Go is a song by Pearl Jam, released in October 25, 1993 as the first single from the band’s second studio album, Vs. (1993). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by drummer Dave Abbruzzese.
Go was one of the songs the band produced during the first week of recording Vs. The lead guitar riff for Go was written by drummer Dave Abbruzzese. He initially wrote the music for the song using an acoustic guitar. Abbruzzese said, “With Go, I picked up the guitar at the right time. Stone asked me what I was playing and he started playing it, then Jeff started playing it and Eddie started singing along with it, and it became a song.”
Guitarist Stone Gossard added the mermaid-shaped guitar part. Gossard on the song:
“That song went through a cool evolution that goes back to what we’ve been saying about creative input. Dave played us the two main parts, that wonderful BAM-BAM-BAM chord riff and then the rising main riff in a more acoustic vein. Then when he got behind the drums, everybody got really strong and it became something else, a little bit tougher.”
Guitarist Mike McCready played a yellow Telecaster on the song. McCready threw the guitar to the ground at the end of the take, which can be heard on the recorded version. McCready on the song:
“That solo on Go was probably the second of three or four takes. And I have a problem recreating it live, because I wasn’t thinking about that when we did it in the studio. So onstage, I go into this mode where I start thinking while I’m playing, “Okay, this sounds like the album and I want to emulate it.” But to really capture that feeling of being in the moment, I have to get in touch with the emotion that’s running through me RIGHT NOW”.
CD (US, Australia, Austria, Canada, and Europe) and Cassette (Australia, Indonesia, and Thailand)
- Go
- Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town (acoustic)
- Alone
