Superunknown

Superunknown
Soundgarden studio album
Publication (s)	March 8, 1994
Label (s)	A&M Records
Format (s)	CD, LP
Genre (s)	Grunge , alternative rock
Title (number)	16 (international version)
running time	73 min 30 s (international version)
occupation	Matt Cameron Chris Cornell Ben Shepherd Kim Thayil
production	Michael Beinhorn Soundgarden
Studio (s)	July - September 1993, Bad Animals Studio, Seattle , Washington
chronology Badmotorfinger (1991) Superunknown Down on the Upside (1996)
Single releases February 15, 1994 Spoonman 1994 The Day I Tried to Live May 1994 Black Hole Sun October 1994 My Wave 1994 Fell on Black Days

Superunknown is the fourth album by the grunge band Soundgarden . It was published in March 1994 by A & M Records and was nominated for the Grammy in the category Best Rock Album . The titles Spoonman and Black Hole Sun received Grammys. The Rolling Stone named the album in 2003 at number 336 in the list of the 500 best albums in pop music . It belongs to the " 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die ".

Music and lyrics

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.

The songs on the album are more experimental and different than the band's previous recordings; some songs have an oriental or Indian flavor (for example Half ). Some songs also have Beatles influences, such as Black Hole Sun and Head Down .

Soundgarden used alternative string tunings and unusual time signature on several songs on the album. Spoonman and Black Hole Sun were played in a dropped-D mood . Some songs use more unusual moods: My Wave and The Day I Tried to Live are both played in an EEBBBE mood.

Lyrically, the album is quite dark and mysterious; so it is commonly interpreted as dealing with issues such as substance abuse , suicide, and depression .

design

Album artwork

The cover artwork (called "Screaming Elf") is a distorted photograph of the band members over an upside-down burning forest.

Album title

In a 1994 interview with Pulse! Chris Cornell stated that he came up with the album title when he misread the title of a video titled Superclown .

Track list

1. Let Me Drown ( Chris Cornell ) - 3:51
2. My Wave (Cornell, Kim Thayil ) - 5:12
3. Fell on Black Days (Cornell) - 4:42
4. Mailman ( Matt Cameron , Cornell) - 4:25
5. Superunknown (Cornell, Thayil) - 5:06
6. Head Down ( Ben Shepherd ) - 6:08
7. Black Hole Sun (Cornell) - 5:18
8. Spoonman (Cornell) - 4:06
9. Limo Wreck (Cameron, Cornell, Thayil) - 5:47
10. The Day I Tried to Live (Cornell) - 5:19
11. Kickstand (Cornell, Thayil) - 1:34
12. Fresh Tendrils (Cameron, Cornell) - 4:16
13. 4th of July (Cornell) - 5:08
14. Half (Shepherd) - 2:14
15. Like Suicide (Cornell) - 7:01
16. She Likes Surprises (Cornell) - 3:17
    • "She Likes Surprises" appeared exclusively on the international version of the album

Singles

• Spoonman (February 15, 1994; Awarded a Grammy for Best Metal Performance )
• The Day I Tried to Live (1994)
• Black Hole Sun (1994; Awarded a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance , Video, MTV Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal / Hard Rock Video )
• My Wave (1994)
• Fell on Black Days (1994)

Web links

• Superunknown on an unofficial Soundgarden website (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Database query in the Awards Database of the Los Angeles Times
2. ↑ see Grammy Awards 1995
3. ^ The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
4. ↑ 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die at www.rocklistmusic.co.uk (accessed February 2, 2010)
5. ↑ Lanham, Tom. "In Search of the Monster Riff" . Pulse! . March 1994.