Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has released a new cover of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song “Room at the Top.” Vedder’s version of the 1999 tune appears on the soundtrack to the upcoming Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey.
Bad Monkey, which premieres on August 14 and stars Vince Vaughn, is based on a 2013 novel by Carl Hiaasen. It tells the story of a former Miami police detective who is now working as a health inspector in the Florida Keys, but is hoping to get his old job back by solving a potential murder case he’s stumbled upon.
Bill Lawrence, who developed the series, made the creative choice to feature songs from Petty’s catalog throughout the show’s first season.
Each episode of Bad Monkey features new covers of Petty songs by various artists, including Vedder, Weezer, Jamie Jackson, Nathaniel Rateliff, Marcus King, Larkin Poe, The War on Drugs, Stephen Marley, Sharon Van Etten, Fitz & The Tantrums, and Kurt Vile. New songs from the soundtrack will be made available weekly via digital formats. The full album will be released on October 4.
The original version of “Room at the Top” was the lead track of Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1999 album, Echo. The song reached No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and topped Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay tally.
According to Setlist.fm, Vedder has sung “Room at the Top” more than a dozen times at various shows over the last six years. He first performed the tune at the 2018 Oscars ceremony during the “In Memoriam” segment the year after Petty’s death.
Pearl Jam’s Upcoming Tour Plans
Pearl Jam is preparing to launch a new series of U.S. concerts. The shows are mapped out from an August 22 performance in Missoula, Montana, through a September 17 concert in Boston.
Pearl Jam also will be headlining the 2024 Ohana Festival on September 27 and September 29 in Dana Point, California. The band will wind down the year with a tour of New Zealand and Australia in November.
Pearl Jam’s 2024 world tour is in support of its 12th studio album, Dark Matter, which was released in April.
Tickets for Pearl Jam’s tour dates are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
Full Bad Monkey Soundtrack Song List:
- “You Wreck Me” – The War on Drugs
- “Room at the Top” – Eddie Vedder
- “I Won’t Back Down” – Sharon Van Etten
- “Even the Losers” – Fitz and the Tantrums
- “Don’t Do Me Like That” – Flipturn
- “Runnin’ Down a Dream” – Larkin Poe
- “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “You’re Gonna Get It” – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
- “Sins of My Youth” – Kurt Vile
- “Yer So Bad” – Meridian Bros
- “Wildflowers” – Charlotte Lawrence
- “Into the Great Wide Open” – Lissie
- “Don’t Fade on Me” – Chiiild
- “Supernatural Radio” – GoldFord
- “You Don’t Know How It Feels” – Stephen Marley
- “Here Comes My Girl” – Weezer
- “Don’t Come around Here No More” – Nathaniel Rateliff
- “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” – Briston Maroney
- “The Waiting” – Marcus King
- “Breakdown” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Free Fallin’” – Imaginary Future featuring Kina Grannis
- “Bad Monkey Theme” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Yancy” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Dragon Queen” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Eyes Over Keys” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Egg Chase Neville” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “One That Got Away” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “Bee Drop” – Waz & Jamie Jackson
- “The Storm Is Coming” – Waz & Jamie Jackson