Red Mosquito

Vote for your favorite

It's obviously not Dirty Frank.

Hail Hail has grown on my over the years from a mid tier song to one of their better fast songs. And the lyrics in the verses (not so much the chorus) have always been top notch--a song with genuine insight into its subject matter. But it's not a favorite riff and it's not a favorite vocal performance.


For all the storm and stress melodrama in Release it still manages to feel powerful, the lyrics are touching, it is full of genuinely moving moments, the chorus is amazing (this is still an incredible eddie showcase), and the transition into the chorus (I'll ride the wave/I'll hold the pain/I'll open up/I'll wait up in the dark for you to speak to me) is one of the absolute high points in the catalog.


I think in the end even if you love Hail Hail, it is a song another band could have written. No one else could have done Release.


Vote for Release.

Hail Hail is fantastic, but Release might be my favorite Pearl Jam song.

"Release" is great, but "Hail, Hail" is close to being their best song.

Release was my favorite song for 20+ years. I still love it dearly.

Don't like Dirty Frank, so that's excluded easily enough. The other two are favorites of mine, for diametrically opposed reasons. Hail Hail is certainly a more impressive song in terms of lyric and construction, but in the right moment Release can hit really hard (it's also my live PJ white whale); 7 PJ shows and I've never gotten it.

It's a toss up, but coincidentally Hail, Hail came up on shuffle as I'm writing this. That bridge in the middle is truly stunning, and shockingly private for such an up-tempo song. I'll go with Hail Hail for now.

I thought "Hail, Hail" was in the winners' circle already. Let's send it.

Hail Hail is probably Pearl Jam's best "heavy" song. It's perfect.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:"Release" is great, but "Hail, Hail" is close to being their best song.

darth_vedder wrote:Hail Hail is probably Pearl Jam's best "heavy" song. It's perfect.

Whoa boy!

Release v Hail Hail! GOTdamn. This is a hot match. Two of my all time favorites. Both deserve to win the whole thing. 5 years ago I probably would have voted for Release. It's a really special song; one of two that made me a fan of the band in the first place.

But today...

It's Hail Hail.

Tough one, similar to the PT vs. Faithfull matchup. Both are top tier PJ, but Hail, Hail is slightly, ever so slightly, nearer the top for me.

I'm glad it's leaning Hail Hail over Release. Keep it up...

Hail Hail is grade A pearl jam.

Two of the best, both are fine examples of Pearl Jam and would both feature if you were introducing someone to the band.

Hail Hail takes it today.

Hail Hail should win the whole damn thing.

The gap of this victory is pretty surprising, I'd say.

The only times I don't think Animal is my favourite Pearl Jam song are the times when I think Hail, Hail is my favourite Pearl Jam song.

It's the top of the mountain with these guys, a perfect moment in time.

Now that Sunburn and 10 Billion Years are out of this thing... I might be team Hail Hail to win it all!

Hail Hail or Big Wave.

Big Wave isn't even on the same planet as Hail, Hail.

And I don't dislike Big Wave. It's in my top 10 PRAMG list. But it doesn't touch pretty much anything PrePRAMG.

Kaius wrote:Big Wave isn't even on the same planet as Hail, Hail.

And I don't dislike Big Wave. It's in my top 10 PRAMG list. But it doesn't touch pretty much anything PrePRAMG.

Sunburn and 10BY weren't going to win it all either. Doesn't stop me from rooting for them.