Pearl Jam ‘Fans’ Outraged by Politically-Charged ‘Can’t Deny Me’ Have Never Listened to the Band

Some Pearl Jam "fans" are jumping ship in response to the new single 'Can't Deny Me' because the band has "gone political." What politically ambiguous band have these "fans" been listening to for the past 30 years? It certainly wasn't Pearl Jam.

Pearl Jam released their new single 'Can't Deny Me' to the general public just last night, and the response has been surprising, to say the least. The first single from the as-yet-unnamed forthcoming 11th studio album has proven to be quite divisive among fans, some of whom are railing hard against its politically charged message and thinly-veiled jabs at our Commander-in-Chief. While Donald Trump is not name-checked in the song, it's hard to imagine lines like "Where's your vocabulary / Your ignorance is sinful" and "The country you are now poisoning / Condition critical" being inspired by anyone else.

Before we get too deep into this story, let's look at a sampling of negative comments from 'Can't Deny Me' posts on Pearl Jam's Facebook page:

Now it's one thing to dislike a band because of their music, and I completely understand if people do not like this song. As a huge Pearl Jam fan, I'll be the first to admit that 'Can't Deny Me' isn't their best work. But the fact that there are "fans" that were blindsided by the inclusion of political themes in their music is ridiculous.

Politics have always been a part of Pearl Jam's music, and anyone who's listened to anything between now and 'Ten' could've guessed there would be at least one example of anti-Trump sentiment reflected in their new work. This shouldn't be a surprise to any fan.

This reaction makes me wonder where the people saying Pearl Jam's music has "turned political" were when these few examples (out of MANY) occurred:

That time Eddie wrote "Pro-Choice" on his arm in Sharpie mid-performance on MTV Unplugged

That time they wrote a song about school shootings before school shootings were a far too common occurrence

Every time Eddie tags the end of 'Evenflow' with something like "Don't Vote Republican," which is a lot by the way 

When they wrote a song about police brutality.  Specifically, racially motivated brutality by White Male American ('W.M.A.') police

That time they did a whole song mocking gun enthusiasts

When they recorded an entire song about the president...

I could keep going, but I think it's clear that this band has never been one to shy away from divisive political topics in their music or their activism. Honestly, I'd say old Donny boy got off light in 'Can't Deny Me.' At least his name wasn't in the title like it was when they wrote a song about Dubya.

However, if you're among the people turning on the band because of their politics, chances are that you weren't that much of a fan to begin with. A real fan would have expected this. Even if you don't agree with them, you can still enjoy the band. I don't agree with Dave Mustaine's politics, but I can still rock out to some Megadeth.

Either way, we'll gladly bid you adieu because that means more elbow room at PJ's upcoming shows. Maybe now I can get a ticket for the first night at Wrigley without taking out a second mortgage.

Oh, and since you've written them off already, here's a picture of Eddie wearing a pussy hat for no reason other than to trigger you delicate snowflakes on the way out. Byeeeeee!