Wishlist

As the title implies, this song is a list of wishes. Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder wrote it by improvising the lyrics during a jam session with the band's guitarist, Mike McCready. There are 13 wishes in total, many about becoming a better person and more dependable friend ("I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on") and others more abstract ("I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun"). Vedder was in a good place when he come up with the song, so there's also some gratitude ("I wish I was as fortunate as fortunate as me").

According to Vedder, the song was originally about eight minutes long with a much longer list. He pared down the wish list to the best of the bunch and trimmed the song to 3:26.

The line "I wish I was the full moon shining off your Camaro's hood" is a reference to the ride belonging to Vedder's then-wife, Beth Liebling. Liebling and Vedder divorced in 2000 after a 16-year relationship that included a six-year marriage. Vedder talked about it in Los Angeles Times, saying "Relationships can be tough. There are times I end up putting a lot of time into this music thing. I don't sleep at night." Beth Liebling is also a musician, co-founder of the band Hovercraft, which played a lot of shows with Pearl Jam.