkin Ball]]''<br/>(1995)
| This single = "'''Who You Are'''"<br/>(1996)
| Next single = "[[Hail, Hail]]"<br/>(1996)
{{Extra track listing
| Album = [[No Code]]
| Type = studio
| prev_track = "[[Hail, Hail]]"
| prev_no = Track 2
| this_track = "'''Who You Are'''"
| track_no = Track 3
| next_track = "In My Tree"
| next_no = Track 4
}}
}}
{{Audiosample
| Upper caption = Audio sample
| Audio file = Who You Are.ogg
}}
}}
"'''Who You Are'''" is a song by the American [[rock music|rock]] band [[Pearl Jam]]. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist [[Eddie Vedder]] and music co-written by drummer [[Jack Irons]] and guitarist [[Stone Gossard]], "Who You Are" was released on July 30, 1996 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, ''[[No Code]]'' (1996). The song topped the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart. It peaked at number 31 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].


The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, ''[[rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)]]''. On Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, "Who You Are" has a slight lyric change. Instead of "circumstance, clapping hands,"<ref name="pearljam.com">[https://www.pearljam.com/song/who-you-are "Pearl Jam Songs: "Who You Are""]. [[Pearl Jam|pearljam.com]].</ref> it's "avalanche, falling fast."
'''"Who You Are"''' is the lead single from [[Pearl Jam]]'s fourth studio album [[No Code]].


==Origin and recording==
On Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, Who You Are has a slight lyric change, instead of "circumstance, clapping hands" it's "avalanche, falling fast"
"Who You Are" features lyrics written by vocalist [[Eddie Vedder]] and music co-written by drummer [[Jack Irons]] and guitarist [[Stone Gossard]]. The polyrhythmic drum pattern for the song was inspired by a [[Max Roach]] drum solo that Irons heard at a drum shop when he was eight years old.<ref name="spin"/> Irons said, "To turn my drum music into a song is pretty challenging, but the guys have been really supportive of me doing it, and we've worked some things into a few songs."<ref name="modern drummer">Peiken, Matt. [http://pearljamhistory.no.sapo.pt/PJArticles_Interviews_06-xx-98_-_modern_drummer.htm "Jack Irons: This Inner Life"]. ''[[Modern Drummer]]''. June 1998.</ref> Vedder played an [[electric sitar]] on the song, giving it an Eastern-influenced sound. Regarding the song, Vedder said, "We realized that we had an opportunity to experiment."<ref name="spin">Marks, Craig. [http://www.fivehorizons.com/archive/articles/spin0297.shtml "The Road Less Traveled"]. ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''. February 1997.</ref>


==Release and reception==
{{rock-song-stub}}
Vedder has admitted that the choice of "Who You Are" as the first single for ''No Code'' was a "conscious decision" intended to keep the size of the band's audience down.<ref name="spin"/> "Who You Are" was the most successful song from ''No Code'' on the American rock charts. The song peaked at number 31 on the ''Billboard'' [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]], number five on the ''Billboard'' [[Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks|Mainstream Rock Tracks]] chart, and number one on the ''Billboard'' [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] chart.

Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in [[Australia]], [[Austria]], [[Canada]], [[England]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], the [[Netherlands]], [[South Africa]], and [[Thailand]]. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian [[RPM (magazine)|Singles Chart]], and later it charted on the Alternative Top 30 chart where it reached number one and became Pearl Jam's first single to top that chart. "Who You Are" also reached number 17 on the Canadian Year End Alternative Top 50. "Who You Are" reached the UK Top 20 and peaked at number five on the Australian Singles Chart. "Who You Are" charted at number 47 in the Netherlands, reached the top 30 in [[Sweden]], and was a top ten success in [[Finland]] and [[Norway]]. It was a moderate top 20 success in [[Ireland]] and [[New Zealand]].

[[David Fricke]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said that the song has an "Indo-[[Bo Diddley]] glow" and called it a "buoyant electric variation on Vedder's recent collaborations with Pakistani vocal god [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]]."<ref>Fricke, David. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/pearljam/albums/album/320420/review/5945924/no_code "Pearl Jam: ''No Code''"]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. September 5, 1996.</ref> [[Christopher John Farley]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' also identified an influence of Vedder's collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, stating, "The spiritualized, bass-heavy "Who You Are" is a solid number, but it clearly owes a lot to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, with whom Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder worked on the sound track to the film ''Dead Man Walking''."<ref>Farley, Christopher John. [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985075,00.html "Identity Crisis"]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. September 2, 1996.</ref> Vedder denied that his collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had any influence on the song.<ref name="spin"/>

The song is featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 film, ''Chicago Cab''. It was also featured in the ''[[Cold Case]]'' episode "The Long Blue Line" in 2009.

==Live performances==
"Who You Are" was first performed live at the band's September 14, 1996 concert in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] at The Showbox.<ref name="pearljam.com"/> Following Irons' departure from the band in 1998 the song was dropped from set lists. After the band's March 9, 1998 concert in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] at the [[Sydney Entertainment Centre]], the song was not performed live for a period of ten years. "Who You Are" finally made a return appearance at the band's June 11, 2008 concert in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], [[Florida]] at the [[Cruzan Amphitheatre]].<ref name="pearljam.com"/> The song has since returned to Pearl Jam set lists. Live performances of "Who You Are" can be found on various [[Pearl Jam Official Bootlegs|official bootlegs]].

==Track listing==
#"Who You Are" ([[Stone Gossard]], [[Jack Irons]], [[Eddie Vedder]])&nbsp;– 3:51
#"Habit" (Vedder)&nbsp;– 3:36

==Chart positions==
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
! Chart (1996)
! Position
|-
| Finnish Singles Chart<ref>{{cite web| url = http://finnishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=pearl+jam| title = Finnish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay| publisher = finnishcharts.com| accessdate = 2008-02-19}}</ref>
|align="center"|2
|-
| [[RPM (magazine)|Canadian Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9921&volume=64&issue=8&issue_dt=October%2007%201996&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=lhaled67omcph7v3aq7fbveid1
| title=Canadian Charts - "Who You Are"
| publisher=''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]''
| accessdate=2008-03-07}}</ref>
|align="center"|4
|-
| [[RPM (magazine)|Canadian Alternative Top 30]]<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.9625&volume=64&issue=4&issue_dt=September%2009%201996&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=f1duo3bms4u4flnv4kb4ghtb72
| title=Canadian Rock/Alternative Top 30 – "Who You Are"
| publisher=''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]''
| accessdate=2007-03-07}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
| [[ARIA Charts|Australian Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Pearl+Jam&titel=Who+You+Are&cat=s
| title = PEARL JAM - WHO YOU ARE (SINGLE) (74339)
| publisher = Australian-charts.com
| accessdate = 2007-04-29
}}</ref>
|align="center"|5
|-
| [[VG-lista|Norwegian Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://norwegiancharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=pearl+jam|title=Norwegian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay |publisher= norwegiancharts.com| accessdate=2008-02-19}}</ref>
|align="center"|7
|-
| [[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand|New Zealand Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Pearl+Jam&titel=Who+You+Are&cat=s
| title = PEARL JAM - WHO YOU ARE (SONG)
| publisher = New Zealand-charts.com
| accessdate = 2007-09-05
}}</ref>
|align="center"|17
|-
| [[UK Singles Chart]]<ref name="everyhit">{{cite web
| url = http://www.everyhit.com/
| title = EveryHit.com
| accessdate = 2007-02-16
}}</ref>
|align="center"|18
|-
| [[Irish Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
| title = The Irish Charts - All there is to know
| publisher = Irishcharts.ie
| accessdate = 2007-04-29
}}</ref>
|align="center"|19
|-
| [[Sverigetopplistan|Swedish Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://swedishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=s&search=pearl+jam| title = Swedish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay| publisher = swedishcharts.com| accessdate = 2008-02-19}}</ref>
|align="center"|26
|-
| US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name="www.billboard.com">{{cite web
| url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=5392&model.vnuAlbumId=772120
| title=Pearl Jam Artist Chart History
| publisher=''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''
| accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
|align="center"|31
|-
| US [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]]<ref name="www.billboard.com"/>
|align="center"|1
|-
| US [[Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks|Mainstream Rock Tracks]]<ref name="www.billboard.com"/>
|align="center"|5
|-
| [[MegaCharts|Dutch Singles Chart]]<ref>{{cite web| url = http://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?cat=s&search=pearl+jam| title = Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay| publisher = dutchcharts.nl| accessdate = 2008-02-19}}</ref>
|align="center"|47
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://pearljam.com/song/who-you-are Lyrics at pearljam.com]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before="[[Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand]]" by [[Primitive Radio Gods]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=''Billboard'' [[Alternative Songs|Modern Rock Tracks]] [[Number one modern rock hits of 1996|number-one single]] |years=September 7–13, 1996}}
{{s-aft|after="[[Down (311 song)|Down]]" by [[311 (band)|311]]}}
{{end}}

{{Pearl Jam}}
{{1990s-rock-song-stub}}
[[Category:1996 singles]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Alternative Tracks number-one singles]]
[[Category:Pearl Jam songs]]
[[Category:Pearl Jam songs]]

[[Category:Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one singles]]
[[es:Who You Are]]
[[it:Who You Are]]
[[pl:Who You Are]]

Revision as of 16:11, 25 September 2009

"Who You Are"
Song
B-side"Habit"

"Who You Are" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by drummer Jack Irons and guitarist Stone Gossard, "Who You Are" was released on July 30, 1996 as the first single from the band's fourth studio album, No Code (1996). The song topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003). On Pearl Jam's greatest hits album, "Who You Are" has a slight lyric change. Instead of "circumstance, clapping hands,"[1] it's "avalanche, falling fast."

Origin and recording

"Who You Are" features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by drummer Jack Irons and guitarist Stone Gossard. The polyrhythmic drum pattern for the song was inspired by a Max Roach drum solo that Irons heard at a drum shop when he was eight years old.[2] Irons said, "To turn my drum music into a song is pretty challenging, but the guys have been really supportive of me doing it, and we've worked some things into a few songs."[3] Vedder played an electric sitar on the song, giving it an Eastern-influenced sound. Regarding the song, Vedder said, "We realized that we had an opportunity to experiment."[2]

Release and reception

Vedder has admitted that the choice of "Who You Are" as the first single for No Code was a "conscious decision" intended to keep the size of the band's audience down.[2] "Who You Are" was the most successful song from No Code on the American rock charts. The song peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Austria, Canada, England, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Thailand. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart, and later it charted on the Alternative Top 30 chart where it reached number one and became Pearl Jam's first single to top that chart. "Who You Are" also reached number 17 on the Canadian Year End Alternative Top 50. "Who You Are" reached the UK Top 20 and peaked at number five on the Australian Singles Chart. "Who You Are" charted at number 47 in the Netherlands, reached the top 30 in Sweden, and was a top ten success in Finland and Norway. It was a moderate top 20 success in Ireland and New Zealand.

David Fricke of Rolling Stone said that the song has an "Indo-Bo Diddley glow" and called it a "buoyant electric variation on Vedder's recent collaborations with Pakistani vocal god Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan."[4] Christopher John Farley of Time also identified an influence of Vedder's collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, stating, "The spiritualized, bass-heavy "Who You Are" is a solid number, but it clearly owes a lot to Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, with whom Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder worked on the sound track to the film Dead Man Walking."[5] Vedder denied that his collaboration with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had any influence on the song.[2]

The song is featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 film, Chicago Cab. It was also featured in the Cold Case episode "The Long Blue Line" in 2009.

Live performances

"Who You Are" was first performed live at the band's September 14, 1996 concert in Seattle, Washington at The Showbox.[1] Following Irons' departure from the band in 1998 the song was dropped from set lists. After the band's March 9, 1998 concert in Sydney, Australia at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, the song was not performed live for a period of ten years. "Who You Are" finally made a return appearance at the band's June 11, 2008 concert in West Palm Beach, Florida at the Cruzan Amphitheatre.[1] The song has since returned to Pearl Jam set lists. Live performances of "Who You Are" can be found on various official bootlegs.

Track listing

  1. "Who You Are" (Stone Gossard, Jack Irons, Eddie Vedder) – 3:51
  2. "Habit" (Vedder) – 3:36

Chart positions

Chart (1996) Position
Finnish Singles Chart[6] 2
Canadian Singles Chart[7] 4
Canadian Alternative Top 30[8] 1
Australian Singles Chart[9] 5
Norwegian Singles Chart[10] 7
New Zealand Singles Chart[11] 17
UK Singles Chart[12] 18
Irish Singles Chart[13] 19
Swedish Singles Chart[14] 26
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 31
US Modern Rock Tracks[15] 1
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[15] 5
Dutch Singles Chart[16] 47

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pearl Jam Songs: "Who You Are"". pearljam.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Marks, Craig. "The Road Less Traveled". Spin. February 1997.
  3. ^ Peiken, Matt. "Jack Irons: This Inner Life". Modern Drummer. June 1998.
  4. ^ Fricke, David. "Pearl Jam: No Code". Rolling Stone. September 5, 1996.
  5. ^ Farley, Christopher John. "Identity Crisis". Time. September 2, 1996.
  6. ^ "Finnish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  7. ^ "Canadian Charts - "Who You Are"". RPM. Retrieved 2008-03-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Canadian Rock/Alternative Top 30 – "Who You Are"". RPM. Retrieved 2007-03-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "PEARL JAM - WHO YOU ARE (SINGLE) (74339)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  10. ^ "Norwegian Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  11. ^ "PEARL JAM - WHO YOU ARE (SONG)". New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  12. ^ "EveryHit.com". Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  14. ^ "Swedish Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
  15. ^ a b c "Pearl Jam Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-04-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "Dutch Single/Album Chart / Pearl Jam / Longplay". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
Preceded by Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single
September 7–13, 1996 		Succeeded by
"Down" by 311
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