ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: The song is "Digital Witness" by St. Vincent. She's known for innovative dynamic guitar playing and for her richly produced songs. But the song that inspired St. Vincent to become a musician might surprise you. It's a grunge song from 1991. She told NPR Music's Bob Boilen about it for his book "Your Song Changed My Life."</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: ST. VINCENT: When I was 10, Pearl Jam "Ten" came out. The first time I heard it, I remember being at my friend's house, and MTV was on. I saw the video of Jeremy, you know, heard the song for the first time. That would've been fourth grade. And then it was like OK, I know what I want to do.</s>PEARL JAM: (Singing) At home drawing pictures of mountain tops with him on top.</s>PEARL JAM: ST. VINCENT: I was just completely obsessed with Pearl Jam. When I was first playing guitar when I was 12 and writing my own songs, I was doing an Eddie Vedder impression. Like, that's how I was learning to sing.</s>PEARL JAM: (Singing) Daddy didn't give attention to the fact that mommy didn't care.</s>PEARL JAM: ST. VINCENT: I mean, everybody liked Pearl Jam at that time. Everybody liked Nirvana. Everybody even liked, you know, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it was just like that was the wave, you know? I always felt like, oh, you like Pearl Jam? Oh, well, do you know this B-side? Do you know this rarity? Because I have all those tapes. You know, it's like you're a kid, and you finally have something that expresses that which you don't know how to express. And you have this way to construct your identity.</s>PEARL JAM: Jeremy spoke in...</s>ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This is "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam, the song that changed the life of musician St. Vincent. She spoke with NPR's Bob Boilen.
NPR Music's Bob Boilen talks with musician St. Vincent about a song that changed her life, "Jeremy," by Pearl Jam.