Target Teams With iTunes For Pearl Jam's "Backspacer" Digital Release

In June, news broke that Target stores had secured the exclusive big-box retail rights for Pearl Jam's upcoming album Backspacer. But while Walmart has its own digital music store and Best Buy owns Napster, Target doesn't have a notable digital music presence. To level the playing field, Target and iTunes announced yesterday that the two vendors will team up for a new Target-exclusive section on the iTunes Music Store, Billboard.biz reports. Fittingly, the first album that will be offered up in this new pact will be Pearl Jam's Backspacer, due out September 20th.

By pre-ordering Backspacer now, fans will immediately be able to download first single "The Fixer" and its brand new music video for free. The 10-minute Making Of Backspacer promo video will also be available as a free download with pre-orders until September 8th. While Target secured the big-box retailer exclusive on Pearl Jam's latestâ€"some Targets even have "The Fixer" 7'' single in stock now, perhaps marking the first time vinyl has ever been in stock there — Backspacer will also be available through independent record stores and Pearl Jam's own Ten Club store.

Related Stories:
• Cameron Crowe's Video for Pearl Jam's "The Fixer" Premieres
• Pearl Jam Tell Story Behind "Backspacer" in Making-Of Video
• Pearl Jam Break Out New Songs, Rarities, Ronnie Wood in London

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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