Superunknown
LP by Soundgarden
Released	March 8, 1994
Recorded	???
Genre	Grunge
Length	70 min 07 s
Record label	A&M
Producer	Michael Beinhorn , Soundgarden
Professional reviews
Q	3 stars out of 5	October 2000
Allmusic.com	4.5 stars out of 5	link
Soundgarden Chronology
Badmotorfinger (1991)	Superunknown (1994)	Songs from the Superunknown (1995)

Superunknown was released in 1994 (see 1994 in music). It was the fifth album by the band Soundgarden, their third through A&M Records.

The name "Spoonman" is credited to Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam. While on the set of the movie Singles, Jeff, who was part of the fictional band featured in the movie, came up with a list of possible titles. Chris Cornell took it as a challenge to write a list of songs using those titles, and "Spoonman" was one of them. The song, and its video, featured Artis the Spoonman, who is a street entertainer in Seattle, and a demo version of the song is used in the movie.

The album shows a Beatles influence, particularly on "Black Hole Sun" and "Head Down". In a 1994 interview with Guitar World, Kim Thayil explains this: "We looked deep down inside the very core of our souls and there was a little Ringo sitting there. Oh sure, we like telling people it's John Lennon or George Harrison; but when you really look deep inside of Soundgarden, there's a little Ringo wanting to get out."

Track listing

1. "Let Me Drown" - 3:51
2. "My Wave " - 5:12
3. "Fell On Black Days" - 4:42
4. "Mailman" - 4:25
5. "Superunknown" - 5:06
6. "Head Down" - 6:08
7. "Black Hole Sun" - 5:18
8. "Spoonman" - 4:06
9. "Limo Wreck" - 5:47
10. "The Day I Tried To Live" - 5:19
11. "Kickstand" - 1:34
12. "Fresh Tendrils" - 4:16
13. "4th Of July " - 5:08
14. "Half" - 2:14
15. "Like Suicide" - 7:01
16. "She Likes Surprises"

"She Likes Surprises" only appears on the international versions of the album, not the American.

Chart positions

Album

1994  Superunknown             The Billboard 200              No. 1

Singles

1994  Black Hole Sun           Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 1
1994  Fell On Black Days       Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 4
1994  My Wave                  Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 11
1994  Spoonman                 Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 3
1994  Black Hole Sun           Modern Rock Tracks             No. 2
1994  Fell On Black Days       Modern Rock Tracks             No. 13
1994  My Wave                  Modern Rock Tracks             No. 18
1994  Spoonman                 Modern Rock Tracks             No. 9
1994  Black Hole Sun           Top 40 Mainstream              No. 9
1995  The Day I Tried To Live  Mainstream Rock Tracks         No. 13
1995  The Day I Tried To Live  Modern Rock Tracks             No. 25

Personnel

• Artis the Spoonman - Spoons on "Spoonman"
• Michael Beinhorn - Producer
• Matt Cameron - Drums
• David Collins - Mastering
• Jason Corsaro - Engineer
• Chris Cornell - Vocals, Guitar
• Adam Kasper - Assistant Engineer
• Gregg Keplinger - Percussion on "Head Down"
• Brendan O'Brien - Mixing
• Ben Shepherd - Bass
• Kim Thayil - Guitar

External link

• 1994 Guitar World interview