Which is the better song?

State by a long shot.

Breath's okay but I've always found it kind of forgettable (and its arena rock sheen a little dated.) I've never understood why it was such a fan favourite.

I agree. State by a mile.

I love both of these songs. They introduced me to the concept of B-sides. I remember having all of Pearl Jam's albums, then seeing the "Singles" soundtrack at K-Mart with its promotional "featuring music by Pearl Jam!" sticker on it, reading the song titles, and thinking, "Wait, there's...more?" "State" is definitely the superior song; it's uncharacteristically melodic for this era of the band, and a good live version brings the house down, but they're both special to me.

The first time I heard State was during the Melbourne 1995 live broadcast on JJJ.

I presume I tracked down the Singles soundtrack shortly thereafter; I remember being as underwhelmed by Breath as I was by Mother Love Bone's Crown of Thorns - how did these soft-rock wimps transform into Pearl Jam?!

State is classic. Breath is forgettable IMO. In fact I think it's the weakest song from the entire Ten sessions.

Is this even a question? The unplugged version of SOLAT was a defining aspect of my childhood. Breath is bland and forgettable.

what they said

State is the better song, but the outro of breath is top notch (and breath is still great)

SOLAT. Easy.



The first time I heard SOLAT was during a lunchtime concert in high school in about 10th Grade. Not unlike KD it blew my mind to find out that there were even more PJ songs available that just weren't on an album.

yup--that and crazy mary

Breath, you pack of vagina monologues!

I would go with State of Love & Trust, but both would be in my top ten Pearl Jam songs.

this is my exact experience. even the k-mart part.

state is far better, but that part in breath where eddie says, "if i knew where it was, i would take you there. there's much more than this, much more than this....see the world!" resonated with a kid stuck in a town of 9 thousand. i think of that line every time i go somewhere new.

Breath

Breath.

Less about songcraft on this one than it is about feeling. Breath is loaded with so much of what early PJ, and specifically Ed, did so well - that sense of earnest intensity. This song is about RIGHT NOW and we if we don't come together RIGHT NOW the moment will be lost. "There's much more than this." It's as cheesy as the Ten album cover, but it's fucking great.

Kind of the same for me, i didn't know that there were other songs then the songs on the albums, and it shocked me how good they were, im pretty sure by the time i had gotten the soundtrack vs was out and i really didn't know how these songs didn't make it onto ten or vs. Not too long after that the radio station i listened to played yellow ledbetter and said it was a rare b side, and the search was on to find it and anything else i could find. It was fun always looking through singles to see if they had a song i hadn't heard before, finding wash, dirty frank, alone, dead man, black red yellow, down, undone, otherside and a few others, it really makes me miss the way the music industry used to be.
SOLAT is definitely the better song, but the only reason the gap between the 2 is as big as it is for me is because Breath hasn't aged quite as well, but they are still both top 20 songs for me im pretty sure

Whoa, surprised by the general reaction. I think "Breath" is so much better. Love the bassline, the use of harmonics, Stone's guitar figure, how it climaxes and resolves. "State of Love and Trust" is a good song, but I always saw it as "Breath"'s derpy little brother.

I've got SOLAT ranked at #19 and Breath ranked at #20. I go back and forth with these two songs.

I just looked back at the list i did and I've got SOLAT 11 and Breath at 19, and for probably at least the last 10 or 12 years its been SOLAT over Breath, but before that it was always the other way around