Kristy Parker from Vintage Rock recently wrote an interesting piece about "Jeremy", the Pearl Jam video we probably all remember. Young boy in a classroom, young boy wrapped in an American flag against the flaming backdrop - those images are part of our collective memories thanks to the visual impact of the video and Eddie Vedder's poignant lyrics.

What Parker didn't know, that is until she saw the video again and decided to research it, was that the song was written in response to actual events. Having been emotionally affected by the song when it was first released, Parker found herself even more attached and concerned, given the events at Columbine and her realization about the song's reverence for a troubled young boy who took his life in front of his classmates.

I hadn't seen this video for years, and then I watched it today and it just floored me. Especially after growing up with the Colombine shootings in 1999, this video in turn seemed somewhat eeriely prophetic and even more chilling than before. What I didn't know prior to today, was that "Jeremy" was actually inspired by real events. A boy named Jeremy Delle killed himself in 1991 in front of a classroom of 16 peers and his teacher.

Parker goes on to make what we all assume was Pearl Jam's point as well: as a community, we need to do more to recognize each other's alienation and work to break down the walls that keep children like Jeremy Delle from feeling trapped and hopeless.

The piece, "Jeremy: The Boy Behind the Song" does an excellent job of reminding us how music can motivate us for change, and how good music is always worth revisiting.

Read her entire article here.