Red Mosquito

Oceans vs. Deep

Is Deep Pearl Jam's darkest song? Heaviest? These are questions I have.

Deep is good, but Oceans is better.

I long for Oceans as an opener. Stuck with me since I first heard the MTV Unplugged version.

Oceans it is.

Oceans

I like Deep a lot, the heavy sparse musical arrangement is something and sometimes angular and harsh sounding moments grew on me over the years. Besides Master/Slave, it shows a band that has larger musical ambitions, and while one could debate if those were ever achieved (I think they were) it's a song of great power dynamics and a welcome contrast to the anthems on this record.

However, Oceans is on another plain entirely. It's sublime. It feels as vast, heavy and deep as the ocean, no mean feat for a song less than three minutes long.

Oceans.

I have to add, if intentional it's clever putting deep, a state of the ocean against the thing itself.

Deep remains the only song on Ten that has never fully clicked for me.

Oceans.

Pretty evenly matched for me.

Oceans is a bit of a drippy love song, so let's go with Deep.

Deep is the best song on Ten.

Knabetnuom wrote:
I have to add, if intentional it's clever putting deep, a state of the ocean against the thing itself.

lets say yes

Two actually very good songs, but going with Oceans. It was a concert "white whale" until I finally heard it open an encore...while I was pissing.

I think Oceans is beautiful. It's a great song but Deep is a monster and underrated.

Oceans. One of the critical pieces of Ten for me. Without it, Ten is almost too consistent and would risk sounding too same-y. Oceans provides a respite but also a sense of positivity (relatively speaking) that much of the rest of the album lacks. The yearning is for something or someone that’s reachable even if momentarily out of reach - that’s not so much the case with the other songs.

Leatherhead wrote:Deep is the best song on Ten.

I would be willing to get on board with this.

In an album pretty heavy with angsty gutter-sketch melodrama, Deep is the victim of mood fatigue for me. Cool guitar parts, though.

Oceans. I love that one. I dont care for Deep that much.

Oceans wins 24-16