Songfacts®:

• The lyrics seem to have the intention of making suicidal people rethink their ideas. Some of they lyrics imply depression, but later in the song, Eddie Vedder sings about how you have reason to live - you have a part to play in the world. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Dan - Pittsburgh, PA
• There's some funky drumming on this song thanks to Jack Irons, who joined the band for the No Code album, replacing Dave Abbruzzese. In Pearl Jam's book Twenty, he recalled, "There was a lot of jamming going into No Code. We'd get into the studio and start kicking it up. With 'Who You are,' I liked to play that drumbeat a lot, and Stone [Gossard] came in and started kicking something over it. Next thing you know, there's a fairly loose track. Eddie sort of wrote right over it. I don't even think there were more than a few hours involved in cutting what became that basic track."
• "Who You Are" was the lead single from Pearl Jam's fourth album, No Code. After releasing their stunningly successful debut Ten in 1991, they stopped making videos and pulled away from the media, granting very few interviews. They also took on Ticketmaster, which forced them to play non-traditional venues and do a lot of work setting up the shows. Their next two album, Vs. and Vitalogy sold very well despite these restrictions, but No Code sagged, selling just a million copies in America compared to Vitalogy's 5 million. Only their core fans remained, but they were legion, supporting Pearl Jam over the next decades as they evolved. The band reciprocated, making sure fan club members got access to the best tickets, exclusive shows, and a Christmas single every year.
• This was included on Pearl Jam's greatest hits album Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 with a slight lyric change. Instead of "circumstance, clapping hands," it's "avalanche, falling fast." >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France