Just Breathe (Pearl Jam song)

"Just Breathe"
Single by Pearl Jam
from the album Backspacer
A-side"Got Some"
ReleasedOctober 31, 2009
Recorded2009
GenreFolk rock
Length3:34
LabelMonkeywrench
Songwriter(s)Eddie Vedder
Producer(s)Brendan O'Brien
Pearl Jam singles chronology
"The Fixer"
(2009)
"Got Some" / "Just Breathe"
(2009)
"Amongst the Waves"
(2010)
Music video
"Just Breathe" on YouTube

"Just Breathe" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. "Just Breathe" was released on October 31, 2009, as the second single from the band's ninth studio album, Backspacer (2009). The song was triggered by a chord from "Tuolumne", an instrumental from Eddie Vedder's soundtrack for the 2007 film Into the Wild.[1]

It peaked at number six on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, where it was the band's highest-charting follow-up single since "Wishlist" in 1998.[2] It fared even better on the magazine's Adult Alternative Airplay chart, spending 13 weeks at number one;[3] in February 2021, for the chart's 25th anniversary, Billboard would rank the song at number 14 on its list of the 100 most successful songs in the chart's history.[4][5] While it only reached number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100, it was a number-one hit in Poland, a top ten hit in Portugal and a top 20 hit in the Netherlands.

On January 22, 2014, "Just Breathe" was certified platinum in digital sales by the RIAA.[6] It is the band's first platinum-certified song.

The song has been featured in several TV shows and movies, including Kodachrome, Castle, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters, Life as We Know It, The Blacklist, The Night Shift and iZombie in addition to the documentaries Buck and Gleason.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Eddie Vedder.

CD (UK), 7" vinyl single, and digital download (UK)
  1. "Got Some" (music: Jeff Ament) – 3:01
  2. "Just Breathe" (music: Vedder) – 3:34
Digital download (Australia)
  1. "Got Some" – 3:03
  2. "Just Breathe" – 3:36
  3. "Just Breathe" (Live at Austin City Limits video) – 3:52

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009–2010) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 30
Canada Rock (Billboard)[8] 1
Croatia (ARC Top 100)[9] 80
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 14
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 18
Portugal (AFP)[12] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 78
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[14] 20
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
Canadian Hot 100[16] 95

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[17] Platinum 60,000
Italy (FIMI)[18] Gold 15,000
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

Willie Nelson released his version of the song on the 2012 album Heroes, as well as a promotional single.

Jennifer Warnes released her version of the song on the 2018 album Another Time, Another Place.

Miley Cyrus released a version of the song on YouTube in 2020.

Dave Matthews covered the song solo on September 2, 2023, as part of the encore of Dave Matthews Band's show at the Gorge Amphitheater, in tribute to Jimmy Buffett and other friends who “breathed their last this week”. He continued to play the song during the band's 2023 fall tour and into their 2024 summer tour.

References

  1. ^ Pearl Jam: The 'Backspacer' Q&As
  2. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (February 18, 2021). "Dave Matthews Band & The Wallflowers' 'One Headlight' Top Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ^ "Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  6. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Database Search Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "Croatian Airplay Radio Chart Top 100". Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  10. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 2010" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  11. ^ "Pearl Jam – Just Breathe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  12. ^ "Pearl Jam – Just Breathe". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  13. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  14. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  15. ^ "Pearl Jam Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  16. ^ "Charts Year End: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  17. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Pearl Jam – Just Breathe" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Italian single certifications – Pearl Jam – Just Breathe" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Pearl Jam – Just Breathe". Recording Industry Association of America.