"In Hiding" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest vocalist i ...

and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, "In Hiding" is the eleventh track on the band's fifth studio album, '' Yield'' (1998). Despite the lack of a commercial single release, the song managed to reach number 13 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart and number 14 on their

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart.

Origin and recording

"In Hiding" features lyrics written by vocalist

and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard. As shown on the DVD, ''

Single Video Theory ''Single Video Theory'' is a music documentary directed by Mark Pellington that follows the making of '' Yield'', the fifth album by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam. It was released first on VHS on August 4, 1998, and then on DVD on ...

'', Gossard brought the guitar riff for the song to the band after recording it on a microcassette recorder, while Vedder held off on writing lyrics for the song until late in the album's recording sessions. Drummer Jack Irons said, "I like "In Hiding" a lot...It's like a band track. It sounds like five guys just played a track together and I think that's pretty much what happened.""Pearl Jam Talks About New Approach To ''Yield''"

MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. February 4, 1998. Guitarist

Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready wa ...

said, "Just something about it that strikes me. Even in the earlier demo stages when I heard it I knew it was something that had to happen."

Lyrics

Vedder's lyrics for "In Hiding" were inspired by the writings of Charles Bukowski.Brownlee, Clint. "Still Alive". ''Seattle Sound Magazine''. March 2009. The writer was known to stay in a room for days at a time without coming out. The lyric page for the song in the album's liner notes features a quote by Bukowski attributed to "Buk" in place of the lyrics for the song. Vedder on the origins of the song:

"In Hiding" is actually written about Bukowski. Sean Penn gave me a quote that Bukowski had said to him once, and it was written directly from that. He told Sean that sometimes he just has to check out for a few days—no people, no nothing. So he goes in hiding, then he gets back and has the will to live once again. Maybe because society takes you down. For all the good things we offer each other, sometimes we beat each other down.

When asked about the song in an interview, Vedder stated it was about "a life fast." Vedder about "In Hiding":

The song was about taking a fast from life, doing anything to get yourself back in touch with something real. Abstinence from anything is cool, because the normalcy of life is deceptive: It's enjoyable for a while, and there are good moments, but sometimes that's not enough. You start questioning what's the point. By not opening my mouth I was able to get into that state. Jack called me at the end of it; he couldn't understand what I was saying. It took a minute to get my speech back.

Reception

Without being released as a single, "In Hiding" peaked at number 14 on the ''Billboard''

chart and number 13 on the ''Billboard''

chart in 1998. In Canada, "In Hiding" charted on the Alternative Top 30 chart where it peaked at number six and stayed there for two weeks. "In Hiding" was featured in the '' Cold Case'' episode "The Long Blue Line" in 2009.

Live performances

"In Hiding" was first performed live at the band's February 20, 1998 concert in

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

, Hawaii at the Alexander M. Baldwin Amphitheatre."Pearl Jam Songs: "In Hiding""
. pearljam.com. Live performances of "In Hiding" can be found on various official bootlegs and the ''

Live at the Gorge 05/06 ''Live at the Gorge 05/06'' is a seven-disc live box set by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on June 26, 2007 through Rhino Entertainment/Warner Music Group. The box set documents the band's 2005 and 2006 shows at The Gorge ...

'' box set. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD ''

''. "In Hiding" is also featured on the 2011 official live release ''

Live on Ten Legs ''Live on Ten Legs'' is a live album by American rock band Pearl Jam released on January 17, 2011. Composed of songs recorded during the band's 2003–2010 world tours, it is a companion piece to their 1998 live album, ''Live on Two Legs''. A ...

''.

Chart positions

References

External links

Lyrics at pearljam.com
{{authority control 1998 songs Pearl Jam songs Songs written by Eddie Vedder Songs written by Stone Gossard Song recordings produced by Eddie Vedder Song recordings produced by Stone Gossard Song recordings produced by Jeff Ament Song recordings produced by Mike McCready Song recordings produced by Jack Irons Song recordings produced by Brendan O'Brien (record producer)