Vitalogy is the third major release and a loose concept album by the band Pearl Jam, released on December 6, 1994 (see 1994 in music). Varied and idiosyncratic, the album was another big hit for Pearl Jam. Sparse productions and often bizarre lyrics (such as on "Bugs") made the album inaccessible without repeated listens. Eddie Vedder's hooks are a primary draw, built around furious guitar riffs and arrhythmic drum beats.

The album is packaged in a booklet which features clearly dated discussions of health and well-being, based on an early 20th Century book of the same name that Vedder found at a garage sale. The lyrics to "Whipping" are written on a copy of a petition to Bill Clinton against Pro-Life killings of abortionists, and many think that the lyrics of "Immortality" describe the scene of Kurt Cobain's suicide: "Scrawl dissolved, cigar box on the floor" (although Vedder himself has vehemently denied this, and many of the lyrics appeared in live versions of the song before Cobain's suicide). Many of the other songs on the album seem to be based on the pressures of fame and dealing with the resulting loss of privacy.

"Better Man" is a song from Vedder's previous band, Bad Radio. It was never released as a single, but became one of the band's biggest hits, peaking at #13 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. Along with "Corduroy," it has become a live staple, and continues to be played at almost every show. "Tremor Christ," the B-Side of the single "Spin the Black Circle," also managed to reach #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it has since largely disappeared from the band's set lists and rock radio.

Vitalogy was a #1 hit on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, selling over 850,000 copies in its first week of release on CD. The album was first released on vinyl on November 22, 1994, and debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. It was the first vinyl album to be listed on this chart since the introduction of compact discs.

Drums on "Satan's Bed" were performed by Abbruzzese's drum tech Jimmy Shoaf. On the day it was recorded, Abbruzzese was in the hospital having his tonsils removed. Vedder and Gossard were working on the song, and asked for Shoaf's help to get a drum machine working. After setting up the drum machine, the pair asked Shoaf to perform the same beat on the drums. Shoaf noted later that he didn't expect his performance to actually make the record. He is credited on the lyric sheet as the drummer, but it was several years before the public found out who "Jimmy" was.

Jack Irons plays drums on "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me". The song was a late addition to the album, recorded after Abbruzzese was fired from the band.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 492 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.