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Black Rain (Soundgarden song)

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Wikipedia article




"'Black Rain'" is a single by the American rock band Soundgarden, featuring lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by bassist Ben Shepherd and guitarist Kim Thayil. The single debuted at number 24 and number 14 on the US 'Billboard' Alternative Songs chart and the US 'Billboard' Rock Songs chart respectively in August 2010.[http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-country-dance-club-play-1004109540.story?tag=hpfeed Chart Highlights - Billboard.com] Retrieved August 17, 2010 It is also Soundgarden's only song to chart on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, peaking at #96. The song appears on the compilation album 'Telephantasm' and on the music video game 'Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock' and 'Guitar Hero Live'. It was the first single that Soundgarden had released since 1997.

Origin and recording



The song was mostly recorded during sessions for 'Badmotorfinger' in 1991. According to Kim Thayil, it was never properly finished: "There was drums and bass and some rhythm guitar and some scratch vocals and that was about it." The band did not like the original arrangement, but with the "magic of Pro Tools", the song could be re-arranged easily.[https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/kim_thayil_we_really_kinda_grew_up_together.html Kim Thayil: 'We Really Kinda Grew Up Together'] Thayil said, "[In] many ways, it's a new song.""[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/51942/211637 Kim Thayil Tells Stories of Soundgardens Best Songs] ". 'Rolling Stone'. September 28, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2010. In 2010, the band reworked the original recording with 'Down on the Upside' co-producer Adam Kasper, who was working with the band on archival material. Cornell noted that when they listened to the original recording for the first time after almost two decades, he immediately remembered the problems he had with the song. Cornell explained that the original version of the song was much longer, and that he was unhappy with how it was arranged. He was also dissatisfied with the lyrics in the chorus. After so many years, however, Cornell noted that the issues seemed "easy to resolve". For the new mix, the music was re-arranged, the chorus vocals were re-written and re-recorded by Cornell, and new guitar overdubs were added.[http://audio.waaf.com/m/audio/34135554/chris-cornell-from-soundgarden.htm Interview: Chris Cornell.] WAAF Radio. September 13, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2010.

Composition



The verse is notable for mostly being in the time signature 9/8; additional time signatures such as 15/16 and 3/4 also appear. In an interview with 'USA Today', Cornell said that "Black Rain" captures "that super heavy version (of the band) we were finally realizing to its fullest potential about 1991."[http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/08/09/soundgarden-black-rain/ Soundgarden - Black Rain aolradioblog.com]

Release and reception



"Black Rain" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Music video



The music video for the song, the first for Soundgarden in over a decade, premiered on AOL.com on September 20, 2010. It was directed by Brendon Small of 'Metalocalypse' and is the first artist-driven music video to be based on the show. Virtual band Dethklok also make cameo appearances in the video.

Track listing



;Radio promo

;7" vinyl single included with Super Deluxe versions of 'Telephantasm'

Charts



References




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