My Wave

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“My Wave”
“My Wave” cover
Single by Soundgarden
from the album Superunknown
B-side "Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix) / "Birth Ritual" (demo) / "My Wave" (live)
Released 1994
Format CD single
Recorded July 1993–September 1993 at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington
Genre Grunge
Length 5:12
Label A&M
Writer(s) Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil
Producer Michael Beinhorn, Soundgarden
Soundgarden singles chronology
"Black Hole Sun"
(1994)		 "My Wave"
(1994)		 "Fell on Black Days"
(1994)
Superunknown track listing
"Let Me Drown"
(Track 1)		 "My Wave"
(Track 2)		 "Fell on Black Days"
(Track 3)

"My Wave" is the second track on the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden's 1994 album Superunknown and a single released in Australia. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Contents

[edit] Composition

The song features lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music co-written by Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil. "My Wave" as a musical piece is very typical of Soundgarden's style. Predominantly in 5/4, a particularly irregular time signature for rock music, the song changes, intersperses and juxtaposes time signatures freely. The effect created is both authoritively erratic and characteristic of the band, even classically so. The song also regularly interchanges the keys of E minor and B Mixolydian.[1]

[edit] Release and reception

The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 18 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

"My Wave" appears on the 1996 MOM (Music for Our Mother Ocean) compilation, an album benefiting The Surfrider Foundation, a "non-profit environmental organization working to preserve oceans, waves, and beaches." It also appeared in the trailer for The Endless Summer II and later on an advertisement for the sixth season of the popular television series 24.

[edit] Music video

The music video largely consists of performance footage filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on August 11, 1994 at Max Bell Arena. The video was directed by Henry Shepherd (Ben Shepherd's brother) and Doug Pray. The video was released in October 1994.[2] MTV decided to not put the video into its rotation.[3] It is available on the CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown.

[edit] Live performances

A live version of the song appears on the "Black Hole Sun", "My Wave", and "Fell on Black Days" singles.

[edit] Formats and track listing

Promo CD
  1. "My Wave" (Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil) – 5:12
Australian CD
  1. "My Wave" (Cornell, Thayil) – 5:12
  2. "Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix) (Cornell)
  3. "Birth Ritual" (demo) (Cornell, Matt Cameron, Thayil)
  4. "My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil)

[edit] Chart positions

Information taken from various sources.[4][5][6][7]

Year Chart Position
1994 US Mainstream Rock Tracks 11
US Modern Rock Tracks 18
New Zealand Singles Chart 46
Australian Singles Chart 50

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown." Guitar Player. June 1994.
  2. ^ Soundgarden music videos. Music Video Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  3. ^ Cross, Charles R. "Soundgarden: The Home Team Wins the World Series". The Rocket. December 21, 1994.
  4. ^ Soundgarden Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  5. ^ Soundgarden – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  6. ^ Soundgarden - My Wave. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  7. ^ Soundgarden. New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
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