And feeling Minnesota …
Our No. 4 entry into grungedown is Soundgarden’s arrival song:
4. Soundgarden, Outshined.
Grunge’s heaviest arena band burst onto the scene with the rest of its cohorts with the release of Outshined, a huge, thundering, arena-rock anthem that echoed at times Led Zeppelin, at times Black Sabbath, and at times Guns N’ Roses.
We all know the Soundgarden story. A charismatic frontman, a low, bitter, extremely guttural sound, and the ability to create a fury with catchy guitar hooks and angry, screaming vocal riffs. Outshined is the second track off BadMotorFinger, which of course, isn’t the greatest grunge rock album of all time, and of course, isn’t even one of Soundgarden‘s best efforts. It does, however, feature three thunderous metallic grunge rock cuts, all of which (Rusty Cage, Outshined, JC Pose) live on today.
The undercutting hook and beginning anger in Outshined quickly give away to a regretful and plaintive crying stanza (So now you know…), before the fury returns in the song’s hammering chorus. It’s a classic cock-rock, arena-anthem, fuck-you song — yet with hints of more substance behind Cornell and Soundgarden‘s rough edges. And it’s a bit overplayed, a bit overused, yet still a classic song.
