Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready, "Yellow Ledbetter" was an outtake from the band's debut album, Ten (1991).
[1] The song eventually found its way onto radio, peaking at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
[2] The song features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready.
[2] Although many fans have made their own interpretations of the song's meaning, a common theory has been that the song is about someone receiving a letter saying that his or her brother had died overseas in war,[6] as cited from the lyrics in the Live at the Garden version, "I don't know whether my brother will be coming home in a box or a bag.
"[8] On the official bootleg release of 7/11/03 – Mansfield, Massachusetts, Vedder sings in the first verse "I think of him when I go to bed, and he's coming home in a box or a bag.
In the liner notes for Lost Dogs, McCready said:"A riff loosely based on something...I had during the Ten sessions.
On this walk, the friend, whom Vedder described as "alternative looking", happened by a house with an American flag flying and people on the porch.
[13] Steve Huey of Allmusic said that McCready's "airy Stevie Ray Vaughan imitations provide the essential meat of the song."
He added, "Eddie Vedder's vocal is alternately intense and achingly wistful, with the latter particularly suiting the song's mood."
"[14] Will Hermes of Spin said, "The Hendrix-indebted power ballad "Yellow Ledbetter" is some of the best Pearl Jam music ever recorded.
[18] The first full live performance of "Yellow Ledbetter" occurred at the band's February 15, 1992, concert in Madrid, Spain.
During performances, McCready often plays the main riff quite differently than on the record and uses overdrive as opposed to the previous clean channel.