The story of "Off He Goes" concerns a friend who periodically comes whirling in and out of the protagonist's life. In an interview, Vedder revealed himself to be the friend. Vedder said, "The song 'Off He Goes' is really about me being a shit friend. I'll show up and everything's great and then all of [a] sudden I'm outta there..."[5] During a Pearl Jam performance on June 16, 2000 in Katowice, Poland at Spodek, Vedder said before starting the song that "this is about being friends with an asshole,"[6] and pointed at himself.
Release and reception
"Off He Goes" was released as a single in 1996 with a previously unreleased B-side titled "Dead Man", which can also be found on the compilation album, Lost Dogs (2003). The song peaked at number 34 on the BillboardMainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 31 on the BillboardModern Rock Tracks chart.
Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia. In Canada, the song reached the top 40 on the Canadian Singles Chart, and later it charted on the Canadian Alternative Top 30 chart where it reached number 15 and stayed there for two weeks. "Off He Goes" would peak at number 46 on the Australian Singles Chart.
In AllMusic's review of No Code, "Off He Goes" was cited as one song on the album that is "equal [to] the group's earlier masterpieces."[7]David Fricke of Rolling Stone said, "At first, "Off He Goes" sounds like another page torn from the Neil Young hymnal. Its elegant, acoustic simplicity is deceiving, though. With a humor and confidence that he rarely gets credit for, Vedder describes a man not unlike himself—at least, his public image—but from the point of view of an old, puzzled friend."[8]
