''Merkin Ball'' is an

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) by American

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

. The EP contains two songs: A-side "I Got Id" (also known as "I Got Shit") and B-side "Long Road", both written by Pearl Jam lead singer

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...

. The EP features Canadian-American musician

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

and was released on December 4, 1995, through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. ''Merkin Ball'' is a companion to Young's 1995 album '' Mirror Ball''. The EP became a chart hit, particularly in Australia and Scandinavia. It reached number two in Australia, number three in Finland, number five in Norway, and number 10 in Denmark. In the United States, the EP peaked at number seven on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, number two on the ''Billboard''

Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" fo ...

chart, and number three on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart. It has been certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. "I Got Id" was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, '' rearviewmirror (Greatest Hits 1991–2003)''.

Recording

The tracks on ''Merkin Ball'' were recorded at the tail end of the ''Mirror Ball'' sessions in February 1995. The songs were produced and mixed by Pearl Jam sound engineer Brett Eliason. Pearl Jam vocalist

was not around much for the ''Mirror Ball'' recording sessions due to what he called a "pretty intense stalker problem".Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

''. August 2001. Vedder said that "leaving the house wasn't the easiest thing to do." He referred to the issue in the song " Lukin" from Pearl Jam's 1996 album, ''

No Code ''No Code'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1996, through Epic Records. Following a troubled tour for its previous album, '' Vitalogy'' (1994), in which Pearl Jam engaged in a much-publici ...

''. Vedder wrote and performed vocals and guitar on the songs "I Got Id" and "Long Road", which were omitted from ''Mirror Ball''.Strauss, Neil
"The Predictably Unpredictable Neil Young"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. July 2, 1995. Retrieved on March 27, 2008. Because of legal complications between

and

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

, the songs and the band name "Pearl Jam" were not allowed to be included on the full ''Mirror Ball'' album, so they were released separately as a Pearl Jam single.

contributed lead guitar to "I Got Id" and pump organ to "Long Road". ''Mirror Ball'' producer Brendan O'Brien plays bass on "I Got Id", and Pearl Jam bassist

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician best known as the bassist of rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Ament wrote or co-wrote many of Pearl Jam's hits, ...

plays bass on "Long Road". Pearl Jam drummer

Jack Irons Jack Steven Irons (born July 18, 1962) is an American drummer. He is the founding drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers until he departed in 1988 and is a former member of Pearl Jam and Eleven. Alongside his work with Red Hot Chili Pep ...

plays drums on both tracks.

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

Qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...

singer

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

contributed backing vocals to a later recording of "Long Road".

Music and lyrics

''Mirror Ball'' and ''Merkin Ball'' complement each other musically. Jonathan Cohen of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

said that "I Got Id" was "an even mix of ''

Vitalogy ''Vitalogy'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994, on Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded ''Vitalogy'' while touring behind its previous album '' Vs.'' (1993). The album's sound is m ...

''s raw

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and ''No Codes major-key majesty" and said regarding "Long Road" that "Vedder's melody is uplifting, his lyrics poignant." "I Got Id" is also known by its original title "I Got Shit" by the band and its fans. It is rumored that when Vedder proposed the idea of a single to Epic, the label made him change the title of the song. In some concert performances, Vedder has also introduced the song as "I Got I.D.". Upon introducing the song at Pearl Jam's September 19, 1998, concert in Washington, D.C. at Constitution Hall, Vedder stated, " gave me a song writing lesson at a half-price rate; this is what I came up with...on my final, he gave me a B+ I think." At Pearl Jam's May 10, 2006, concert in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada, at the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

, Vedder revealed that the song's chorus melody was inspired by the verse melody in Neil Young's " Cinnamon Girl" from the 1969 album, ''

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ''Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere'' is the second studio album by Canadian-American musician Neil Young, released in May 1969 on Reprise Records, catalogue number RS 6349. His first with longtime backing band Crazy Horse, it emerged as a sleeper ...

''.. TwoFeetThick.com. At Pearl Jam's July 7, 2006, concert in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

at Cox Arena, Vedder revealed that he wrote "Long Road" after hearing about the death of his former high school drama teacher and mentor, Clayton E. Liggett. He added that he began to hit the opening D-chords of "Long Road" as if he was "trying to ring a bell to say that 'We lost one of the good ones,'" and after "about eight minutes", the rest of the performers on the track joined in without saying anything and began to bring the song to life.

Release and reception

Epic Records released ''Merkin Ball'' on December 4, 1995, as a CD and

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

. In Japan,

Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the la ...

issued a CD single two weeks later, on December 21. David Browne of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave ''Merkin Ball'' a B+. Browne called "I Got Id" a "standard PJ chest thumper" and stated that "Long Road" " akesYoung and Pearl Jam into a mystical zone never hinted at on 'Mirror Ball''" AllMusic staff writer Jonathan Cohen gave the record two and a half out of five stars, saying, "By no means essential, but well worth a spin." ''Merkin Ball'' debuted and peaked at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also reached number two on the ''Billboard''

charts and number three on the ''Billboard''

chart. Worldwide, the EP reached number two in Australia, number three in Finland, number five in Norway and number ten in Denmark. It additionally became a top-forty hit in Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It has been certified

by the

for shipments of over 500,000. In September 2001, Vedder and Pearl Jam guitarist

Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician known for being a founding member and lead guitarist of Pearl Jam. McCready was also a member of the side project bands Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season (band), Ma ...

were joined by Young to perform "Long Road" at the '' America: A Tribute to Heroes'' benefit concert. "Long Road" was also used in the films '' Dead Man Walking'', '' Outsourced'', and ''

Eat Pray Love ''Eat Pray Love'' is a 2010 American biographical romantic drama film starring Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert, based on Gilbert's 2006 memoir of the same name. Ryan Murphy co-wrote and directed the film, which was released in the United ...

'' and in the episode "My Five Stages" of the sitcom '' Scrubs''.

Packaging

wrecking ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...

graces the cover art of ''Merkin Ball''. ''Mirror Ball'' and ''Merkin Ball'' complement each other in the layout and content of the packaging. The title ''Merkin Ball'' is a play on ''Mirror Ball''. A

merkin __NOTOC__ A merkin is a pubic wig. Merkins were worn by prostitutes after shaving their mons pubis, and are used as decorative items or erotic devices by both men and women. History and etymology The '' Oxford Companion to the Body'' dates ...

is commonly known as a pubic wig. Vedder came up with the title. In an interview, Vedder said that the title refers to an "

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, or sometimes for special purposes such as signaling. ...

Live performances

"I Got Id" was first performed live at the band's February 21, 1995, concert in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan, at Kosei Nenkin Kaikan."Pearl Jam Songs: "I Got Id""
. pearljam.com. Live performances of "I Got Id" can be found on various official bootlegs. A performance of the song is also included on the DVD ''

Touring Band 2000 ''Touring Band 2000'' is the second DVD release by the American alternative rock band Pearl Jam, culled from performances from the North American legs of the band's 2000 Binaural Tour. It was released on VHS and DVD on May 1, 2001. Overview DVD ...

''.

Track listing

Personnel

Pearl Jam *

– bass guitar on "Long Road" *

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

, drums *

– guitar, vocals Additional musicians and production *

– guitar,

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

, vocals * Brendan O'Brien – bass guitar on "I Got Id" *

Joel Bernstein Joel Bernstein is a photographer, guitarist, and record producer based in Oakland, California. His photographs have appeared as the album covers for ''After the Gold Rush'', '' 4 Way Street'', '' Rita Coolidge'', '' Wind on the Water'', '' Runn ...

–

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...

s * Brett Eliason –

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

''Merkin Ball'' information at pearljam.com
{{Authority control 1995 EPs 1995 collaborative albums Epic Records EPs Neil Young EPs Pearl Jam EPs