Regarding the choice of "Nothing as It Seems" as the band's first single from "Binaural", vocalist Eddie Vedder explained, "With that one we felt like we...weren't trying to fool people. It actually felt like we were offering them something fairly challenging. We obviously respect the audience." "Nothing as It Seems" was the most successful song from "Binaural" on the American rock charts. The song peaked at number 49 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, number three on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number ten on the "Billboard" Modern Rock Tracks chart.