Dissident - Remastered

A dissident is a person who opposes an authoritarian regime, often at great risk. This song tells the story of a woman who abets one such dissident, putting herself in danger. Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder explained in Pearl Jam - The Illustrated Story: "In 'Dissident,' I'm actually talking about a woman who takes in someone who's being sought after by the authorities for political reasons. He's on the run, and she offers him a refuge. But she just can't handle the responsibility. She turns him in, then she has to live with the guilt and the realization that she's betrayed the one thing that gave her life meaning. It made her life difficult. It made her life hell, but it gave her a reason to be. But she couldn't hold on. She folded. That's the tragedy of the song."

According to Pearl Jam's book Twenty, Eddie Vedder wrote in an alternate meaning to "Dissident" as a metaphor for sexual abuse. He once told a live audience, "A woman's word is sacred, and no means no, and that's what a 'holy no' is." This refers to the line, "At a quarter past a holy no."

"Dissident" was released as the last single from Pearl Jam's second album, Vs.. When they issued their debut album, Ten, in 1991, grunge was bubbling under. By the time Vs. was released in 1993, it was a geyser. This put a lot of pressure on the band, who suddenly had lots of fans who, as Kurt Cobain said, just liked all the pretty songs. Pearl Jam managed to survive the crush and evolve as the casual fans drifted away but their ardent followers stayed devoted.