The 25 Best Soundgarden Songs, from Outshined to Fell on Black Days

What is Soundgarden's most famous song?

"Black Hole Sun" is Soundgarden's most famous song, a haunting 1994 single from Superunknown that won a Grammy and became one of the defining songs of the 90s. "Spoonman", "Fell on Black Days" and "Outshined" are their other signature tracks.

Early Soundgarden songs

1. "Hunted Down", 1987: their raw first single on Sub Pop.
2. "Flower", 1988: the opener of their debut album, Ultramega OK.
3. "Loud Love", 1989: a heavy single from their major-label debut.
4. "Hands All Over", 1989: a slow-burning song about the environment.
5. "Get on the Snake", 1989: a sludgy, swaggering rocker.

Soundgarden songs from Badmotorfinger

6. "Jesus Christ Pose", 1991: a ferocious single with a controversial video.
7. "Outshined", 1991: a crushing riff and one of Cornell's best vocals.
8. "Rusty Cage", 1991: a frantic rocker later covered by Johnny Cash.
9. "Searching with My Good Eye Closed", 1991: a heavy, psychedelic epic.
10. "Room a Thousand Years Wide", 1991: a slow, grinding fan favorite.

Soundgarden songs from Superunknown

11. "Spoonman", 1994: a Grammy winner featuring a real street spoon player.
12. "Black Hole Sun", 1994: their biggest hit and most famous video.
13. "The Day I Tried to Live", 1994: a brooding, beautifully sung single.
14. "Fell on Black Days", 1994: a moody, swaying song about sudden darkness.
15. "My Wave", 1994: a heavy, upbeat rocker.
16. "Superunknown", 1994: the driving title track.
17. "4th of July", 1994: a slow, apocalyptic sludge song.

Later Soundgarden songs

18. "Pretty Noose", 1996: a Grammy-nominated single from Down on the Upside.
19. "Burden in My Hand", 1996: an acoustic-driven rock hit.
20. "Blow Up the Outside World", 1996: a quiet-loud ballad.
21. "Ty Cobb", 1996: a breakneck punk blast with mandolin.
22. "Live to Rise", 2012: their reunion single from The Avengers soundtrack.
23. "Been Away Too Long", 2012: the lead single of King Animal.
24. "By Crooked Steps", 2012: a twisting, heavy rocker.
25. "Black Rain", 2010: a lost track from the Badmotorfinger era, released on a compilation.

Who were Soundgarden?

Soundgarden formed in Seattle in 1984 around singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto, with drummer Matt Cameron joining in 1986 and bassist Ben Shepherd in 1990. They recorded for the local Sub Pop label and became the first band of the Seattle scene to sign with a major label. Superunknown debuted at number one in 1994 and made them one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They split in 1997, reunited in 2010 and released King Animal in 2012. Chris Cornell, who also led Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, died in 2017.

Soundgarden's albums

• Ultramega OK (1988): their raw, Grammy-nominated debut.
• Louder Than Love (1989): their first album for a major label.
• Badmotorfinger (1991): heavy, complex and full of riffs.
• Superunknown (1994): the number one masterpiece.
• Down on the Upside (1996): more varied, with acoustic textures.
• King Animal (2012): the reunion album.

The story behind Black Hole Sun

Chris Cornell said he wrote "Black Hole Sun" quickly, after mishearing a news anchor and liking the strange image the phrase created. The song's dreamy, Beatles-like verses and heavy chorus, and its unsettling music video full of warped, grinning suburban faces, made it a fixture on MTV in 1994. It won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.

The story behind Spoonman

"Spoonman" was inspired by Artis the Spoonman, a Seattle street performer who plays spoons, and he appears on the recording playing a spoon solo. The song won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 1995.

Chris Cornell's voice

Chris Cornell was famous for a voice that could move from a low, smoky croon to a piercing high wail. That range made Soundgarden songs some of the hardest in rock to sing, and it carried over to his work with Temple of the Dog, Audioslave and his solo albums, including the James Bond theme "You Know My Name".

What made Soundgarden different

Among the great Seattle bands, Soundgarden were the closest to heavy metal, drawing on Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as much as punk. Kim Thayil's detuned guitar riffs and the band's love of unusual time signatures, heard in songs like "Spoonman" and "Fell on Black Days", set them apart from Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and made their music a favorite of musicians as well as fans.

Soundgarden songs for a memorial or tribute

For a fan's celebration of life, "Fell on Black Days", "Black Hole Sun" and "Burden in My Hand" are often chosen, along with Cornell's Temple of the Dog songs. See our memorial service songs for more.

A heavy rock song about your story

For a Soundgarden fan, a personalized rock song can bring that heavy, soaring sound to their own story: their name, the people they love and the moments that made them. It makes a great birthday gift, and our gift ideas for rock music lovers have more ideas.

How to create a personalized rock song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: rock, acoustic, ambient and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories or details about them.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $35.99, or $40.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give them a rock song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.