Superunknown turns 30!
To all my fellow Soundgarden fans…
This masterwork was released on March 8, 1994.
This is the cover art for the album "Superunknown" by the artist Soundgarden.
Superunknown was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Five singles were released from the album: "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave", "Fell on Black Days", "Spoonman", and "Black Hole Sun", the latter two of which won Grammy Awards and helped Soundgarden reach mainstream popularity.
“And, while I reconnected with the stories and songs of yesteryear, the song that most defined my Summer of 1994 was “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden.”
- Woodard, Anthony. “Driving with binoculars...”. Mar. 16, 2023
Paying homage… Me, my guitar, and my iPhone.
A river of deep tracks… Superunknown lasts for 15 songs, clocking in at approximately 70 minutes because according to Frontman Chris Cornell, "we didn't really want to argue over what should be cut". Soundgarden used alternate tunings and odd time signatures on several of the album's songs. "Spoonman", "Black Hole Sun", "Let Me Drown" and "Kickstand" were performed in drop D tuning while "Mailman" and "Limo Wreck" employed CGDGBe tuning. Some songs used more unorthodox tunings: "My Wave" and "The Day I Tried to Live" are both in an EEBBBb tuning. "Head Down" and "Half" both utilised CGCGGe tuning. "4th of July" is in a similar CFCGBe tuning. "Superunknown" and "Fresh Tendrils" are in DGDGBe tuning and "Like Suicide" is performed in DGDGBC tuning. Soundgarden's use of odd time signatures was varied as well; "Fell On Black Days" is in 6/4, "Limo Wreck" is played in 15/8, "My Wave" alternates between 5/4 and 4/4, and "The Day I Tried to Live" alternates between 7/8 and 4/4 sections. Lead guitarist Kim Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident".
Lyrically, the album is quite dark and mysterious, as much of it is often interpreted to be dealing with issues such as substance abuse, suicide, and depression, with running themes of revenge, annihilation, seclusion, fear, loss, death, and discovery; life isn’t always “rainbows and unicorns”.
Source: Wikipedia.org
I, like millions of others, was (am) a Soundgarden fan. I was fortunate to experience the band live and in-person. Unfortunately, the album’s dark and mysterious undertones surfaced years later as Chris Cornell lost his life-long battle with depression. He was found dead in his Detroit hotel room in the early hours of May 18, 2017, after performing at a Soundgarden concert an hour earlier at the Fox Theatre. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging. Chris publicly talked about his struggle with depression, isolation, and suicidal thoughts several times throughout his life. This started after Cornell stated he had ingested PCP for the first and only time, causing a "deep scar on his psyche." This changed his life overnight. He said he became an introvert, experienced anxiety and depression, dealing with this period for over two years.
We will almost certainly be faced with adversity, and unfortunately in some cases, tragedy and heartbreak. The circumstances may be sudden or may have been haunting us for many years, like a stalker. How each of us address these situations or events, is a personal journey that hopefully results in recovery, and even, growth. Sadly, sometimes it doesn’t…
For me, Chris’ death was a poignant reminder of life’s fragility. The topics of life, death, and all that’s in between became even more top of mind. At the time of his death, my mother was nearing the end of her two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. She passed away around four months later, as the disease rapidly advanced and her body broke down, seemingly overnight. Such events sometimes bring forth both philosophical and practical questions; Why? What is life? When does hope become acceptance? How can we help someone who is suffering?
Like a ballad, each of our lives tells a story, many of which share a common thread. Conversation, empathy, and understanding are how we realize these connections, our connections. It starts with being there for someone or allowing someone to be there for you…
Chris Cornell
1964 - 2017
Photo Credit: Mark Seliger. Source: rollingstone.com
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