Fell on Black Days
"Fell on Black Days" | |
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Song | |
B-side | "Kyle Petty, Son of Richard" / "Fell on Black Days" (video version) |
"Fell on Black Days" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in 1994 as the fifth single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number four 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 promo compilation album, The Roads We Choose - A Retrospective.
Composition
The song was written by frontman Chris Cornell. The time signature of the song is in 6/4.[1] Cornell said, "On "Fell On Black Days" the drums are totally straight, even though the riff is in six, so it doesn't feel quirky at all."[1]
Lyrics
Cornell on the song:
"Fell on Black Days" was like this ongoing fear I've had for years...It's a feeling that everyone gets. You're happy with your life, everything's going well, things are exciting - when all of a sudden you realise you're unhappy in the extreme, to the point of being really, really scared. There's no particular event you can pin the feeling down to, it's just that you realise one day that everything in your life is FUCKED![2]
Release and reception
The song was released as a single in 1994 in various versions with the previously unreleased B-sides "Kyle Petty, Son of Richard" and "Motorcycle Loop". Several versions of the single featured an original demo version of the song. This demo is completely different from the more familiar version. It features different lyrics and music, with considerably heavier drop-D guitar. Only the chorus contains lyrical similarities to the final version. Soundgarden performed this version live on Pearl Jam's Self-Pollution satellite radio broadcast in early 1995.
It appeared on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 Airplay chart, peaking at number 54 in its tenth week and remaining on the chart until its twentieth week. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 13 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Outside of the United States, the single was released in Australia and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top 70 on the Canadian Singles Chart and remained in the top 70 for two weeks. "Fell on Black Days" reached the top 50 in the Netherlands and in Ireland it was a moderate top 20 success.
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Clear Channel included the song on its list of possibly inappropriate songs.
Music video
The music video for "Fell on Black Days" was directed by Jake Scott, who would later direct the music video for "Burden in My Hand". The black-and-white video consists of a filmed live performance of the band in a studio, with Brendan O'Brien producing the recording. The video was released in November 1994.[3] It is available on the CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown. The video version of the track can be found on the "Fell on Black Days" single and Songs from the Superunknown.
Live performances
A live version of the song appears on the "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell on Black Days" singles.
In 2005, when Audioslave toured with Seether, Cornell sang "Fell on Black Days" with Shaun Morgan, Seether's lead vocalist.
Cover versions
In 2006, Classic Case did a cover of "Fell on Black Days" on the band's Black Unicorn Split EP with "He is Legend".
Track listing
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Chart positions
Year | Chart | Position |
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1994 | Dutch Singles Chart[4] | 45 |
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[5] | 54 | |
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[6] | 4 | |
US Modern Rock Tracks[6] | 13 | |
Canadian Singles Chart[7] | 66 | |
1995 | Irish Singles Chart[8] | 14 |
UK Singles Chart[9] | 24 |
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Movement | New Zealand | "The 77 Best Singles of the 90s"[10] | 2004 | 52 |
References
- ^ a b Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown." Guitar Player. June 1994.
- ^ True, Everett. "Journey into the Superunknown". Melody Maker. March 19, 1994.
- ^ "Soundgarden music videos". Music Video Database. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ "Dutch Single/Album Chart / Soundgarden / Longplay". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ "Billboard.com / Soundgarden / Longplay". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
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(help) - ^ a b "Soundgarden Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
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(help) - ^ "Canadian Charts - "Fell on Black Days"". RPM. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
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(help) - ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ "EveryHit.com". Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ "The 77 Best Singles of the 90s". The Movement. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
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