By far one of the songs that defined grunge in general… “Black Hole Sun” de Soundgarden is one of the definitive songs of the 90s, and is the one that ended up elevating Chris Cornell and company as one of the most recognized bands of their time.
And it’s funny because the most emblematic hit for them came with their fourth studio album, Superunknown from 1994. But they already had a track record with a third of previous albums released between 1988 and 1991, as well as tours with other renowned groups.
The thing is, the path to mass stardom, recognition beyond the industry’s rock scene, came with that captivating song with a slow rhythm and psychedelic instrumental. And of course, also with that strange but great music video that without anger, we could put it as one of the most emblematic of the time.
Even more incredible is that this song, which could be complex, emotional, depressive or whatever suits the interpretation of each person, actually arose from a very random event that happened to Cornell. This is the story behind Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”.
Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” and its curious origin
Many of the best songs in history do not exactly have an epic background nor do they arise from merely extraordinary situations… Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” is one of themand it is also a theme that demonstrates how incredible works can come out when you only have, in this case, three words as a starting point.
The three words for Chris Cornell – of course – were ‘black’, ‘hole’ and ‘sun’. But where did you get them from? It turns out that the song was written when the vocalist was driving home from a study session. In that span, he remembered something he heard on television and that he himself confused. That’s how he told it en 2014 a Uncut Magazine:
“I wrote it in my head driving home from Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, a 35-40 minute drive from Seattle. It was triggered by something a newscaster said on TV that I misheard. I heard ‘blah, blah, blah, black hole, sun (hole, black, sun), blah, blah, blah’. I thought that would make an awesome song title…”
Chris Cornell para Uncut Magazine
“Black Hole Sun” de Soundgarden came to break the creative concept that the band used in their previous albums. Well actually the whole record Superunknown we could classify it like this… Cornell and company were related to the influence of heavy metal and the most distorted alternative rock.
But with this album, they would polish and soften (in a good way) the subject of composition and production. For it, were made from the services of Michael Beinhornknown for his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soul Asylum, and the Violent Femmes, among others.
According to Beinhorn’s account (in statements taken from The Ringer), the band he was making compositions very similar to past records. And the producer himself, in talks he had with the members, talked about some ideas to do something different. One of the talks that resonated most with him was with Chris Cornell, to whom he told the following:
“(Chris Cornell) was very aware of what he was doing… I asked him what music he liked; what was really influencing him. And he told me that The Beatles and Cream. And I was like: ‘Write a song that sounds like the Beatles and Cream’…
Michael Beinhorn on working with soundgarden on ‘Superunknown’
At the suggestion, Chris Cornell sent Beinhorn a four-song demo, including “Fell On Black Days” y “Black Hole Sun” de Soundgarden. The other members were taken by surprise by this last song, lyrically and sonically, as it was very different from what they had done before. It was very psychedelic while still being rough, and it had the feel of a commercial hit.
The guitarist was not so convinced with “Black Hole Sun”
Although “Black Hole Sun” impressed the band with how different it was, there was skepticism about the role. Chris Cornell felt that his peers might like it, but not for it to be a hugely important song. And on the other hand, the guitarist Kim Thayil was not very convinced by the song.
“It may have held up a bit longer because it wasn’t necessarily compatible with my style of guitar playing until you get to the solo”Thayil said in statements by The Ringer about the song.
But in the end, Kim was convinced of the potential of “Black Hole Sun” when Hiro Yamamoto, former Soundgarden bassist who remained a good friend of the band, visited them in the studio and listened to early versions of the song. Hiro basically told them that this was the band’s final song.
The surreal and slightly nonsensical meaning of “Black Hole Sun”
Let’s be clear: Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” Doesn’t Have a Concrete Meaning. And in that sense, it is a very surreal theme that, as we said at the beginning, is open to everyone’s interpretation. Michael Beinhorn himself has said that Chris Cornell was always very mysterious or gave few details when explaining what his songs were about..
Kim Thayil agrees with that. Chris Cornell, in different interviews, confirmed that the letter in “Black Hole Sun” was created just as a way to play with the words that came to mind.. He also once said that it was absurd for people to think the song was happy just because of its pretty melody, when it was clearly a sad song.
There are just a few more revealing details about the confusing meaning of “Black Hole Sun”. The line “times are gone for honest men” (times are gone for honest people) does make at least some sense, based on what Chris Cornell told Rolling Stone in 1994:
“It is really difficult for a person to create their own life and their own freedom.. It will get more and more difficult, and there will be more disillusioned people who will become dishonest, angry, and willing to fuck the next guy to get what they want.”Cornell said.
In a interview with RIP MagazineKim Thayil wondered if the line “no one sings like you anymore” (nobody sings like you anymore) he was referring to John Lennon. But Chris Cornell said something else about that verse: “I ate some cottage cheese and wrote the lyrics. Just some kind of surreal dreamscape; a strange kind of song that plays with the title”.
David Lynch’s influence on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” video
Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” unclear as it may have been, became one of the most significant songs of the ’90s. And at the same time, its popularity gained momentum thanks to the insane video directed by Howard Greenhalgh that fit perfectly with the psychedelic surrealism of the song.
As you may remember, the video shows us some scenes from a suburban neighborhood where all kinds of people, going about their daily activities, start to smile in a psychotic and sinister way as the ‘black hole sun’ approaches to consume everything. Well then, the concept of people with crazy smiles comes from the movie Blue Velvet by David Lynch.
According to The Ringer, director Howard Greenhalgh thought of the Soundgarden video by referencing the opening scene of Blue Velvet, where a firefighter is seen passing by in his truck as he waves and smiles next to his Dalmatian dog.
Video, lyrics and music, everything came together in an incredible way so that “Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun”, even when it seemed to make no sense, moved the whole world. As we said, one of the most emblematic songs of the 90s.
