“Inspirations”: The Soundgarden album Chris Cornell compared to The Beatles
Soundgarden might have been deemed one of grunge’s big four in 1991 after the release of Badmotorfinger, but the Chris Cornell-fronted outfit always had more to them than de-tuned guitars, long hair and that particular form of Generation X angst.
Soundgarden were the group to lead the charge of the ostensible grunge movement, and not Nirvana, as people often believe. While the ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ outfit was the one that established Seattle as the epicentre of rock during the early 1990s thanks to the anthem in question and the ensuing album, Nevermind, it was who Soundgarden paved the way.
After touring their 1988 debut album Ultramega OK, Soundgarden parted ways with Greg Ginn’s independent punk label, SST, and signed with A&M Records. This move made their 1989 follow-up, Louder than Love, the first grunge album to be released by a major label, featuring a darker, more metal-leaning sound. At that time, they were ahead of the curve, as Nirvana had only just released their debut album Bleach on Sub Pop two months earlier, with Kurt Cobain’s trio not signing with the major label DGC Records until 1990.
Cornell and the rest of Soundgarden were always keen to distance themselves from the “grunge” label. Ironically, the other three bands most associated with the genre—Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana—also resisted the tag despite their long-standing connections and awareness of their musical and spiritual differences. Though often regarded as one of the heavier bands of the era, Soundgarden would emphasise that when they first started in 1984, their sound was an unconventional blend of post-punk with a psychedelic edge.
Furthermore, Cornell’s main influences during the first half of the decade would be the likes of Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and even Ultravox, not the contemporary metal bands that Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam would covet.
However, one thing that connected all four pioneering grunge bands was their deference to The Beatles’ undisputed songwriting knack. While Kurt Cobain was the most famous acolyte of the Fab Four, fusing punk fury with sugary pop melodies, the work of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and the rest of the world’s biggest band also significantly impacted Soundgarden’s output.
Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2014, Cornell discussed his most famous Soundgarden song, ‘Black Hole Sun’ from 1994’s Superunknown, being more mainstream and traditional than the metallic psychedelia of Badmotorfinger. He explained that he didn’t think about this shift in sound in that specific context, as his songs for the side project Temple of the Dog, and even tracks like ‘Outshined’ on Badmotorfinger, had introduced more straightforward arrangements.
“I think the structure happened by accident,” he supposed.
He then compared his approach on Superunknown to that of The Beatles on 1968’s The White Album, where each member played the instrument they did on their respective demos. Cornell said: I think one of the bigger focuses, to me, was that I wanted to embrace the fact that all four of us would contribute music. What that meant was a little bit like the White Album, where if somebody like Matt [Cameron, drums] brings a song he demoed on guitar, why not have him play guitar?I don’t know even if that happened, but that’s what I was thinking. So it was, ‘Let’s try to steer more into the initial inspirations and make the song a priority.'”
Using ‘Black Hole Sun’ as an example of The White Album impacting Superunknown, the way the group made a truly epic rock song by drawing upon their collective brilliance was a masterstroke that defined the spirit of the record. Cornell even took the connection one step further by using the “Beatlesque” Leslie speaker to record it, adding that surreal flavour the Fab Four conceived in the late 1960s. Soundgarden were never just a grunge band; just like The Beatles, their scope was much more than a solitary tag could account for.
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