"Alive" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. "Alive" was Pearl Jam's first single, and appeared on the band's debut album, Ten (1991). Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, "Alive" originated as an instrumental titled "Dollar Short" and was included on a demo tape circulated in hopes of finding a singer for the group. Vocalist Eddie Vedder obtained a copy of the tape and wrote lyrics that describe a fictionalized account (though somewhat based on Vedder's personal experience) of the time when he was told that the man he thought was his father was not actually his biological parent."Alive" charted at number 16 in the UK (the single was available only through import in the US). Remixed versions of the song were included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003), and the 2009 Ten reissue. The song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.Origin and recordingGuitarist Stone Gossard wrote the music for the song, which he titled "Dollar Short", in 1990 when he was still a member of Mother Love Bone. According to Gossard in an interview for Pearl Jam's VH1 Storytellers special, Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood had even sung on it. After Wood died of a heroin overdose, Gossard and his bandmate Jeff Ament started playing with guitarist Mike McCready with the hope of starting a new band. "Dollar Short" was one of five tracks compiled onto a tape called Stone Gossard Demos '91 that Gossard, Ament, and McCready circulated in the hopes of finding a singer and drummer for the group.
