Pretty Noose
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| “Pretty Noose” | |||||
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| Single by Soundgarden from the album Down on the Upside |
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| B-side | "Jerry Garcia's Finger" | ||||
| Released | March 1996 | ||||
| Format | CD single, Vinyl | ||||
| Recorded | November 1995–February 1996 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock, grunge | ||||
| Length | 4:12 | ||||
| Label | A&M | ||||
| Writer(s) | Chris Cornell | ||||
| Producer | Soundgarden | ||||
| Soundgarden singles chronology | |||||
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| Down on the Upside track listing | |||||
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"Pretty Noose" is a song by the Seattle band Soundgarden. It appears as the opening track on the band's 1996 album Down on the Upside. It was released as a single in March 1996 and reached number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album A-Sides.
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[edit] Origin and recording
The song was written by frontman Chris Cornell. "Pretty Noose" was written in C-G-C-G-G-E tuning.[1] Drummer Matt Cameron on the song:
That song for me was kind of interesting, because we were at the phase where we were just going to demo tunes. So I learned the tune and recorded it, and we ended up using that take. When we recorded that, I had walked to the studio (in Seattle) and my legs were really tired. But to make a long story short, I was trying to get a walking feel on the drum part. So it probably has a little weird shuffle to it probably from that walk that I took to the studio that day.[2]
[edit] Release and reception
The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Pretty Noose" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1997.[3] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called the song "updated, muscular prog rock."[4]
[edit] Lyrical meaning
According to frontman Chris Cornell, "Pretty Noose" is about "an attractively packaged bad idea...something that seems great at first and then comes back to bite you."[5] Frank Kozik, the director of the song's music video, interpreted the song as "your average bad-girlfriend experience," an interpretation which Cornell agreed with.[6]
[edit] Music video
[edit] Official video
A music video was made for the song, directed by Frank Kozik. Kozik had previously been known for his work on posters and album art.[7] The video was released in May 1996.[8]
Chris Cornell on the music video:
It's unlike anything else we've ever done...In fact, I think it's unlike anything else anyone has ever done. Working with someone like Frank was really interesting because his approach was so fresh - he didn't know the rules that he's supposed to play under. He made the video what it is. It's really interesting and colorful. It's the kind of video that's still fun to look at after you've seen it a few times. That was very important to us. At this point in our lives, part of the challenge is to try new things, not to fall into the pattern of playing it safe. We did that on the video, and we did that on the album too.[9]
MTV refused to air the full video, as it ends with an apparent murder. MuchMusic was given a revised version to air on its channel.[6] Frank Kozik said that the video was censored because it was "too heavy" for the "dipshits at MTV." He added, "They got a dead girl in that lame Stabbing Westward video so I don't understand their problem."[6]
[edit] International version
An alternate version was released, which simply features the band performing the song live. The footage is taken from a pre-release European promotional kit for Down on the Upside.[10] This version was directed by Henry Shepherd (Ben Shepherd's brother).
[edit] Live performances
The song was performed on Saturday Night Live in May 1996 in support of Down on the Upside.
[edit] Track listing
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[edit] Chart positions
Information taken from various sources.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Finnish Singles Chart | 10 |
| UK Singles Chart | 14 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 18 | |
| Australian Singles Chart | 22 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 37 | |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 2 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 4 | |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 42 | |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 47 |
[edit] References
- ^ Leonard, Michael. "Unknown Pleasures". The Guitar Magazine. December 1996.
- ^ "Down on the Upside". The Buzz Word. August 1996.
- ^ 39th Grammy Awards - 1997. Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Down on the Upside > Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved on May 19, 2008.
- ^ "Soundgarden Returns". MTV.com. April 12, 1996.
- ^ a b c "Soundgarden's New Video Causes Controversy". Toronto Sun. May 10, 1996.
- ^ Zogbi, Marina. "Upshot on "The Upside" from Kim Thayil". Metal Edge. August 1996.
- ^ Soundgarden music videos. Music Video Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
- ^ Waters, Rodney. "Getting Down with Soundgarden". Hit Parader. October 1996.
- ^ "Pretty Noose (Video)". Unofficial SG Homepage.
- ^ EveryHit.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Soundgarden Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Soundgarden – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ SOUNDGARDEN - PRETTY NOOSE (SONG). Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Soundgarden. New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ Schweizer Hitparade. hitparade.ch. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Swedish Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Finnish Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay. finnishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Billboard.com / Soundgarden / Longplay. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
[edit] External links
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