Spoonman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the subject of the song, see Artis the Spoonman.
For the Triple M radio show, see Spoonman's Classic Rock Show.
For the Underworld song, see Spoonman (Underworld song).
“Spoonman”
“Spoonman” cover
Single by Soundgarden
from the album Superunknown
B-side "Cold Bitch"
Released February 15, 1994
Format CD single, Cassette, Vinyl
Recorded July 1993–September 1993 at Bad Animals Studio, Seattle, Washington
Genre Grunge
Length 4:06
Label A&M
Writer(s) Chris Cornell
Producer Michael Beinhorn, Soundgarden
Soundgarden singles chronology
"Rusty Cage"
(1992)		 "Spoonman"
(1994)		 "The Day I Tried to Live"
(1994)
Superunknown track listing
"Black Hole Sun"
(Track 7)		 "Spoonman"
(Track 8)		 "Limo Wreck"
(Track 9)

"Spoonman" is a song by the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden. It appears on the band's 1994 album Superunknown and was released as the album's first single in February the same year. "Spoonman" is often credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden's career into the mainstream. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album A-Sides and the 2007 Chris Cornell compilation The Roads We Choose - A Retrospective. A remixed version of the song by Steve Fisk appears on the "Black Hole Sun" and "My Wave" singles.

Contents

[edit] Origin and recording

It was originally written for the soundtrack to the film Singles in 1992. At this time, Soundgarden, along with fellow grunge band Pearl Jam, was working on the soundtrack for the film. Pearl Jam's bassist, Jeff Ament, had been put in charge of creating the name for a fictional band that would appear in the film. Before finally choosing Citizen Dick for its name, Ament had compiled a list of potential names which included the name "Spoonman". The name was inspired by Artis the Spoonman, a street performer from Santa Cruz, California and later Seattle, who plays music with a set of spoons. Soundgarden vocalist and songwriter Chris Cornell eventually used the names on the list to create songs for the film. "Spoonman" was among these, and an acoustic version was created from it. This early version of the song can be heard in the background during a scene of the film.

Rather than just leave the song on the film's soundtrack, Soundgarden began working on an electric version of "Spoonman". The song's inspiration, Artis the Spoonman, played a prominent role in the song itself. The final version of the song featured Artis the Spoonman playing his spoons as part of the song's instrumental. Drummer Matt Cameron also plays pots and pans on the song.[1]

[edit] Composition

While most rock music is composed in 4/4 (common time) or 3/4 time, "Spoonman" is fairly unique in that it is a mix of 4/4 and 7/4 time. Two other notable compositions that employ 7/4 - 4/4 mix are Pink Floyd's "Money" and the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love". The song was performed in drop D tuning.[2]

[edit] Release and reception

The band would play it while on its 1993 tour with Neil Young.[3] With hype building around the band's upcoming album Superunknown, Soundgarden released the single a month before the album's release. On the choice of "Spoonman" as the album's first single, bassist Ben Shepherd called it a "great first choice", adding that "it just jumps out at you instantly." Shepherd said, "You know how you listen to a record and there is one song that literally seems to leap out of the speakers -- well, 'Spoonman' did that to me."[4] Shortly after the single's release, the song became widely popular, reaching high positions on rock charts. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number nine on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It would later win the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[5]

"Spoonman" appears in the video game ATV Offroad Fury for PlayStation 2.

[edit] Lyrical meaning

Chris Cornell on the song:

It's more about the paradox of who [Artis] is and what people perceive him as. He's a street musician, but when he's playing on the street, he is given a value and judged completely wrong by someone else. They think he's a street person, or he's doing this because he can't hold down a regular job. They put him a few pegs down on the social ladder because of how they perceive someone who dresses differently. The lyrics express the sentiment that I much more easily identify with someone like Artis than I would watch him play.[6]

[edit] Music video

The music video for the song also featured Artis prominently, making him the focus of the video instead of the band. The video was directed by Jeffrey Plansker. The video was released in February 1994.[7]

Chris Cornell on the music video:

I think we were fairly smart with "Spoonman" in that you really don't see us that much in the video. You see various pictures of us, but it's not quite the same as having us in your living room all the time. We're trying to maintain some degree of mystique about Soundgarden, I guess. I remember back when I was a kid, long before MTV, and the only way to see my favorite bands was to go to their concerts. It was an incredible experience. MTV has helped a lot of bands, but they've also helped rob a lot of groups of that special mystique. It's tough when you can see a great rock band on TV one second, then hit the clicker and be watching a soap opera or a sit com the next. That's what rock and roll has become for some people.[8]

[edit] Formats and track listing

European CD and 12"
  1. "Spoonman" (Chris Cornell) – 4:06
  2. "Fresh Tendrils" (Matt Cameron, Cornell) – 4:16
  3. "Cold Bitch" (Cornell)
  4. "Exit Stonehenge"
UK Cassette and Picture 7"
  1. "Spoonman" (Cornell) – 4:06
  2. "Fresh Tendrils" (Cameron, Cornell) – 4:16
US Promo CD
  1. "Spoonman" (edit) (Cornell)
  2. "Spoonman" (Cornell) – 4:06
German CD
  1. "Spoonman" (edit) (Cornell)
  2. "Cold Bitch" (Cornell)
  3. "Exit Stonehenge"
UK 12" DJ Promo
  1. "Spoonman" (Cornell) – 4:06
Canadian and Australian CD
  1. "Spoonman" (Cornell) – 4:06
  2. "Cold Bitch" (Cornell)

[edit] Chart positions

Information taken from various sources.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Year Chart Position
1994 US Mainstream Rock Tracks 3
US Modern Rock Tracks 9
New Zealand Singles Chart 10
UK Singles Chart 20
Australian Singles Chart 23
Irish Singles Chart 23
Dutch Singles Chart 37
Swedish Singles Chart 37

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Soundgarden". Making Music. May 1994.
  2. ^ Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown." Guitar Player. June 1994.
  3. ^ Genovese, Robin. "Soundgarden". Chart. June 1996.
  4. ^ Masters, Drew. "Soundgarden". M.E.A.T. Magazine. March 1994.
  5. ^ 37th Grammy Awards - 1995. Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  6. ^ "Interview with Chris Cornell". Request. October 1994.
  7. ^ Soundgarden music videos. Music Video Database. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  8. ^ Hughes, Keith. "Soundgarden: Their Shining Hour". Hit Parader. October 1994.
  9. ^ EveryHit.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  10. ^ Soundgarden Artist Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  11. ^ Soundgarden – Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  12. ^ Soundgarden - Spoonman. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  13. ^ The Irish Charts - All there is to know. Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
  14. ^ Soundgarden. New Zealand-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  15. ^ Swedish Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  16. ^ Dutch Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.

[edit] External links

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