MM 3-6: Given to Fly vs. Pilate vs. Light Years

[stip]

Round is closed 3/14/24 8 PM est

[stip]

Given to Fly was the last unconditionally great Pearl Jam anthem, and one of the songs that just embodies everything they do better than anyone.

Pilate is fun, but it's in the look past the lyrics category for me.


As has been previously established, light years should have remained puzzles and games

[Gigalogy84]

Light Years is one of my faves but Given to Fly overtakes it.

[LetMeSleep]

Throwing a bone to Light Years.

All great though.

[stip]

Light years is a song I always expect to do better than it does

[Brett]

This is a tough bracket for me, as these are my two favorite Pearl Jam albums. "Pilate" is a wonderfully odd little song, and I'd happily vote for it against a number of songs, but not against these two. "Given to Fly" and "Light Years" are both top five songs, and both deserve to go further than this. For me, "Light Years" comes out ahead, and I'll be disappointed when it loses, but I can't be mad about "Given to Fly" winning.

[wease]

Light Years is my favorite track on Binaural. I’m absolutely sick to death of GTF. I love Pilate, but it’s not Light Years.

[Anders]

Light Years

[mray10]

For being one of the band's "anthems" that almost everyone loves and gets played at nearly every show, Given to Fly has never quite been *there* for me. It's a good song, I don't have anything against it, just not top shelf. I'm going to give this to Light Years.

[Higgs]

Light Years for sure.

[digster]

I think I'll go Light Years, but that and Given to Fly are both neck-and-neck for me, both somewhere in 10-20 of my top PJ songs. GTF is one of the most defining songs of their later period, and in terms of sound and style it's preferable to the earlier and later anthems for me. Light Years is so beautiful, though; it manages to be sad and hopeful in the same chorus, and smartly pilfers the bridge of Puzzles and Games, which was easily the best part of that track (and uses it in a way that sounds far more natural).

[epilogue]

GtF

[stip]

Given to Fly advances.