"Black Hole Sun" is a hit song by the band Soundgarden. It originally appeared on their 1994 album Superunknown and was the second single released from it (the previous one being "Spoonman"). It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album A-Sides. It is possibly the band's most popular song, and was the most popular grunge song of 1994. It is considered by some to be the last major hit for grunge in the mainstream. In 1995 the song won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Released as a single in the summer of 1994, the song's success came shortly after the death of the grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain. With its bleak lyrics (particularly the chorus's "black hole sun/Won't you come/And wash away the rain"), its popularity may have been a result of the sadness that was felt throughout the grunge community at the time.

The music video that accompanied the song contained scenes that are believed by some to have been a tribute to the TV series Doctor Who. As in the case of its radio airplay, the video was given heavy rotation on MTV.

After 9/11 Clear Channel put it on its list of songs to be taken off the air.

Chart positions

1994  Black Hole Sun           Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 1
1994  Black Hole Sun           Modern Rock Tracks             No. 2
1994  Black Hole Sun           Top 40 Mainstream              No. 9

External link

• All Music Guide review