Why Chris Cornell doubted Soundgarden’s biggest hit: “Lyrically, it’s pretty dark”
Typically, when considering which song will become a chart-topping hit, artists are none the wiser when they sit down to write. Their job is to create, and what will happen to their art when it is released into the world is out of their hands. For example, the late Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell had no clue that ‘Black Hole Sun’ would become so popular.
The track, released in 1994, helped raise the profile of Soundgarden even further and helped them become one of the defining acts of the arena. With most bands, their trademark song is a watered-down version of their sound, which appeases a mainstream audience, but that can’t be said for ‘Black Hole Sun’ as it embodied the spirit of Soundgarden and showcased the best of Cornell’s lyricism.
Many groups grow to hate their most well-known effort. They often wish it was another more obscure track in their repertoire, yet Cornell never held those same concerns. In fact, he believed ‘Black Hole Sun’ was a song unfit to be released as a single and was initially unsure whether it would even find a home on a Soundgarden record.
The dark track unexpectedly made a dent in the Billboard Hot 100 and also topped the rock chart. While the latter wasn’t entirely out of the realms of possibility, it still arrived as a pleasant surprise for Cornell.
Before the release of ‘Black Hole Sun’, Soundgarden’s stock had already risen considerably, which Cornell felt was due to the support of MTV. He recalled: “I remember the first day that MTV started playing ‘Outshined’, I think, and we were somewhere in the US, in a small town, and I went into a 24-hour grocery store. It was 4am, and the butcher, who was probably 45, recognised me at 4am on the first day, and I went, ‘OK, this is going to change everything’.”
Similarly, the broadcaster gave ‘Black Hole Sun’ prominent airtime, which helped it pick up an MTV Award. However, upon writing the track, Cornell never foresaw that outcome. In the same interview, he stated: “‘Black Hole Sun’, I remember finishing the demo and being really happy with the song and how it turned out. I wrote most of it in my head, and it wasn’t an arduous process arranging it. It ended up being not that much different. And, at that time, that wasn’t the case for a lot of stuff. I wasn’t sure if the band would like it or if it was appropriate for a Soundgarden album, and everybody liked it right away.”
The reaction from his bandmates was enough for Cornell, who was content with ‘Black Hole Sun’ finding a place on Superunknown. He continued: “We all wanted it to be on an album, but it wasn’t any of us who thought it would be a single. I actually, lyrically, didn’t think it would be anything that would be popular. I guess I kind of understand the repetitive chorus and moodiness of it, but lyrically, it’s pretty dark.”
Cornell concluded: “To think it would be an international hit is strange, but I guess we have to feel lucky that it was a song like that, (which) was so moody and dark.”
If Cornell could have selected one song to become their most well-known, judging by his comments, ‘Black Hole Sun’ would have been near the top of his list. Nevertheless, that seemed like an absurd ambition, and the impact of the effort surpassed his wildest dreams.
