Sound garden's Black Hole sun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_Sun
Black Hole Sun - Wikipedia
2004-10-10
Authority control MusicBrainz work
<div><div>
	<p>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
	</div><div>
<table><tbody><tr><th>"Black Hole Sun"</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/wiki/File:Black_Hole_Sun.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Single_(music)">Single</a> by <a href="/wiki/Soundgarden">Soundgarden</a></th></tr><tr><th>from the album <i> <a href="/wiki/Superunknown">Superunknown</a> </i></th></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/A-side_and_B-side">B-side</a></th><td>
<ul><li>"Like Suicide" (acoustic)</li>
<li>"Kickstand" (live)</li></ul>
</td></tr><tr><th>Released</th><td>May 13, 1994</td></tr><tr><th>Recorded</th><td>1993</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Recording_studio">Studio</a></th><td><a href="/wiki/Bad_Animals_Studio">Bad Animals</a>, Seattle</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Music_genre">Genre</a></th><td>
<ul><li><a href="/wiki/Grunge">Grunge</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Psychedelic_rock">psychedelic rock</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Alternative_rock">alternative rock</a></li>
<li><a href="/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a></li></ul>
</td></tr><tr><th>Length</th><td>5:18</td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Record_label">Label</a></th><td><a href="/wiki/A%26M_Records">A&amp;M</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Songwriter">Songwriter(s)</a></th><td><a href="/wiki/Chris_Cornell">Chris Cornell</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Record_producer">Producer(s)</a></th><td><a href="/wiki/Michael_Beinhorn">Michael Beinhorn</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/wiki/Soundgarden">Soundgarden</a> singles chronology</th></tr><tr><td>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<td>"<a href="/wiki/The_Day_I_Tried_to_Live">The Day I Tried to Live</a>" <br />(1994)
</td>
<td>"<b>Black Hole Sun</b>" <br />(1994)
</td>
<td>"<a href="/wiki/My_Wave">My Wave</a>" <br />(1994)
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr><tr><th>Music video</th></tr><tr><td><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg">"Black Hole Sun"</a> on <a href="/wiki/YouTube">YouTube</a></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>"<b>Black Hole Sun</b>" is a song by American <a href="/wiki/Rock_music">rock</a> band <a href="/wiki/Soundgarden">Soundgarden</a>. Written by frontman <a href="/wiki/Chris_Cornell">Chris Cornell</a>, the song was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, <i><a href="/wiki/Superunknown">Superunknown</a></i> (1994). Considered to be the band's <a href="/wiki/List_of_signature_songs">signature song</a>, it topped the <i><a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)">Billboard</a></i> <a href="/wiki/Mainstream_Rock_(chart)">Mainstream Rock Tracks</a> chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the <i>Billboard</i> <a href="/wiki/Alternative_Songs">Modern Rock Tracks</a> chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.
</p><p>"Black Hole Sun" was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album <i><a href="/wiki/A-Sides_(Soundgarden_album)">A-Sides</a></i> and also appeared on the 2010 compilation album <i><a href="/wiki/Telephantasm">Telephantasm</a></i>.
</p>
<h2>Origin and recording[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>"Black Hole Sun" was written by frontman <a href="/wiki/Chris_Cornell">Chris Cornell</a>. In 2014, Cornell explained the song's origins to <a href="/wiki/Uncut_Magazine">Uncut Magazine</a>:
</p>
<blockquote><p>I wrote it in my head driving home from <a href="/wiki/Bear_Creek_Studio">Bear Creek Studio</a> in <a href="/wiki/Woodinville,_Washington">Woodinville</a>, a 35–40 minute drive from <a href="/wiki/Seattle">Seattle</a>. It sparked from something a news anchor said on TV and I heard wrong. I heard 'blah blah blah black hole sun blah blah blah'. I thought that would make an amazing song title, but what would it sound like? It all came together, pretty much the whole arrangement including the guitar solo that's played beneath the riff.
I spent a lot of time spinning those melodies in my head so I wouldn't forget them. I got home and whistled it into a <a href="/wiki/Dictaphone">Dictaphone</a>. The next day I brought it into the real world, assigning a couple of key changes in the verse to make the melodies more interesting. Then I wrote the lyrics and that was similar, a stream of consciousness based on the feeling I got from the chorus and title.<sup><a href="#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup></p></blockquote>
<p>Cornell said that he wrote the song in about 15 minutes.<sup><a href="#cite_note-gardener-2">[2]</a></sup> He used a <a href="/wiki/Gretsch">Gretsch</a> guitar to write the song, and commented, "I wrote the song thinking the band wouldn't like it—then it became the biggest hit of the summer."<sup><a href="#cite_note-3">[3]</a></sup> Cornell came up with the song while using a <a href="/wiki/Leslie_speaker">Leslie speaker</a>. Guitarist <a href="/wiki/Kim_Thayil">Kim Thayil</a> said that the Leslie model 16 speaker was perfect for the song as "it's very <a href="/wiki/The_Beatles">Beatlesque</a> and has a distinctive sound. It ended up changing the song completely."<sup><a href="#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> Thayil said that the song "wasn't safe as milk, but it wasn't glass in someone's eye either. It was the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. Now it's the '<a href="/wiki/Dream_On_(Aerosmith_song)">Dream On</a>' of our set."<sup><a href="#cite_note-5">[5]</a></sup> The song was performed in a slightly sharp <a href="/wiki/Drop_D_tuning">drop D tuning</a>, similar to the tuning used on the band's first single, "<a href="/wiki/Hunted_Down">Hunted Down</a>". Drummer <a href="/wiki/Matt_Cameron">Matt Cameron</a> called the song "a huge departure". Credit is due to <a href="/wiki/Michael_Beinhorn">Michael Beinhorn</a> and <a href="/wiki/Brendan_O%27Brien_(music_producer)">Brendan O'Brien</a>, producer and recording engineer, respectively.
</p><p>Appearing on The Pods &amp; Sods Network in July 2017, Beinhorn detailed the process of recording <i>Superunknown</i> and shared his reaction to first hearing "Black Hole Sun": "I think for the rest of my entire life, until I draw my last breath, I'll never ever forgot how I felt when they started playing that song. From the very first few notes, I felt like I'd been hit by a thunderbolt. I was just absolutely stunned. What in the world is this? I get goosebumps thinking about it now."<sup><a href="#cite_note-6">[6]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2>Composition[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2">edit</a>]</h2>
<div>
<div><p></p></div>
<div>
<p>"With its weepy, vibrato-guitar <a href="/wiki/Arpeggio">arpeggios</a> and spare drums, the verses on 'Black Hole Sun' pave the way for a gloriously pounding metallic chorus."<sup><a href="#cite_note-7">[7]</a></sup></p></div></div>
<p>Musically, "Black Hole Sun" has been described as <a href="/wiki/Grunge">grunge</a>,<sup><a href="#cite_note-8">[8]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-9">[9]</a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Psychedelic_rock">psychedelic rock</a>,<sup><a href="#cite_note-10">[10]</a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Alternative_rock">alternative rock</a>,<sup><a href="#cite_note-11">[11]</a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-12">[12]</a></sup> Regarding the song's lyrics, Cornell stated, "It's just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song."<sup><a href="#cite_note-13">[13]</a></sup> He also said that "lyrically it's probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I've written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you'd begin to take that one literally."<sup><a href="#cite_note-14">[14]</a></sup> In another interview he elaborated further, stating, "It's funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The <a href="/wiki/Chorus_(song)">chorus</a> lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn't have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across."<sup><a href="#cite_note-painting-15">[15]</a></sup> Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said, "No one seems to get this, but 'Black Hole Sun' is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it's almost chipper, which is ridiculous."<sup><a href="#cite_note-16">[16]</a></sup> When asked about the line, "Times are gone for honest men", Cornell said:
</p>
<blockquote><p>It's really difficult for a person to create their own life and their own freedom. It's going to become more and more difficult, and it's going to create more and more disillusioned people who become dishonest and angry and are willing to fuck the next guy to get what they want. There's so much stepping on the backs of other people in our profession. We've been so lucky that we've never had to do that. Part of it was because of our own tenacity, and part of it was because we were lucky.<sup><a href="#cite_note-17">[17]</a></sup></p></blockquote>
<h2>Release and critical reception[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>"Black Hole Sun" was released in the summer of 1994 and became the most successful song from <i>Superunknown</i> on the American rock charts and arguably the band's most recognizable and popular song. It appeared on <i>Billboard</i> magazine's <a href="/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100_Airplay">Hot 100 Airplay</a> chart, reaching the top 30. The following week it debuted on the <a href="/wiki/Top_40_Mainstream">Top 40 Mainstream</a>, where it peaked at number nine in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its 20th week. The song peaked at number one on the <i>Billboard</i> <a href="/wiki/Hot_Mainstream_Rock_Tracks">Mainstream Rock Tracks</a> chart and number two on the <i>Billboard</i> <a href="/wiki/Alternative_Songs">Modern Rock Tracks</a> chart. The song spent a total of seven weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. At the <a href="/wiki/Grammy_Awards_of_1995">1995 Grammy Awards</a>, "Black Hole Sun" received the award for <a href="/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Hard_Rock_Performance">Best Hard Rock Performance</a> and received a nomination for <a href="/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Rock_Song">Best Rock Song</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-1995_Grammys-18">[18]</a></sup>
</p><p>Outside the United States, the single was released in Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian <a href="/wiki/RPM_(magazine)">Singles Chart</a>. It remained in the top ten for three weeks and became the band's highest charted song in Canada. "Black Hole Sun" reached the UK Top 20 and was the last single from the album which charted in the UK Top 20. The song remains the band's highest charting single in the United Kingdom to date. "Black Hole Sun" debuted at number ten in Australia but quickly descended the chart, however widespread <a href="/wiki/Airplay_(radio)">airplay</a> and a promotional visit to Australia stimulated a resurgence of interest in <i>Superunknown</i>. "Black Hole Sun" would peak at number six on the Australian Singles Chart. "Black Hole Sun" reached the top 30 in Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, and was a top ten success in Australia, France, and Ireland. It topped the <a href="/wiki/%C3%8Dslenski_listinn">Icelandic Singles Chart</a> for a week, and was a moderate top 20 success in Sweden. The single has sold over three million copies worldwide.<sup><a href="#cite_note-19">[19]</a></sup>
</p><p>Greg Prato of <a href="/wiki/AllMusic">AllMusic</a> called the song "one of the few bright spots" of the summer of 1994 when "the world was still reeling from <a href="/wiki/Nirvana_(band)">Nirvana</a> leader <a href="/wiki/Kurt_Cobain">Kurt Cobain</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Suicide_of_Kurt_Cobain">suicide</a> the previous April". He said, "The song had a psychedelic edge to it (especially evident in the verse's guitar part), as the composition shifted between sedate melodicism and gargantuan guitar riffs. The lyrics were classic Chris Cornell—lines didn't exactly make sense on paper but did within the song."<sup><a href="#cite_note-20">[20]</a></sup> Ann Powers of <i><a href="/wiki/Blender_(magazine)">Blender</a></i> proclaimed that "Cornell's fixation with the Beatles pays off with the hit single 'Black Hole Sun' ".<sup><a href="#cite_note-21">[21]</a></sup> <a href="/wiki/James_Masterton">James Masterton</a> wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Easily the most commercial single the US band have released to date".<sup><a href="#cite_note-22">[22]</a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Jon_Pareles">Jon Pareles</a> of <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times">The New York Times</a></i> said, "The Beatles' techniques—fuzz-toned low chords, legato lead-guitar hooks and lumpy <a href="/wiki/Ringo_Starr">Ringo Starr</a>-style drumming...are linked to <a href="/wiki/John_Lennon">Lennon</a>-style melody in 'Black Hole Sun'."<sup><a href="#cite_note-23">[23]</a></sup> <a href="/wiki/J.D._Considine">J.D. Considine</a> of <i><a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i> stated, "With its yearning, Lennonesque melody and watery, <a href="/wiki/George_Harrison">Harrison-style</a> guitar, 'Black Hole Sun' is a wonderful exercise in Beatleisms; trouble is, it's not a very good song, offering more in the way of mood and atmosphere than melodic direction."<sup><a href="#cite_note-24">[24]</a></sup>
</p><p>The solo for "Black Hole Sun", performed by Thayil, was ranked number 63 on <i><a href="/wiki/Guitar_World">Guitar World</a></i>'s list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos",<sup><a href="#cite_note-100greatest-25">[25]</a></sup> and number 56 on <i><a href="/wiki/Total_Guitar">Total Guitar</a>'</i>s list of the "100 Hottest Guitar Solos".<sup><a href="#cite_note-100hottest-26">[26]</a></sup> The song was included on <a href="/wiki/VH1">VH1</a>'s countdown of the "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s" at number 25.<sup><a href="#cite_note-greatest90s-27">[27]</a></sup> It was also included on VH1's countdown of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" at number 77.<sup><a href="#cite_note-VH1hardrock-28">[28]</a></sup> According to <a href="/wiki/Nielsen_Music">Nielsen Music</a>'s year-end report for 2019, "Black Hole Sun" was the ninth most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 125,000 spins. All of the songs in the top 10 were from the 1990s.<sup><a href="#cite_note-MainstreamRockDecade2010-2019-29">[29]</a></sup> In 2017, <i><a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)">Billboard</a></i> ranked the song number four on their list of the 15 greatest Soundgarden songs,<sup><a href="#cite_note-30">[30]</a></sup> and in 2021, <i><a href="/wiki/Kerrang!">Kerrang</a></i> ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Soundgarden songs.<sup><a href="#cite_note-31">[31]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2>Music video[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=4">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>The <a href="/wiki/Surrealism">surreal</a> and <a href="/wiki/Apocalypticism">apocalyptic</a> <a href="/wiki/Music_video">music video</a> for "Black Hole Sun" was directed by British video director <a href="/wiki/Howard_Greenhalgh">Howard Greenhalgh</a>,<sup><a href="#cite_note-32">[32]</a></sup> produced by Megan Hollister for Why Not Films (London, England), shot by Ivan Bartos, and features post-production work by 525 Post Production (<a href="/wiki/Hollywood,_Los_Angeles,_California">Hollywood</a>, California) and Soho 601 Effects (London). The video follows a suburban neighborhood and its vain inhabitants with comically exaggerated grins, which are eventually swallowed up when the Sun suddenly turns into a <a href="/wiki/Black_hole">black hole</a>, while the band performs the song somewhere in an open field. In the video, Cornell can be seen wearing a fork necklace given to him by <a href="/wiki/Shannon_Hoon">Shannon Hoon</a> of <a href="/wiki/Blind_Melon">Blind Melon</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-gardener-2">[2]</a></sup> In an online chat, the band stated that the video "was entirely the director's idea", and added, "Our take on it was that at that point in making videos, we just wanted to pretend to play and not look that excited about it."<sup><a href="#cite_note-33">[33]</a></sup> They said that the video was one of the few Soundgarden videos the band was satisfied with.<sup><a href="#cite_note-34">[34]</a></sup>
</p><p>The video was released in June 1994.<sup><a href="#cite_note-mvdbase-35">[35]</a></sup> After several weeks of airplay on MTV, a second version of the video was substituted containing more elaborate <a href="/wiki/Visual_effects">visual effects</a> than the original, including the addition of a <a href="/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery">computer-generated</a> black hole. The music video for "Black Hole Sun" became a hit on MTV and received the award for <a href="/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Award_for_Best_Rock_Video">Best Metal/Hard Rock Video</a> at the 1994 <a href="/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Awards">MTV Video Music Awards</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-36">[36]</a></sup> In 1995, it received the <a href="/wiki/Clio_Awards">Clio Award</a> for Alternative Music Video.<sup><a href="#cite_note-37">[37]</a></sup> The video is available on the <a href="/wiki/CD-ROM">CD-ROM</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Songs_from_the_Superunknown">Alive in the Superunknown</a></i>.
</p>
<h2>Accolades[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=5">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>The information regarding accolades attributed to "Black Hole Sun" is adapted in part from <a href="/wiki/Acclaimed_Music">Acclaimed Music</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-accolades-38">[38]</a></sup>
</p>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<th>Publication
</th>
<th>Country
</th>
<th>Accolade
</th>
<th>Year
</th>
<th>Rank
</th></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Guitar_World">Guitar World</a></i>
</td>
<td>United States
</td>
<td>"100 Greatest Guitar Solos"<sup><a href="#cite_note-100greatest-25">[25]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2007
</td>
<td>63
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="/wiki/VH1">VH1</a>
</td>
<td>United States
</td>
<td>"100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"<sup><a href="#cite_note-greatest90s-27">[27]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2007
</td>
<td>25
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>VH1
</td>
<td>United States
</td>
<td>"100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs"<sup><a href="#cite_note-VH1hardrock-28">[28]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2008
</td>
<td>77
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i>
</td>
<td>United States
</td>
<td>"<a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone%27s_500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time">500 Greatest Songs of All Time</a>"<sup><a href="#cite_note-500GSOAT-39">[39]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2021
</td>
<td>368
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Kerrang!">Kerrang!</a></i>
</td>
<td>United Kingdom
</td>
<td>"100 Greatest Singles of All Time"<sup><a href="#cite_note-40">[40]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2002
</td>
<td>49
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Q_(magazine)">Q</a></i>
</td>
<td>United Kingdom
</td>
<td>"The 1001 Best Songs Ever"<sup><a href="#cite_note-41">[41]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2003
</td>
<td>543
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Total_Guitar">Total Guitar</a></i>
</td>
<td>United Kingdom
</td>
<td>"100 Hottest Guitar Solos"<sup><a href="#cite_note-100hottest-26">[26]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2006
</td>
<td>56
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i>The Movement</i>
</td>
<td>New Zealand
</td>
<td>"The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time"<sup><a href="#cite_note-42">[42]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2004
</td>
<td>80
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i>The Movement</i>
</td>
<td>New Zealand
</td>
<td>"The 77 Best Singles of the 90s"<sup><a href="#cite_note-43">[43]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2004
</td>
<td>32
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i>Pure Pop</i>
</td>
<td><a href="/wiki/Mexico">Mexico</a>
</td>
<td>"The 100 Best Singles of All Time"<sup><a href="#cite_note-44">[44]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2003
</td>
<td>100
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Spex_(magazine)">Spex</a></i>
</td>
<td>Germany
</td>
<td>"Singles of the Year"<sup><a href="#cite_note-45">[45]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>1994
</td>
<td>15
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td><i><a href="/wiki/Rock_%26_Pop_(Chilean_radio)">Rock &amp; Pop</a></i>
</td>
<td>Chile
</td>
<td>"Rock&amp;Pop 20 Años 200 Canciones"<sup><a href="#cite_note-46">[46]</a></sup>
</td>
<td>2013
</td>
<td>174
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<h2>Track listing[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=6">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>All songs written by <a href="/wiki/Chris_Cornell">Chris Cornell</a>, except where noted:
</p><p><b>Promotional CD (US)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Black Hole Sun" (edit)  – 4:31</li></ol>
<p><b>CD (Europe and Germany)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Like Suicide" (acoustic)  – 6:11</li>
<li>"Kickstand" (live) (Cornell, <a href="/wiki/Kim_Thayil">Kim Thayil</a>)  – 1:58
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at <a href="/wiki/Jones_Beach_Amphitheater">Jones Beach Amphitheater</a> in <a href="/wiki/Wantagh,_New_York">Wantagh, New York</a>.</li></ul></li></ol>
<p><b>CD (Europe)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"<a href="/wiki/Jesus_Christ_Pose">Jesus Christ Pose</a>" (live) (<a href="/wiki/Matt_Cameron">Matt Cameron</a>, Cornell, <a href="/wiki/Ben_Shepherd">Ben Shepherd</a>, Thayil)  – 7:19
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 11, 1993, at <a href="/wiki/Rushmore_Plaza_Civic_Center">Rushmore Plaza Civic Center</a> in <a href="/wiki/Rapid_City,_South_Dakota">Rapid City, South Dakota</a>.</li></ul></li>
<li>"<a href="/wiki/My_Wave">My Wave</a>" (live) (Cornell, Thayil)  – 4:34
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.</li></ul></li>
<li>"<a href="/wiki/Spoonman">Spoonman</a>" (<a href="/wiki/Steve_Fisk">Steve Fisk</a> remix)  – 6:55</li></ol>
<p><b>Box Set (UK)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:56
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at <a href="/wiki/Exhibition_Stadium">Exhibition Stadium</a> in Toronto, Canada.</li></ul></li>
<li>"<a href="/wiki/Fell_on_Black_Days_(song)">Fell on Black Days</a>" (live)  – 4:45
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 16, 1993, at <a href="/wiki/Pine_Knob_Music_Theatre">Pine Knob Music Theatre</a> in <a href="/wiki/Clarkston,_Michigan">Clarkston, Michigan</a>.</li></ul></li>
<li>"Birth Ritual" (demo) (Cornell, Cameron, Thayil)  – 5:50</li></ol>
<p><b>CD (Australia and Germany)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Jesus Christ Pose" (live) (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil)  – 7:19</li>
<li>"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:54
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at <a href="/wiki/Exhibition_Stadium">Exhibition Stadium</a> in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.</li></ul></li></ol>
<p><b>Promotional CD (US)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:53
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.</li></ul></li>
<li>"Spoonman" (<a href="/wiki/Steve_Fisk">Steve Fisk</a> remix)  – 6:55</li></ol>
<p><b>7" vinyl (UK) and cassette (UK)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil)  – 4:34
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.</li></ul></li>
<li>"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:54
<ul><li>Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.</li></ul></li></ol>
<p><b>Promotional 12" vinyl (France)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li></ol>
<p><b>Jukebox 7" vinyl (US)</b>
</p>
<ol><li>"Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18</li>
<li>"Spoonman"  – 4:06</li></ol>
<h2>Charts[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=7">edit</a>]</h2>
<h2>Certifications[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=11">edit</a>]</h2>
<h2>In popular culture[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=12">edit</a>]</h2>
<p>"Black Hole Sun" is a playable song in the 2007 video game <i><a href="/wiki/Rock_Band_(video_game)">Rock Band</a></i>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-82">[82]</a></sup>
</p><p>The song is also available in the 2008 video games <i><a href="/wiki/Karaoke_Revolution">Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore</a></i><sup><a href="#cite_note-83">[83]</a></sup> and <i><a href="/wiki/List_of_SingStar_titles">SingStar 90s</a></i>, for the <a href="/wiki/PlayStation_2">PlayStation 2</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-84">[84]</a></sup> <i><a href="/wiki/Guitar_Hero:_Warriors_of_Rock">Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock</a></i> features the song in its downloadable content library, and it is a playable track in the TV mode of <a href="/wiki/Guitar_Hero_Live">Guitar Hero Live</a>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-85">[85]</a></sup> The post-humous cover album released by Chris Cornell, <i><a href="/wiki/No_One_Sings_Like_You_Anymore,_Vol._1">No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1</a></i>, was named after a lyric in this song. The song was featured in "The Alternative Polka" from <a href="/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic">"Weird Al" Yankovic</a>'s 1996 album, <i><a href="/wiki/Bad_Hair_Day">Bad Hair Day</a></i>.
</p><p>A cover version of the song by Swann and Nouela was featured over the closing credits in the neo-noir thriller <i><a href="/wiki/A_Walk_Among_the_Tombstones_(film)">A Walk Among the Tombstones</a></i>.<sup><a href="#cite_note-86">[86]</a></sup><sup><a href="#cite_note-87">[87]</a></sup> Another cover in the style of lounge music was performed by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.<sup><a href="#cite_note-88">[88]</a></sup> This cover was also used in the closing credits of the fourth episode of the Disney+ Willow series.
</p><p>The song is used in Season 3 of the <a href="/wiki/Apple_TV%2B">Apple TV+</a> series <i><a href="/wiki/For_All_Mankind_(TV_series)">For All Mankind</a></i> as soundtrack for the scene at the end of Episode 3 when the competing spaceships set off to Mars.<sup><a href="#cite_note-89">[89]</a></sup> It's also sampled as the soundtrack to the Season 3 trailer.<sup><a href="#cite_note-90">[90]</a></sup>
</p>
<h2>References[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=13">edit</a>]</h2>
<div><ol>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.songfacts.com/facts/soundgarden/black-hole-sun">"Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden"</a>. <i>Songfacts</i>. Retrieved January 5, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-gardener_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-gardener_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/kerr_3-1-97.shtml">"Gardener's Question Time"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Kerrang!">Kerrang!</a></i>. March 1, 1997.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b> <a href="http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/cornell%20gets%20prized%20guitars%20back%20from%20ex-wife_1099052">"Chris Cornell – Cornell Gets Prized Guitars Back From Ex-wife"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Contactmusic.com">Contactmusic.com</a>. March 30, 2009.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b> Gilbert, Jeff. <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/guitarworld_5-94.shtml">"Sleepless in Seattle"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Guitar_World">Guitar World</a></i>. May 1994.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b> Brambarger, Bradley. <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=rQkEAAAAMBAJ&amp;pg=PA105">"The Modern Age"</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)">Billboard</a></i>. June 8, 1996
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://podsodcast.com/2017/07/25/em54/">"EM54 – Remembering Chris Cornell Part 1"</a>. July 25, 2017.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b> <cite>Ashare, Matt (March 4, 1994). "Bloom time". <i><a href="/wiki/The_Boston_Phoenix">The Boston Phoenix</a></i>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b> <cite>Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-grunge-songs/">"The 50 Best Grunge Songs"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Paste_(magazine)">Paste</a></i>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/soundgarden-superunknown-38455/">"500 Greatest Albums of All Time"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i>. May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b> <cite>Gerard, Chris (July 24, 2016). <a href="https://www.popmatters.com/feature/the-100-greatest-alternative-singles-of-the-90s-part-4-40-21/">"The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 4 (40 - 21)"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/PopMatters">PopMatters</a></i>. Retrieved September 26, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b> <cite>Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/05/the-ultimate-nineties-alt-rock-playlist/40279/">"The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Atlantic">The Atlantic</a></i>. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b> <cite>Kaufman, Gil (January 4, 2010). <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/1628964/soundgardens-chris-cornell-announces-reunion/">"Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Announces Reunion"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/MTV_News">MTV News</a></i>. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b> <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/rip_4-94.shtml">"Soundgarden: The Badass Seed"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/RIP_(magazine)">RIP</a></i>. April 1994.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b> Crisafulli, Chuck. <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/request_6-96.shtml">"Rogues Gallery"</a>. <i>Request</i>. June 1996.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-painting_15-0">^</a></b> Clay, Jennifer. <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/rip_6-96.shtml">"Soundgarden: Painting Beautiful Pictures"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/RIP_(magazine)">RIP</a></i>. June 1996.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b> True, Everett. <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/mm_3-19-94.shtml">"Journey into the Superunknown"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Melody_Maker">Melody Maker</a></i>. March 19, 1994.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b> <i><a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i>. January 12, 1995.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-1995_Grammys_18-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1995/grammys.htm">"37th Grammy Awards – 1995"</a>. Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved December 8, 2007.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b> <cite>Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5483">"Soundgarden &gt; Biography"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Allmusic">Allmusic</a></i>. Retrieved August 11, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b> Prato, Greg. <a href="https://www.allmusic.com/song/t2762489">"Black Hole Sun &gt; Review"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Allmusic">Allmusic</a>. Retrieved on May 19, 2008.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b> Powers, Ann. <a href="https://archive.today/20070624030927/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=1209">"Soundgarden: <i>Superunknown</i>"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Blender_(magazine)">Blender</a></i>.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b> <cite><a href="/wiki/James_Masterton">Masterton, James</a> (August 14, 1994). <a href="https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1994/week-ending-august-20th-1994">"Week Ending August 20th 1994"</a>. <i>Chart Watch UK</i>. Retrieved September 8, 2021.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b> Pareles, Jon. <a href="https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E0DD153AF935A35750C0A962958260&amp;scp=3&amp;sq=superunknown&amp;st=nyt">"RECORDINGS VIEW; Lightening Up On the Gloom In Grunge"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times">The New York Times</a></i>. March 6, 1994. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b> Consideine, J.D. <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/soundgarden/albums/album/112428/review/5942536/superunknown">"Soundgarden: <i>Superunknown</i>"</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080705160513/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/soundgarden/albums/album/112428/review/5942536/superunknown">Archived</a> July 5, 2008, at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine">Wayback Machine</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i>. July 31, 1997.
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-100greatest_25-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-100greatest_25-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="http://guitar.about.com/library/bl100greatest.htm">"100 Greatest Guitar Solos"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Guitar_World">Guitar World</a></i>. 2007.
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-100hottest_26-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-100hottest_26-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> "100 Hottest Guitar Solos". <i><a href="/wiki/Total_Guitar">Total Guitar</a></i>. May 2006.
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-greatest90s_27-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-greatest90s_27-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <cite><a href="http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/127759/episode_featured_copy.jhtml">"VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"</a>. <a href="/wiki/VH1">VH1</a>. Retrieved August 9, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-VH1hardrock_28-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-VH1hardrock_28-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". <a href="/wiki/VH1">VH1</a>.
</li>
<li>^ <a href="#cite_ref-MainstreamRockDecade2010-2019_29-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-MainstreamRockDecade2010-2019_29-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <cite>Trapp, Philip (January 14, 2020). <a href="https://loudwire.com/nirvana-most-played-radio-rock-band-decade/">"Nirvana Were the Most-Played Band of the Decade on Rock Radio"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Loudwire">Loudwire</a></i>. Retrieved January 23, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b> <cite>Unterberger, Andrew (May 18, 2017). <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/soundgarden-best-songs-chris-cornell-7800864/">"The 15 Greatest Soundgarden Songs: Critic's Picks"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)">Billboard</a></i>. Retrieved April 12, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b> <cite>Law, Sam (May 10, 2021). <a href="https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-soundgarden-songs-ranked">"The 20 greatest Soundgarden songs – ranked"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Kerrang!">Kerrang</a></i>. Retrieved April 12, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071120125646/http://howard.enigmacretu.com/index.php?lang=en">"Howard Greenhalgh: Exclusive Interview"</a>. enigmacretu.com. Archived from <a href="http://howard.enigmacretu.com/index.php?lang=en">the original</a> on November 20, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b> "Interview With Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden". <i><a href="/wiki/Spin_(magazine)">Spin</a></i> Online. November 15, 1995.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b> Maloof, Rich. <a href="http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/guitar_7-96.shtml">"Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat"</a>. <i>Guitar Magazine</i>. July 1996.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-mvdbase_35-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080602085044/http://www.mvdbase.com/artist.php?last=Soundgarden&amp;first=&amp;sortord=1=">"Soundgarden music videos"</a>. Music Video Database. Archived from <a href="http://www.mvdbase.com/artist.php?last=Soundgarden&amp;first=&amp;sortord=1=">the original</a> on June 2, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1994/mtvvmas.htm">"1994 MTV Video Music Awards"</a>. Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved February 20, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080212235423/http://www.clioawards.com/archive/index.cfm">"Clio Awards Search Archive"</a>. clioawards.com. Archived from <a href="http://www.clioawards.com/archive/index.cfm">the original</a> on February 12, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-accolades_38-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/S107.htm">""Black Hole Sun" accolades"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Acclaimed_Music">Acclaimed Music</a>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-500GSOAT_39-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/soundgarden-black-hole-sun-1224970/">"Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"</a>. <i>Rolling Stone</i>. September 15, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-40">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/kerrang.htm">"100 Greatest Singles of All Time"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Kerrang!">Kerrang!</a></i>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/Q1001bestsongsever.htm">"The 1001 Best Songs Ever"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Q_(magazine)">Q</a></i>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/movement.htm">"The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time"</a>. <i>The Movement</i>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/movement.htm">"The 77 Best Singles of the 90s"</a>. <i>The Movement</i>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/pure%20pop.htm">"The 100 Best Singles of All Time"</a>. <i>Juice</i>. Retrieved May 6, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-45">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.poplist.de/poplist.php?m=4&amp;y=1994">"Best – Singles of the Year"</a>. www.poplist.de. Retrieved April 16, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b> <a href="http://www.rockandpop.cl/rp20-semana9/soundgarden-black-hole-sun/#.Uiu8ujbYC9I">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun Rock &amp; Pop Chile</a>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Australia_Soundgarden_47-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a>. <a href="/wiki/ARIA_Charts">ARIA Top 50 Singles</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Flanders_Soundgarden_48-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a> (in Dutch). <a href="/wiki/Ultratop">Ultratop 50</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Canadatopsingles_49-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2578&amp;URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2578.gif&amp;Ecopy=nlc008388.2578">Top RPM Singles: Issue 2578</a>." <i><a href="/wiki/RPM_(magazine)">RPM</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/Library_and_Archives_Canada">Library and Archives Canada</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b> <cite><a href="/wiki/Johan_Schl%C3%BCter">Schlüter, Johan</a> (October 7, 1994). "Official Danish Singles Chart". <i>IFPI Report</i>. No. Week 40. <a href="/wiki/IFPI_Danmark">IFPI Danmark</a>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-09-03-OCR-Page-0013.pdf#search=%22soundgarden%22">"Eurochart Hot 100 Singles (Last Week's position)"</a> (PDF). <i><a href="/wiki/Music_%26_Media">Music &amp; Media</a></i>. September 17, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved August 3, 2018.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-Book_52-0">^</a></b> <cite>Pennanen, Timo (2006). <a href="http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/sol-spa.html"><i>Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972</i></a> (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-951-1-21053-5"><bdi>978-951-1-21053-5</bdi></a>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_France_Soundgarden_53-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a> (in French). <a href="/wiki/Syndicat_National_de_l%27%C3%89dition_Phonographique">Les classement single</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Germany_Soundgarden_54-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://www.offiziellecharts.de/titel-details-6606">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a> (in German). <a href="/wiki/GfK_Entertainment_charts">GfK Entertainment charts</a>. Retrieved October 10, 2018. 
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-55">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://timarit.is/page/2719476#page/n1/mode/2up">"Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.9.–5.10. '94)"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/DV_(newspaper)">Dagblaðið Vísir</a></i> (in Icelandic). September 29, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved October 1, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Ireland2_Soundgarden_56-0">^</a></b> "<a href="http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&amp;search_type=title&amp;placement=Black+Hole+Sun">The Irish Charts – Search Results – Black Hole Sun"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Irish_Singles_Chart">Irish Singles Chart</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Dutch40_57-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://www.top40.nl/top40/1994/week-46">Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1994</a>" (in Dutch). <a href="/wiki/Dutch_Top_40">Dutch Top 40</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Dutch100_Soundgarden_58-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a> (in Dutch). <a href="/wiki/Dutch_Single_Top_100">Single Top 100</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_New_Zealand_Soundgarden_59-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Official_New_Zealand_Music_Chart">Top 40 Singles</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Scotland_60-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/19940827/41/">"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Official_Charts_Company">Official Charts Company</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Sweden_Soundgarden_61-0">^</a></b> "<a href="https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Soundgarden&amp;titel=Black+Hole+Sun&amp;cat=s">Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Sverigetopplistan">Singles Top 100</a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_UK_62-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19940827/7501/">"Official Singles Chart Top 100"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Official_Charts_Company">Official Charts Company</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_UKrock_63-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/19941015/111/">"Official Rock &amp; Metal Singles Chart Top 40"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Official_Charts_Company">Official Charts Company</a>. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboardradiosongs_Soundgarden_64-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/HSB">"Soundgarden Chart History (Radio Songs)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboardalternativesongs_Soundgarden_65-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/MRT">"Soundgarden Chart History (Alternative Airplay)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Soundgarden_66-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/RTT">"Soundgarden Chart History (Mainstream Rock)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboardpopsongs_Soundgarden_67-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/TFM">"Soundgarden Chart History (Pop Songs)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-68">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.popmusichistory.co.uk/usa-cashbox-summaries">"USA Cashbox Charts Summaries"</a>. <i>popmusichistory</i>. Retrieved December 14, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboarddigitalsongs_Soundgarden_69-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/HDS">"Soundgarden Chart History (Digital Song Sales)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-sc_Billboardrocksongs_Soundgarden_70-0">^</a></b> <a href="https://www.billboard.com/artist/Soundgarden/chart-history/ARK">"Soundgarden Chart History (Hot Rock &amp; Alternative Songs)"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)"><i>Billboard</i></a>. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-71">^</a></b> <cite>Ryan, Gavin (2011). <i>Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010</i>. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-72">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.2687&amp;URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.2687.gif&amp;Ecopy=nlc008388.2687">"RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/RPM_(magazine)">RPM</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/Library_and_Archives_Canada">Library and Archives Canada</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-73">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://timarit.is/page/2723094#page/n15/mode/2up">"Árslistinn 1994"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/DV_(newspaper)">Dagblaðið Vísir</a></i> (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-74">^</a></b> <cite><a href="http://www.top40web.nl/jaarlijsten/jr1994.html">"Jaarlijsten 1994"</a> (in Dutch). <a href="/wiki/Dutch_Top_40">Dutch Top 40</a>. Retrieved May 19, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-75">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1994&amp;cat=s">"Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994"</a> (in Dutch). <a href="/wiki/MegaCharts">MegaCharts</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-76">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.sverigetopplistan.se/chart/43?dspy=1994&amp;dspp=1">"Årslista Singlar, 1994"</a> (in Swedish). <a href="/wiki/Sverigetopplistan">Sverigetopplistan</a>. Retrieved May 30, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-77">^</a></b> <cite>Macdonald, Patrick (December 23, 1994). <a href="http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19941223&amp;slug=1948755">"Music Notes"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_Seattle_Times">The Seattle Times</a></i>. <a href="/wiki/The_Seattle_Times_Company">The Seattle Times Company</a>. Retrieved July 2, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-78">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2017/hot-rock-songs">"Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017"</a>. <i>Billboard</i>. Retrieved May 19, 2020.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-79">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20170529140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20170530-0000/Issue1422.pdf">"The ARIA Report: Issue 1422 (Week Commencing 29 May 2017)"</a> (PDF). <a href="/wiki/Australian_Recording_Industry_Association">Australian Recording Industry Association</a>. May 29, 2017. p. 3. Archived from <a href="http://www.aria.com.au/Issue1422.pdf">the original</a> (PDF) on May 29, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-ItalySoundgardenBlack_Hole_SunsingleCertRef_80-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.fimi.it/top-of-the-music/certificazioni/certificazioni.kl#/certifications">"Italian single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a> (in Italian). <a href="/wiki/Federazione_Industria_Musicale_Italiana">Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana</a>. Retrieved January 14, 2021.</cite> Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Black Hole Sun" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-United_KingdomSoundgardenBlack_Hole_SunsingleCertRef_81-0">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/14460-1343-1">"British single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun"</a>. <a href="/wiki/British_Phonographic_Industry">British Phonographic Industry</a>. Retrieved July 30, 2021.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-82">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081018183242/http://www.rockband.com/games/rockband">"Rock Band Official Website: Song List"</a>. Archived from <a href="http://www.rockband.com/games/rockband">the original</a> on October 18, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-83">^</a></b> <cite>Rosenberg, Adam. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110615193712/http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=18329">"American Idol Karaoke Revolution Encore Review"</a>. <a href="/wiki/UGO_Networks">UGO Networks</a>. Archived from <a href="http://www.ugo.com/ugo/html/article/?id=18329">the original</a> on June 15, 2011.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-84">^</a></b> Miller, Greg. <a href="http://ps2.ign.com/articles/849/849105p1.html">"SingStar '90s Track List Revealed"</a>. <a href="/wiki/IGN">IGN</a>. February 1, 2008.
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-85">^</a></b> <cite>Mastrapa, Gus (August 3, 2010). <a href="https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/08/guitar-hero-soundgarden/">"New Guitar Hero Packed With Soundgarden's Greatest Hits"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Wired_(magazine)">Wired</a></i>. Retrieved August 3, 2010.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-86">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://nouela.bandcamp.com/">"Music | Nouela"</a>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-87">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365907/soundtrack">"A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) - IMDb"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/IMDb">IMDb</a></i>.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-88">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.elsewhere.co.nz/fromthevaults/4277/steve-and-eydie-black-hole-sun-1997/">"Steve and Eydie: Black Hole Sun (1997)"</a>. <i>Elsewhere by Graham Reid</i>. Retrieved June 16, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-89">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.tunefind.com/show/for-all-mankind/season-3/223548">"Music from For All Mankind S3E03"</a>. <i>Tunefind</i>. Retrieved August 14, 2022.</cite>
</li>
<li><b><a href="#cite_ref-90">^</a></b> <cite><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4EOW9oqZ4k"><i>For All Mankind — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+</i></a>, retrieved August 14, 2022</cite>
</li>
</ol></div>
<h2>External links[<a href="/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&amp;action=edit&amp;section=14">edit</a>]</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kIv6vVRKpw">"Black Hole Sun" (Official audio)</a> on <a href="/wiki/YouTube">YouTube</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg">"Black Hole Sun" (Official music video)</a> on <a href="/wiki/YouTube">YouTube</a></li></ul>
</div>||||I|||| Jump to content
 Toggle sidebar
 Search
 * Create account
 Personal tools
 * Create account
 * Log in

 Pages for logged out editors learn more

 * Talk
 * Contributions
 Navigation
 * Main page
 * Contents
 * Current events
 * Random article
 * About Wikipedia
 * Contact us
 * Donate
 Contribute
 * Help
 * Learn to edit
 * Community portal
 * Recent changes
 * Upload file
 Tools
 * What links here
 * Related changes
 * Upload file
 * Special pages
 * Permanent link
 * Page information
 * Cite this page
 * Wikidata item
 Print/export
 * Download as PDF
 * Printable version
 Languages
 On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Go to top.

 Contents

 move to sidebar hide
 * (Top)
 * 1 Origin and recording
 * 2 Composition
 * 3 Release and critical reception
 * 4 Music video
 * 5 Accolades
 * 6 Track listing
 * 7 Charts
 + 7.1 Weekly charts
 + 7.2 Year-end charts
 + 7.3 Decade-end charts
 * 8 Certifications
 * 9 In popular culture
 * 10 References
 * 11 External links
 Toggle the table of contents

 Black Hole Sun

 23 languages
 * Català
 * Dansk
 * Deutsch
 * Español
 * Euskara
 * فارسی
 * Français
 * Galego
 * Հայերեն
 * Italiano
 * עברית
 * Nederlands
 * Norsk bokmål
 * Norsk nynorsk
 * Polski
 * Português
 * Русский
 * Simple English
 * Slovenčina
 * Српски / srpski
 * Suomi
 * Svenska
 * Tiếng Việt
 Edit links
 * Article
 * Talk
 English
 * Read
 * Edit
 * View history
 More
 * Read
 * Edit
 * View history
 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 For the Vampire Diaries episode, see Black Hole Sun (The Vampire Diaries). For the hypothetical astronomical object sometimes called a 'black hole star', see Quasi-star.

 "Black Hole Sun" 
  
 Single by Soundgarden 
 from the album Superunknown 
 B-side * "Like Suicide" (acoustic)
  * "Kickstand" (live) 
 Released May 13, 1994 
 Recorded 1993 
 Studio Bad Animals, Seattle 
  * Grunge 
 Genre * psychedelic rock 
  * alternative rock 
  * hard rock 
 Length 5 : 18 
 Label A&M 
 Songwriter(s) Chris Cornell 
 Producer(s) Michael Beinhorn 
 Soundgarden singles chronology 
 "The Day I Tried to Live" "Black Hole Sun" "My Wave"
 (1994) (1994) (1994) 
  
  
 Music video 
 "Black Hole Sun" on YouTube 
  
 

 "Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.

 "Black Hole Sun" was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album A-Sides and also appeared on the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm.

 Origin and recording [ edit ]

 "Black Hole Sun" was written by frontman Chris Cornell. In 2014, Cornell explained the song's origins to Uncut Magazine:

 I wrote it in my head driving home from Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, a 35–40 minute drive from Seattle. It sparked from something a news anchor said on TV and I heard wrong. I heard 'blah blah blah black hole sun blah blah blah'. I thought that would make an amazing song title, but what would it sound like? It all came together, pretty much the whole arrangement including the guitar solo that's played beneath the riff. I spent a lot of time spinning those melodies in my head so I wouldn't forget them. I got home and whistled it into a Dictaphone. The next day I brought it into the real world, assigning a couple of key changes in the verse to make the melodies more interesting. Then I wrote the lyrics and that was similar, a stream of consciousness based on the feeling I got from the chorus and title.[1]

 Cornell said that he wrote the song in about 15 minutes.[2] He used a Gretsch guitar to write the song, and commented, "I wrote the song thinking the band wouldn't like it—then it became the biggest hit of the summer."[3] Cornell came up with the song while using a Leslie speaker. Guitarist Kim Thayil said that the Leslie model 16 speaker was perfect for the song as "it's very Beatlesque and has a distinctive sound. It ended up changing the song completely."[4] Thayil said that the song "wasn't safe as milk, but it wasn't glass in someone's eye either. It was the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. Now it's the 'Dream On' of our set."[5] The song was performed in a slightly sharp drop D tuning, similar to the tuning used on the band's first single, "Hunted Down". Drummer Matt Cameron called the song "a huge departure". Credit is due to Michael Beinhorn and Brendan O'Brien, producer and recording engineer, respectively.

 Appearing on The Pods & Sods Network in July 2017, Beinhorn detailed the process of recording Superunknown and shared his reaction to first hearing "Black Hole Sun": "I think for the rest of my entire life, until I draw my last breath, I'll never ever forgot how I felt when they started playing that song. From the very first few notes, I felt like I'd been hit by a thunderbolt. I was just absolutely stunned. What in the world is this? I get goosebumps thinking about it now."[6]

 Composition [ edit ]

 "Black Hole Sun" sample
 "With its weepy, vibrato-guitar arpeggios and spare drums, the verses on 'Black Hole Sun' pave the way for a gloriously pounding metallic chorus."[7]
 Problems playing this file? See media help.

 Musically, "Black Hole Sun" has been described as grunge,[8][9] psychedelic rock,[10] alternative rock,[11] and hard rock.[12] Regarding the song's lyrics, Cornell stated, "It's just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song."[13] He also said that "lyrically it's probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I've written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you'd begin to take that one literally."[14] In another interview he elaborated further, stating, "It's funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn't have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across."[15] Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said, "No one seems to get this, but 'Black Hole Sun' is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it's almost chipper, which is ridiculous."[16] When asked about the line, "Times are gone for honest men", Cornell said:

 It's really difficult for a person to create their own life and their own freedom. It's going to become more and more difficult, and it's going to create more and more disillusioned people who become dishonest and angry and are willing to fuck the next guy to get what they want. There's so much stepping on the backs of other people in our profession. We've been so lucky that we've never had to do that. Part of it was because of our own tenacity, and part of it was because we were lucky.[17]

 Release and critical reception [ edit ]

 "Black Hole Sun" was released in the summer of 1994 and became the most successful song from Superunknown on the American rock charts and arguably the band's most recognizable and popular song. It appeared on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 Airplay chart, reaching the top 30. The following week it debuted on the Top 40 Mainstream, where it peaked at number nine in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its 20th week. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song spent a total of seven weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, "Black Hole Sun" received the award for Best Hard Rock Performance and received a nomination for Best Rock Song.[18]

 Outside the United States, the single was released in Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart. It remained in the top ten for three weeks and became the band's highest charted song in Canada. "Black Hole Sun" reached the UK Top 20 and was the last single from the album which charted in the UK Top 20. The song remains the band's highest charting single in the United Kingdom to date. "Black Hole Sun" debuted at number ten in Australia but quickly descended the chart, however widespread airplay and a promotional visit to Australia stimulated a resurgence of interest in Superunknown. "Black Hole Sun" would peak at number six on the Australian Singles Chart. "Black Hole Sun" reached the top 30 in Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, and was a top ten success in Australia, France, and Ireland. It topped the Icelandic Singles Chart for a week, and was a moderate top 20 success in Sweden. The single has sold over three million copies worldwide.[19]

 Greg Prato of AllMusic called the song "one of the few bright spots" of the summer of 1994 when "the world was still reeling from Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain's suicide the previous April". He said, "The song had a psychedelic edge to it (especially evident in the verse's guitar part), as the composition shifted between sedate melodicism and gargantuan guitar riffs. The lyrics were classic Chris Cornell—lines didn't exactly make sense on paper but did within the song."[20] Ann Powers of Blender proclaimed that "Cornell's fixation with the Beatles pays off with the hit single 'Black Hole Sun' ".[21] James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Easily the most commercial single the US band have released to date".[22] Jon Pareles of The New York Times said, "The Beatles' techniques—fuzz-toned low chords, legato lead-guitar hooks and lumpy Ringo Starr-style drumming...are linked to Lennon-style melody in 'Black Hole Sun'."[23] J.D. Considine of Rolling Stone stated, "With its yearning, Lennonesque melody and watery, Harrison-style guitar, 'Black Hole Sun' is a wonderful exercise in Beatleisms; trouble is, it's not a very good song, offering more in the way of mood and atmosphere than melodic direction."[24]

 The solo for "Black Hole Sun", performed by Thayil, was ranked number 63 on Guitar World ' s list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos",[25] and number 56 on Total Guitar's list of the "100 Hottest Guitar Solos".[26] The song was included on VH1's countdown of the "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s" at number 25.[27] It was also included on VH1's countdown of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" at number 77.[28] According to Nielsen Music's year-end report for 2019, "Black Hole Sun" was the ninth most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 125,000 spins. All of the songs in the top 10 were from the 1990s.[29] In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number four on their list of the 15 greatest Soundgarden songs,[30] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Soundgarden songs.[31]

 Music video [ edit ]

 The surreal and apocalyptic music video for "Black Hole Sun" was directed by British video director Howard Greenhalgh,[32] produced by Megan Hollister for Why Not Films (London, England), shot by Ivan Bartos, and features post-production work by 525 Post Production (Hollywood, California) and Soho 601 Effects (London). The video follows a suburban neighborhood and its vain inhabitants with comically exaggerated grins, which are eventually swallowed up when the Sun suddenly turns into a black hole, while the band performs the song somewhere in an open field. In the video, Cornell can be seen wearing a fork necklace given to him by Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon.[2] In an online chat, the band stated that the video "was entirely the director's idea", and added, "Our take on it was that at that point in making videos, we just wanted to pretend to play and not look that excited about it."[33] They said that the video was one of the few Soundgarden videos the band was satisfied with.[34]

 The video was released in June 1994.[35] After several weeks of airplay on MTV, a second version of the video was substituted containing more elaborate visual effects than the original, including the addition of a computer-generated black hole. The music video for "Black Hole Sun" became a hit on MTV and received the award for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.[36] In 1995, it received the Clio Award for Alternative Music Video.[37] The video is available on the CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown.

 Accolades [ edit ]

 The information regarding accolades attributed to "Black Hole Sun" is adapted in part from Acclaimed Music.[38]

 Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
 Guitar World United States "100 Greatest Guitar Solos"[25] 2007 63 
 VH1 United States "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s"[27] 2007 25 
 VH1 United States "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs"[28] 2008 77 
 Rolling Stone United States "500 Greatest Songs of All Time"[39] 2021 368 
 Kerrang! United Kingdom "100 Greatest Singles of All Time"[40] 2002 49 
 Q United Kingdom "The 1001 Best Songs Ever"[41] 2003 543 
 Total Guitar United Kingdom "100 Hottest Guitar Solos"[26] 2006 56 
 The Movement New Zealand "The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time"[42] 2004 80 
 The Movement New Zealand "The 77 Best Singles of the 90s"[43] 2004 32 
 Pure Pop Mexico "The 100 Best Singles of All Time"[44] 2003 100 
 Spex Germany "Singles of the Year"[45] 1994 15 
 Rock & Pop Chile "Rock&Pop 20 Años 200 Canciones"[46] 2013 174 
 

 Track listing [ edit ]

 All songs written by Chris Cornell, except where noted:

 Promotional CD (US)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Black Hole Sun" (edit) – 4:31

 CD (Europe and Germany)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Like Suicide" (acoustic) – 6:11
 3. "Kickstand" (live) (Cornell, Kim Thayil) – 1:58
 + Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.

 CD (Europe)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Jesus Christ Pose" (live) (Matt Cameron, Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Thayil) – 7:19
 + Recorded live on August 11, 1993, at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.
 3. "My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil) – 4:34
 + Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.
 4. "Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix) – 6:55

 Box Set (UK)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Beyond the Wheel" (live) – 5:56
 + Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Canada.
 3. "Fell on Black Days" (live) – 4:45
 + Recorded live on August 16, 1993, at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.
 4. "Birth Ritual" (demo) (Cornell, Cameron, Thayil) – 5:50

 CD (Australia and Germany)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Jesus Christ Pose" (live) (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil) – 7:19
 3. "Beyond the Wheel" (live) – 5:54
 + Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 Promotional CD (US)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Beyond the Wheel" (live) – 5:53
 + Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
 3. "Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix) – 6:55

 7" vinyl (UK) and cassette (UK)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil) – 4:34
 + Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.
 3. "Beyond the Wheel" (live) – 5:54
 + Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

 Promotional 12" vinyl (France)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18

 Jukebox 7" vinyl (US)

 1. "Black Hole Sun" – 5:18
 2. "Spoonman" – 4:06

 Charts [ edit ]

 Weekly charts [ edit ] Year-end charts [ edit ] 
   
 1994 weekly chart performance for "Black Hole Sun" 1994 year-end chart performance for "Black Hole Sun"
 Chart (1994) Peak Chart (1994) Position 
  position Australia (ARIA)[71] 62 
 Australia (ARIA)[47] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[72] 48 
 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[48] 37 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[73] 8 
 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[49] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[74] 222 
 Denmark (Hitlisten)[50] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[75] 92 
 European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)[51] 24 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[76] 83 
 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[52] 13 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[77] 1 
 France (SNEP)[53] 10 
 Germany (Official German Charts)[54] 26 2017 year-end chart performance for "Black Hole Sun"
 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[55] 1 Chart (2017) Position 
 Ireland (IRMA)[56] 7 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[78] 53 
 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[57] 31 
 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[58] 25 
 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[59] 22 Decade-end charts [ edit ] 
 Scotland (OCC)[60] 11 
 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[61] 19 Decade-end chart performance for "Black Hole Sun" 
 UK Singles (OCC)[62] 12 Chart (2010–2019) Position 
 UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[63] 17 US Mainstream Rock (Nielsen Music)[29] 9 
 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[64] 24 
 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[65] 2 
 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[66] 1 
 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[67] 9 
 US Cashbox Top 100[68] 25 
   
 2017 weekly chart performance for "Black Hole Sun" 
 Chart (2017) Peak 
  position 
 US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[69] 41 
 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[70] 5 
   
 

 Certifications [ edit ]

 Sales certifications for "Black Hole Sun"
 Region Certification Certified units/sales
 Australia (ARIA)[79] Gold 35,000^ 
 Italy (FIMI)[80] Gold 25,000 
 United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Gold 400,000 
 ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. 
 Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
  
 

 In popular culture [ edit ]

 "Black Hole Sun" is a playable song in the 2007 video game Rock Band.[82]

 The song is also available in the 2008 video games Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore[83] and SingStar 90s, for the PlayStation 2.[84] Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock features the song in its downloadable content library, and it is a playable track in the TV mode of Guitar Hero Live.[85] The post-humous cover album released by Chris Cornell, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was named after a lyric in this song. The song was featured in "The Alternative Polka" from "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 album, Bad Hair Day.

 A cover version of the song by Swann and Nouela was featured over the closing credits in the neo-noir thriller A Walk Among the Tombstones.[86][87] Another cover in the style of lounge music was performed by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.[88] This cover was also used in the closing credits of the fourth episode of the Disney+ Willow series.

 The song is used in Season 3 of the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind as soundtrack for the scene at the end of Episode 3 when the competing spaceships set off to Mars.[89] It's also sampled as the soundtrack to the Season 3 trailer.[90]

 References [ edit ]

 1. ^ "Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden". Songfacts . Retrieved January 5, 2019 .
 2. ^ a b "Gardener's Question Time" . Kerrang! . March 1, 1997.
 3. ^ "Chris Cornell – Cornell Gets Prized Guitars Back From Ex-wife" . Contactmusic.com . March 30, 2009.
 4. ^ Gilbert, Jeff. "Sleepless in Seattle" . Guitar World . May 1994.
 5. ^ Brambarger, Bradley. "The Modern Age" , Billboard . June 8, 1996
 6. ^ "EM54 – Remembering Chris Cornell Part 1". July 25, 2017.
 7. ^ Ashare, Matt (March 4, 1994). "Bloom time". The Boston Phoenix.
 8. ^ Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste.
 9. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012 . Retrieved September 26, 2020 .
 10. ^ Gerard, Chris (July 24, 2016). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 4 (40 - 21)". PopMatters . Retrieved September 26, 2020 .
 11. ^ Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic . Retrieved February 16, 2020 .
 12. ^ Kaufman, Gil (January 4, 2010). "Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Announces Reunion". MTV News . Retrieved February 16, 2020 .
 13. ^ "Soundgarden: The Badass Seed" . RIP . April 1994.
 14. ^ Crisafulli, Chuck. "Rogues Gallery" . Request . June 1996.
 15. ^ Clay, Jennifer. "Soundgarden: Painting Beautiful Pictures" . RIP . June 1996.
 16. ^ True, Everett. "Journey into the Superunknown" . Melody Maker . March 19, 1994.
 17. ^ Rolling Stone . January 12, 1995.
 18. ^ "37th Grammy Awards – 1995". Rockonthenet.com . Retrieved December 8, 2007 .
 19. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Soundgarden > Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved August 11, 2008 .
 20. ^ Prato, Greg. "Black Hole Sun > Review" . Allmusic . Retrieved on May 19, 2008.
 21. ^ Powers, Ann. "Soundgarden: Superunknown" . Blender .
 22. ^ Masterton, James (August 14, 1994). "Week Ending August 20th 1994". Chart Watch UK . Retrieved September 8, 2021 .
 23. ^ Pareles, Jon. "RECORDINGS VIEW; Lightening Up On the Gloom In Grunge" . The New York Times . March 6, 1994. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
 24. ^ Consideine, J.D. "Soundgarden: Superunknown" Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine . Rolling Stone . July 31, 1997.
 25. ^ a b "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" . Guitar World . 2007.
 26. ^ a b "100 Hottest Guitar Solos". Total Guitar . May 2006.
 27. ^ a b "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1 . Retrieved August 9, 2008 .
 28. ^ a b "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". VH1 .
 29. ^ a b Trapp, Philip (January 14, 2020). "Nirvana Were the Most-Played Band of the Decade on Rock Radio". Loudwire . Retrieved January 23, 2020 .
 30. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (May 18, 2017). "The 15 Greatest Soundgarden Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard . Retrieved April 12, 2022 .
 31. ^ Law, Sam (May 10, 2021). "The 20 greatest Soundgarden songs – ranked". Kerrang . Retrieved April 12, 2022 .
 32. ^ "Howard Greenhalgh: Exclusive Interview". enigmacretu.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007 . Retrieved June 22, 2008 .
 33. ^ "Interview With Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden". Spin Online. November 15, 1995.
 34. ^ Maloof, Rich. "Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat" . Guitar Magazine . July 1996.
 35. ^ "Soundgarden music videos". Music Video Database. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008 . Retrieved February 22, 2008 .
 36. ^ "1994 MTV Video Music Awards". Rockonthenet.com . Retrieved February 20, 2008 .
 37. ^ "Clio Awards Search Archive". clioawards.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008 . Retrieved February 20, 2008 .
 38. ^ ""Black Hole Sun" accolades". Acclaimed Music . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 39. ^ "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021 . Retrieved January 29, 2022 .
 40. ^ "100 Greatest Singles of All Time". Kerrang! . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 41. ^ "The 1001 Best Songs Ever". Q . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 42. ^ "The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time". The Movement . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 43. ^ "The 77 Best Singles of the 90s". The Movement . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 44. ^ "The 100 Best Singles of All Time". Juice . Retrieved May 6, 2008 .
 45. ^ "Best – Singles of the Year". www.poplist.de . Retrieved April 16, 2008 .
 46. ^ Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun Rock & Pop Chile
 47. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" . ARIA Top 50 Singles . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 48. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50 . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
 49. ^ " Top RPM Singles: Issue 2578 ." RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 50. ^ Schlüter, Johan (October 7, 1994). "Official Danish Singles Chart". IFPI Report. No. Week 40. IFPI Danmark.
 51. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles (Last Week's position)" (PDF) . Music & Media. September 17, 1994. p. 13 . Retrieved August 3, 2018 .
 52. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
 53. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in French). Les classement single . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 54. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts . Retrieved October 10, 2018.
 55. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.9.–5.10. '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 29, 1994. p. 16 . Retrieved October 1, 2019 .
 56. ^ " The Irish Charts – Search Results – Black Hole Sun" . Irish Singles Chart . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 57. ^ " Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1994 " (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
 58. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100 . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
 59. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" . Top 40 Singles . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 60. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
 61. ^ " Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" . Singles Top 100 . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 62. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
 63. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved November 3, 2012.
 64. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Radio Songs)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 65. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Alternative Airplay)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 66. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Mainstream Rock)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 67. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Pop Songs)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
 68. ^ "USA Cashbox Charts Summaries". popmusichistory . Retrieved December 14, 2022 .
 69. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Digital Song Sales)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 4, 2017.
 70. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)" . Billboard . Retrieved November 4, 2017.
 71. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
 72. ^ "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
 73. ^ "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 16 . Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
 74. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved May 19, 2022 .
 75. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
 76. ^ "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved May 30, 2020 .
 77. ^ Macdonald, Patrick (December 23, 1994). "Music Notes". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company . Retrieved July 2, 2019 .
 78. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard . Retrieved May 19, 2020 .
 79. ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 1422 (Week Commencing 29 May 2017)" (PDF) . Australian Recording Industry Association. May 29, 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2017 . Retrieved June 20, 2019 .
 80. ^ "Italian single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved January 14, 2021 . Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Black Hole Sun" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
 81. ^ "British single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved July 30, 2021 .
 82. ^ "Rock Band Official Website: Song List". Archived from the original on October 18, 2008 . Retrieved December 15, 2008 .
 83. ^ Rosenberg, Adam. "American Idol Karaoke Revolution Encore Review". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011.
 84. ^ Miller, Greg. "SingStar '90s Track List Revealed" . IGN . February 1, 2008.
 85. ^ Mastrapa, Gus (August 3, 2010). "New Guitar Hero Packed With Soundgarden's Greatest Hits". Wired . Retrieved August 3, 2010 .
 86. ^ "Music | Nouela".
 87. ^ "A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) - IMDb". IMDb.
 88. ^ "Steve and Eydie: Black Hole Sun (1997)". Elsewhere by Graham Reid . Retrieved June 16, 2022 .
 89. ^ "Music from For All Mankind S3E03". Tunefind . Retrieved August 14, 2022 .
 90. ^ For All Mankind — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ , retrieved August 14, 2022

 External links [ edit ]

 * "Black Hole Sun" (Official audio) on YouTube
 * "Black Hole Sun" (Official music video) on YouTube
 * v 
 * t 
 * e 
 Soundgarden 
 * Matt Cameron 
 * Chris Cornell 
 * Jason Everman 
 * Ben Shepherd 
 * Scott Sundquist
 * Kim Thayil 
 * Hiro Yamamoto 
 * Ultramega OK 
 * Louder Than Love 
 Studio albums * Badmotorfinger 
 * Superunknown 
 * Down on the Upside 
 * King Animal 
 Live albums * Louder Than Live 
 * Live on I-5 
 * Screaming Life 
 * Fopp 
 * Loudest Love 
 Extended plays * SOMMS 
 * Songs from the Superunknown 
 * Before the Doors: Live on I-5 Soundcheck 
 * King Animal Demos 
 * Screaming Life/Fopp 
 Compilations * A-Sides 
 * Telephantasm 
 * Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path
 Videos * Louder Than Live 
 * Motorvision 
 * "Hunted Down" 
 * "Flower" 
 * "Loud Love" 
 * "Hands All Over" 
 * "Room a Thousand Years Wide" 
 * "Jesus Christ Pose" 
 * "Outshined" 
 * "Rusty Cage" 
 * "Spoonman" 
 * "The Day I Tried to Live" 
 * "Black Hole Sun" 
 Singles * "My Wave" 
 * "Fell on Black Days" 
 * "Pretty Noose" 
 * "Burden in My Hand" 
 * "Blow Up the Outside World" 
 * "Ty Cobb" 
 * "Bleed Together" 
 * "Black Rain" 
 * "The Telephantasm" 
 * "Live to Rise" 
 * "Been Away Too Long" 
 * "By Crooked Steps" 
 * "Slaves & Bulldozers" 
 Other songs * "Rhinosaur" 
 * "Taree" 
 Demo recordings * 6 Songs for Bruce 
 * Discography 
 * Songs 
 Articles * A Sound Garden 
 * Artis the Spoonman 
 * Susan Silver 
 * Deep Six 
 * Skin Yard 
 * Truly 
 Related * Temple of the Dog 
 * Pearl Jam 
 Bands * Tone Dogs 
 * Hater 
 * Wellwater Conspiracy 
 * The No WTO Combo 
 * Audioslave 
 * 3rd Secret 
  
 * Category 
 
 * v 
 * t 
 * e 
 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video 
 * "Sweet Child o' Mine" (1989) 
 * "Janie's Got a Gun" (1990) 
 * "The Other Side" (1991) 
 * "Enter Sandman" (1992) 
 * "Jeremy" (1993) 
 * "Black Hole Sun" (1994) 
 * "More Human than Human" (1995) 
 * "Until It Sleeps" (1996) 
 * "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" (1997)
 * "Pink" (1998) 
 * "Freak on a Leash" (1999) 
 * "Break Stuff" (2000) 
 * "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" (2001) 
 * "In the End" (2002) 
 * "Somewhere I Belong" (2003) 
 * "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" (2004) 
 * "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2005) 
 * "Miss Murder" (2006) 
 * "Shadow of the Day" (2008) 
 * "21 Guns" (2009) 
 * "Kings and Queens" (2010) 
 * "Walk" (2011) 
 * "Paradise" (2012) 
 * "Up in the Air" (2013) 
 * "Royals" (2014) 
 * "Uma Thurman" (2015) 
 * "Heathens" (2016) 
 * "Heavydirtysoul" (2017) 
 * "Whatever It Takes" (2018) 
 * "High Hopes" (2019) 
 * "Orphans" (2020) 
 * "Last Train Home" (2021) 
 * "Black Summer" (2022) 
 
 Authority control * MusicBrainz
 + work 
 
 Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Hole_Sun&oldid=1133780226"
 Categories:
 * 1994 singles
 * 1994 songs
 * 1990s ballads
 * Number-one singles in Iceland
 * Hard rock ballads
 * Soundgarden songs
 * Song recordings produced by Chris Cornell
 * Songs written by Chris Cornell
 * Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
 * A&M Records singles
 * Song recordings produced by Michael Beinhorn
 * American psychedelic rock songs
 * Music videos directed by Howard Greenhalgh
 Hidden categories:
 * Webarchive template wayback links
 * CS1 Finnish-language sources (fi)
 * CS1 Icelandic-language sources (is)
 * CS1 Dutch-language sources (nl)
 * CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv)
 * CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
 * Articles with short description
 * Short description is different from Wikidata
 * Use mdy dates from June 2022
 * Articles with hAudio microformats
 * Single chart usages for Australia
 * Single chart usages for Flanders
 * Single chart usages for Canadatopsingles
 * Single chart called without artist
 * Single chart called without song
 * Single chart usages for France
 * Single chart usages for Germany
 * Single chart usages for Ireland2
 * Single chart usages for Dutch40
 * Single chart usages for Dutch100
 * Single chart usages for New Zealand
 * Single chart usages for Scotland
 * Single chart usages for Sweden
 * Single chart usages for UK
 * Single chart usages for UKrock
 * Single chart usages for Billboardradiosongs
 * Single chart usages for Billboardalternativesongs
 * Single chart usages for Billboardmainstreamrock
 * Single chart usages for Billboardpopsongs
 * Single chart usages for Billboarddigitalsongs
 * Single chart usages for Billboardrocksongs
 * Certification Table Entry usages for Australia
 * Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures
 * Certification Table Entry usages for Italy
 * Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures
 * Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom
 * Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote
 * Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote
 * Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers
 * This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 13:46 (UTC) .
 * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
 * Privacy policy
 * About Wikipedia
 * Disclaimers
 * Contact Wikipedia
 * Mobile view
 * Developers
 * Statistics
 * Cookie statement
 * 
 * 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
	 
   "Black Hole Sun"          Single by Soundgarden    from the album  Superunknown      B-side  
 "Like Suicide" (acoustic)
"Kickstand" (live) 
   Released May 13, 1994   Recorded 1993    Studio   Bad Animals, Seattle    Genre  
  Grunge 
 psychedelic rock 
 alternative rock 
 hard rock  
   Length 5:18    Label   A&amp;M     Songwriter(s)   Chris Cornell     Producer(s)   Michael Beinhorn     Soundgarden singles chronology   
 
"The Day I Tried to Live" (1994)
"Black Hole Sun" (1994)
"My Wave" (1994)
           Music video    "Black Hole Sun" on YouTube    
"Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 as the third single from the band's fourth studio album,  Superunknown  (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the  Billboard  Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.
 "Black Hole Sun" was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album  A-Sides  and also appeared on the 2010 compilation album  Telephantasm .
Origin and recording[edit]
"Black Hole Sun" was written by frontman Chris Cornell. In 2014, Cornell explained the song's origins to Uncut Magazine:
 I wrote it in my head driving home from Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, a 35–40 minute drive from Seattle. It sparked from something a news anchor said on TV and I heard wrong. I heard 'blah blah blah black hole sun blah blah blah'. I thought that would make an amazing song title, but what would it sound like? It all came together, pretty much the whole arrangement including the guitar solo that's played beneath the riff.
I spent a lot of time spinning those melodies in my head so I wouldn't forget them. I got home and whistled it into a Dictaphone. The next day I brought it into the real world, assigning a couple of key changes in the verse to make the melodies more interesting. Then I wrote the lyrics and that was similar, a stream of consciousness based on the feeling I got from the chorus and title. [1]   
Cornell said that he wrote the song in about 15 minutes. [2]  He used a Gretsch guitar to write the song, and commented, "I wrote the song thinking the band wouldn't like it—then it became the biggest hit of the summer." [3]  Cornell came up with the song while using a Leslie speaker. Guitarist Kim Thayil said that the Leslie model 16 speaker was perfect for the song as "it's very Beatlesque and has a distinctive sound. It ended up changing the song completely." [4]  Thayil said that the song "wasn't safe as milk, but it wasn't glass in someone's eye either. It was the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. Now it's the 'Dream On' of our set." [5]  The song was performed in a slightly sharp drop D tuning, similar to the tuning used on the band's first single, "Hunted Down". Drummer Matt Cameron called the song "a huge departure". Credit is due to Michael Beinhorn and Brendan O'Brien, producer and recording engineer, respectively.
 Appearing on The Pods &amp; Sods Network in July 2017, Beinhorn detailed the process of recording Superunknown and shared his reaction to first hearing "Black Hole Sun": "I think for the rest of my entire life, until I draw my last breath, I'll never ever forgot how I felt when they started playing that song. From the very first few notes, I felt like I'd been hit by a thunderbolt. I was just absolutely stunned. What in the world is this? I get goosebumps thinking about it now." [6] 
Composition[edit]
   
"With its weepy, vibrato-guitar arpeggios and spare drums, the verses on 'Black Hole Sun' pave the way for a gloriously pounding metallic chorus." [7]    
Musically, "Black Hole Sun" has been described as grunge, [8]   [9]  psychedelic rock, [10]  alternative rock, [11]  and hard rock. [12]  Regarding the song's lyrics, Cornell stated, "It's just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song." [13]  He also said that "lyrically it's probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I've written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you'd begin to take that one literally." [14]  In another interview he elaborated further, stating, "It's funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn't have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across." [15]  Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said, "No one seems to get this, but 'Black Hole Sun' is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it's almost chipper, which is ridiculous." [16]  When asked about the line, "Times are gone for honest men", Cornell said:
 It's really difficult for a person to create their own life and their own freedom. It's going to become more and more difficult, and it's going to create more and more disillusioned people who become dishonest and angry and are willing to fuck the next guy to get what they want. There's so much stepping on the backs of other people in our profession. We've been so lucky that we've never had to do that. Part of it was because of our own tenacity, and part of it was because we were lucky. [17]   
Release and critical reception[edit]
"Black Hole Sun" was released in the summer of 1994 and became the most successful song from Superunknown on the American rock charts and arguably the band's most recognizable and popular song. It appeared on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 Airplay chart, reaching the top 30. The following week it debuted on the Top 40 Mainstream, where it peaked at number nine in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its 20th week. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song spent a total of seven weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock chart. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, "Black Hole Sun" received the award for Best Hard Rock Performance and received a nomination for Best Rock Song. [18] 
 Outside the United States, the single was released in Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top ten on the Canadian Singles Chart. It remained in the top ten for three weeks and became the band's highest charted song in Canada. "Black Hole Sun" reached the UK Top 20 and was the last single from the album which charted in the UK Top 20. The song remains the band's highest charting single in the United Kingdom to date. "Black Hole Sun" debuted at number ten in Australia but quickly descended the chart, however widespread airplay and a promotional visit to Australia stimulated a resurgence of interest in Superunknown. "Black Hole Sun" would peak at number six on the Australian Singles Chart. "Black Hole Sun" reached the top 30 in Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, and was a top ten success in Australia, France, and Ireland. It topped the Icelandic Singles Chart for a week, and was a moderate top 20 success in Sweden. The single has sold over three million copies worldwide. [19] 
 Greg Prato of AllMusic called the song "one of the few bright spots" of the summer of 1994 when "the world was still reeling from Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain's suicide the previous April". He said, "The song had a psychedelic edge to it (especially evident in the verse's guitar part), as the composition shifted between sedate melodicism and gargantuan guitar riffs. The lyrics were classic Chris Cornell—lines didn't exactly make sense on paper but did within the song." [20]  Ann Powers of  Blender  proclaimed that "Cornell's fixation with the Beatles pays off with the hit single 'Black Hole Sun' ". [21]  James Masterton wrote in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Easily the most commercial single the US band have released to date". [22]  Jon Pareles of  The New York Times  said, "The Beatles' techniques—fuzz-toned low chords, legato lead-guitar hooks and lumpy Ringo Starr-style drumming...are linked to Lennon-style melody in 'Black Hole Sun'." [23]  J.D. Considine of  Rolling Stone  stated, "With its yearning, Lennonesque melody and watery, Harrison-style guitar, 'Black Hole Sun' is a wonderful exercise in Beatleisms; trouble is, it's not a very good song, offering more in the way of mood and atmosphere than melodic direction." [24] 
 The solo for "Black Hole Sun", performed by Thayil, was ranked number 63 on  Guitar World 's list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos", [25]  and number 56 on  Total Guitar's list of the "100 Hottest Guitar Solos". [26]  The song was included on VH1's countdown of the "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s" at number 25. [27]  It was also included on VH1's countdown of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" at number 77. [28]  According to Nielsen Music's year-end report for 2019, "Black Hole Sun" was the ninth most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 125,000 spins. All of the songs in the top 10 were from the 1990s. [29]  In 2017,  Billboard  ranked the song number four on their list of the 15 greatest Soundgarden songs, [30]  and in 2021,  Kerrang  ranked the song number one on their list of the 20 greatest Soundgarden songs. [31] 
Music video[edit]
The surreal and apocalyptic music video for "Black Hole Sun" was directed by British video director Howard Greenhalgh, [32]  produced by Megan Hollister for Why Not Films (London, England), shot by Ivan Bartos, and features post-production work by 525 Post Production (Hollywood, California) and Soho 601 Effects (London). The video follows a suburban neighborhood and its vain inhabitants with comically exaggerated grins, which are eventually swallowed up when the Sun suddenly turns into a black hole, while the band performs the song somewhere in an open field. In the video, Cornell can be seen wearing a fork necklace given to him by Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon. [2]  In an online chat, the band stated that the video "was entirely the director's idea", and added, "Our take on it was that at that point in making videos, we just wanted to pretend to play and not look that excited about it." [33]  They said that the video was one of the few Soundgarden videos the band was satisfied with. [34] 
 The video was released in June 1994. [35]  After several weeks of airplay on MTV, a second version of the video was substituted containing more elaborate visual effects than the original, including the addition of a computer-generated black hole. The music video for "Black Hole Sun" became a hit on MTV and received the award for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. [36]  In 1995, it received the Clio Award for Alternative Music Video. [37]  The video is available on the CD-ROM  Alive in the Superunknown .
Accolades[edit]
The information regarding accolades attributed to "Black Hole Sun" is adapted in part from Acclaimed Music. [38] 
 
Publication
Country
Accolade
Year
Rank
 
  Guitar World 
United States
"100 Greatest Guitar Solos" [25] 
2007
63
 
 VH1
United States
"100 Greatest Songs of the '90s" [27] 
2007
25
 
VH1
United States
"100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" [28] 
2008
77
 
  Rolling Stone 
United States
"500 Greatest Songs of All Time" [39] 
2021
368
 
  Kerrang! 
United Kingdom
"100 Greatest Singles of All Time" [40] 
2002
49
 
  Q 
United Kingdom
"The 1001 Best Songs Ever" [41] 
2003
543
 
  Total Guitar 
United Kingdom
"100 Hottest Guitar Solos" [26] 
2006
56
 
 The Movement
New Zealand
"The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time" [42] 
2004
80
 
 The Movement
New Zealand
"The 77 Best Singles of the 90s" [43] 
2004
32
 
 Pure Pop
 Mexico
"The 100 Best Singles of All Time" [44] 
2003
100
 
  Spex 
Germany
"Singles of the Year" [45] 
1994
15
 
  Rock &amp; Pop 
Chile
"Rock&amp;Pop 20 Años 200 Canciones" [46] 
2013
174
   
Track listing[edit]
All songs written by Chris Cornell, except where noted:
  Promotional CD (US)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Black Hole Sun" (edit)  – 4:31 
 CD (Europe and Germany)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Like Suicide" (acoustic)  – 6:11
"Kickstand" (live) (Cornell, Kim Thayil)  – 1:58
 Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.   
 CD (Europe)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Jesus Christ Pose" (live) (Matt Cameron, Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Thayil)  – 7:19
 Recorded live on August 11, 1993, at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.  
"My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil)  – 4:34
 Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.  
"Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix)  – 6:55 
 Box Set (UK)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:56
 Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Canada.  
"Fell on Black Days" (live)  – 4:45
 Recorded live on August 16, 1993, at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan.  
"Birth Ritual" (demo) (Cornell, Cameron, Thayil)  – 5:50 
 CD (Australia and Germany)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Jesus Christ Pose" (live) (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil)  – 7:19
"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:54
 Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.   
 Promotional CD (US)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:53
 Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  
"Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix)  – 6:55 
 7" vinyl (UK) and cassette (UK)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"My Wave" (live) (Cornell, Thayil)  – 4:34
 Recorded live on August 20, 1993, at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.  
"Beyond the Wheel" (live)  – 5:54
 Recorded live on August 18, 1993, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.   
 Promotional 12" vinyl (France)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18 
 Jukebox 7" vinyl (US)
 "Black Hole Sun"  – 5:18
"Spoonman"  – 4:06 
Charts[edit]
Certifications[edit]
In popular culture[edit]
"Black Hole Sun" is a playable song in the 2007 video game  Rock Band . [82] 
 The song is also available in the 2008 video games  Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore   [83]  and  SingStar 90s , for the PlayStation 2. [84]   Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock  features the song in its downloadable content library, and it is a playable track in the TV mode of Guitar Hero Live. [85]  The post-humous cover album released by Chris Cornell,  No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1 , was named after a lyric in this song. The song was featured in "The Alternative Polka" from "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 album,  Bad Hair Day .
 A cover version of the song by Swann and Nouela was featured over the closing credits in the neo-noir thriller  A Walk Among the Tombstones . [86]   [87]  Another cover in the style of lounge music was performed by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. [88]  This cover was also used in the closing credits of the fourth episode of the Disney+ Willow series.
 The song is used in Season 3 of the Apple TV+ series  For All Mankind  as soundtrack for the scene at the end of Episode 3 when the competing spaceships set off to Mars. [89]  It's also sampled as the soundtrack to the Season 3 trailer. [90] 
References[edit]
 
  ^   "Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden". Songfacts. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
^    a       b    "Gardener's Question Time".  Kerrang! . March 1, 1997.
  ^  "Chris Cornell – Cornell Gets Prized Guitars Back From Ex-wife". Contactmusic.com. March 30, 2009.
  ^  Gilbert, Jeff. "Sleepless in Seattle".  Guitar World . May 1994.
  ^  Brambarger, Bradley. "The Modern Age",  Billboard . June 8, 1996
  ^   "EM54 – Remembering Chris Cornell Part 1". July 25, 2017.
  ^  Ashare, Matt (March 4, 1994). "Bloom time".  The Boston Phoenix .
  ^  Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs".  Paste .
  ^   "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".  Rolling Stone . May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  ^  Gerard, Chris (July 24, 2016). "The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 4 (40 - 21)".  PopMatters . Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  ^  Yglesias, Matthew (May 21, 2007). "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist".  The Atlantic . Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  ^  Kaufman, Gil (January 4, 2010). "Soundgarden's Chris Cornell Announces Reunion".  MTV News . Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  ^  "Soundgarden: The Badass Seed".  RIP . April 1994.
  ^  Crisafulli, Chuck. "Rogues Gallery". Request. June 1996.
  ^  Clay, Jennifer. "Soundgarden: Painting Beautiful Pictures".  RIP . June 1996.
  ^  True, Everett. "Journey into the Superunknown".  Melody Maker . March 19, 1994.
  ^   Rolling Stone . January 12, 1995.
  ^   "37th Grammy Awards – 1995". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  ^  Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Soundgarden &gt; Biography".  Allmusic . Retrieved August 11, 2008.
  ^  Prato, Greg. "Black Hole Sun &gt; Review". Allmusic. Retrieved on May 19, 2008.
  ^  Powers, Ann. "Soundgarden: Superunknown".  Blender .
  ^   Masterton, James (August 14, 1994). "Week Ending August 20th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  ^  Pareles, Jon. "RECORDINGS VIEW; Lightening Up On the Gloom In Grunge".  The New York Times . March 6, 1994. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
  ^  Consideine, J.D. "Soundgarden: Superunknown" Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.  Rolling Stone . July 31, 1997.
^    a       b    "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".  Guitar World . 2007.
^    a       b    "100 Hottest Guitar Solos".  Total Guitar . May 2006.
^    a       b     "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s". VH1. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
^    a       b    "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". VH1.
^    a       b    Trapp, Philip (January 14, 2020). "Nirvana Were the Most-Played Band of the Decade on Rock Radio".  Loudwire . Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  ^  Unterberger, Andrew (May 18, 2017). "The 15 Greatest Soundgarden Songs: Critic's Picks".  Billboard . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  ^  Law, Sam (May 10, 2021). "The 20 greatest Soundgarden songs – ranked".  Kerrang . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  ^   "Howard Greenhalgh: Exclusive Interview". enigmacretu.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
  ^  "Interview With Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil of Soundgarden".  Spin  Online. November 15, 1995.
  ^  Maloof, Rich. "Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat". Guitar Magazine. July 1996.
  ^   "Soundgarden music videos". Music Video Database. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  ^   "1994 MTV Video Music Awards". Rockonthenet.com. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
  ^   "Clio Awards Search Archive". clioawards.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2008.
  ^   ""Black Hole Sun" accolades". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  ^   "100 Greatest Singles of All Time".  Kerrang! . Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "The 1001 Best Songs Ever".  Q . Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "The 100 (+300) Greatest Songs of All Time". The Movement. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "The 77 Best Singles of the 90s". The Movement. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "The 100 Best Singles of All Time". Juice. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  ^   "Best – Singles of the Year". www.poplist.de. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
  ^  Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun Rock &amp; Pop Chile
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^  "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2578."  RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^   Schlüter, Johan (October 7, 1994). "Official Danish Singles Chart". IFPI Report. No. Week 40. IFPI Danmark.
  ^   "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles (Last Week's position)" (PDF).  Music &amp; Media . September 17, 1994. p. 13. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  ^  Pennanen, Timo (2006).  Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972  (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN  978-951-1-21053-5 .
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 10, 2018. 
  ^   "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (29.9.–5.10. '94)".  Dagblaðið Vísir  (in Icelandic). September 29, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  ^  "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Black Hole Sun". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^  "Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^  "Official Rock &amp; Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Radio Songs)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Mainstream Rock)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Pop Songs)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  ^   "USA Cashbox Charts Summaries". popmusichistory. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Digital Song Sales)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  ^  "Soundgarden Chart History (Hot Rock &amp; Alternative Songs)".  Billboard . Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  ^  Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  ^   "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994".  RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^   "Árslistinn 1994".  Dagblaðið Vísir  (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  ^   "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  ^   "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^   "Årslista Singlar, 1994" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  ^  Macdonald, Patrick (December 23, 1994). "Music Notes".  The Seattle Times . The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  ^   "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  ^   "The ARIA Report: Issue 1422 (Week Commencing 29 May 2017)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. May 29, 2017. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  ^   "Italian single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 14, 2021. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Black Hole Sun" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  ^   "British single certifications – Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  ^   "Rock Band Official Website: Song List". Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  ^  Rosenberg, Adam. "American Idol Karaoke Revolution Encore Review". UGO Networks. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011.
  ^  Miller, Greg. "SingStar '90s Track List Revealed". IGN. February 1, 2008.
  ^  Mastrapa, Gus (August 3, 2010). "New Guitar Hero Packed With Soundgarden's Greatest Hits".  Wired . Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  ^   "Music | Nouela".
  ^   "A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014) - IMDb".  IMDb .
  ^   "Steve and Eydie: Black Hole Sun (1997)". Elsewhere by Graham Reid. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  ^   "Music from For All Mankind S3E03". Tunefind. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  ^    For All Mankind — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ , retrieved August 14, 2022
 
External links[edit]
  "Black Hole Sun" (Official audio) on YouTube 
 "Black Hole Sun" (Official music video) on YouTube
Black Hole Sun - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_Sun
https://genius.com/Soundgarden-black-hole-sun-lyrics
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
2012-12-26
None
<div><div><p>“Black Hole Sun” is the 7th track and 3rd single from <a href="https://genius.com/artists/Soundgarden">Soundgarden</a>’s hit 1994 album <em>Superunknown</em>. It is one of their biggest hits, reaching #1 of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #2 on the Modern Rock chart.</p>
<p>Regarding “Black Hole Sun”, Cornell stated:</p>
<blockquote><p>It’s just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song. Lyrically it’s probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I’ve written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you’d begin to take that one literally."</p></blockquote>
<p>In another interview he elaborated further, stating,</p>
<blockquote><p>It’s funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn’t have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across."</p></blockquote>
<p>Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said:</p>
<blockquote><p>No one seems to get this, but “Black Hole Sun” is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it’s almost chipper, which is ridiculous."</p></blockquote>
<p>In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Cornell stated, “If you read the lyrics to the verses, it’s sort of surreal, esoteric word painting. It was written very quickly. It was stream of consciousness. I wasn’t trying to say anything specific; I was really writing to the feel of the music and accepting whatever came out.”</p></div>||||I|||| Featured Charts Videos Promote Your Music
 Sign Up
 75

 Black Hole Sun

 Soundgarden
 Track 7 on Superunknown

 Produced by

 Soundgarden & Michael Beinhorn
 “Black Hole Sun” is the 7th track and 3rd single from Soundgarden’s hit 1994 album Superunknown. It is one of their biggest hits, reaching #1 of the US Billboard Mainstream… Read More
 May. 4, 1994 3 534.9K 103

 Black Hole Sun Lyrics

 [Verse 1]
 In my eyes, indisposed
 In disguises no one knows
 Hides the face, lies the snake
 In the sun in my disgrace
 Boiling heat, summer stench
 'Neath the black, the sky looks dead
 Call my name through the cream
 And I'll hear you scream again

 [Chorus]
 Black hole sun, won't you come
 And wash away the rain?
 Black hole sun, won't you come?
 Won't you come? Won't you come?

 [Verse 2]
 Stuttering, cold and damp
 Steal the warm wind, tired friend
 Times are gone for honest men
 And sometimes far too long for snakes
 In my shoes, a walking sleep
 And my youth I pray to keep
 Heaven send Hell away
 No one sings like you anymore
 You might also like
 [Chorus]
 Black hole sun, won't you come
 And wash away the rain?
 Black hole sun, won't you come?
 Won't you come?
 Black hole sun, won't you come
 And wash away the rain?
 Black hole sun, won't you come?
 Won't you come?

 [Post-Chorus]
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)

 [Guitar Solo]

 [Verse 3]
 Hang my head, drown my fear
 'Til you all just disappear

 [Chorus]
 Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won't you come (Won't you come?)
 And wash away the rain?
 Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won't you come? (Won't you come?)
 Won't you come? (Won't you come?)
 Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won't you come (Won't you come?)
 And wash away the rain?
 Black hole sun, (Black hole sun) won't you come? (Won't you come?)
 Won't you come? (Won't you come?)
 [Post-Chorus]
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
 Won't you come?
 Won't you come?
 75
 Embed
 Cancel

 How to Format Lyrics:

 * Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
 * Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
 * Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
 * Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
 * If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

 To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

 About

 Genius Annotation 4 contributors

 “Black Hole Sun” is the 7th track and 3rd single from Soundgarden’s hit 1994 album Superunknown. It is one of their biggest hits, reaching #1 of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #2 on the Modern Rock chart.

 Regarding “Black Hole Sun”, Cornell stated:

 It’s just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song. Lyrically it’s probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I’ve written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you’d begin to take that one literally."

 In another interview he elaborated further, stating,

 It’s funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn’t have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across."

 Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said:

 No one seems to get this, but “Black Hole Sun” is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it’s almost chipper, which is ridiculous."

 In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Cornell stated, “If you read the lyrics to the verses, it’s sort of surreal, esoteric word painting. It was written very quickly. It was stream of consciousness. I wasn’t trying to say anything specific; I was really writing to the feel of the music and accepting whatever came out.”

 Expand
 +232
 1
 Share
 Ask us a question about this song
 Ask a question *‌
 What have the artists said about the song?
 Genius Answer 1 contributor

 Regarding “Black Hole Sun”, Cornell stated:

 It’s just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song. Lyrically it’s probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I’ve written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you’d begin to take that one literally."

 In another interview he elaborated further, stating,

 It’s funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn’t have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across."

 Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said:

 No one seems to get this, but “Black Hole Sun” is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it’s almost chipper, which is ridiculous."

 Superunknown (1994)
 Soundgarden
 1. 1.
 Let Me Drown
 2. 2.
 My Wave
 3. 3.
 Fell on Black Days
 4. 4.
 Mailman
 5. 5.
 Superunknown
 6. 6.
 Head Down
 7. 7.
 Black Hole Sun
 8. 8.
 Spoonman
 9. 9.
 Limo Wreck
 10. 10.
 The Day I Tried to Live
 11. 11.
 Kickstand
 12. 12.
 Fresh Tendrils
 13. 13.
 4th of July
 14. 14.
 Half
 15. 15.
 Like Suicide
 16. 16.
 She Likes Surprises
 Expand
 Credits
 Produced By
 Soundgarden & Michael Beinhorn
 Written By
 Chris Cornell
 Mixing Engineer
 Brendan O’Brien
 Engineer
 Jason Corsaro & Adam Kasper
 Mastering Engineer
 Dave Collins
 Technician
 Tony Messina & Gregg Keplinger
 Product Manager
 Jill Glass
 Management
 Susan Silver
 Layout
 Reyzart
 Design
 Kelk
 Mastered at
 A&M Records
 Mixed At
 Bad Animals Studio
 Copyright (c)
 A&M Records
 Label
 A&M Records
 Drums
 Matt Cameron
 Bass
 Ben Shepherd
 Lead guitar
 Kim Thayil
 Rhythm Guitar
 Chris Cornell
 Vocals
 Chris Cornell
 Recorded At
 July 1993 to September 1993 at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, Washington
 Release Date
 May 4, 1994
 Songs That Sample Black Hole Sun
 Schwarze Sonne by RAF 3.0 (Ft. Prinz Pi & Vega), Black by Galactic Hole, Al Callar by Pez Errante, Feelings by Cleaver, Close to the Sun by Neil Cicierega & Take Me to Space and Back by Renard
 Songs That Interpolate Black Hole Sun
 Black Hole Sun (Demo Version) by Soundgarden, Hurricane Irma Tribute by EmpLemon, Asshole Son by Bob Rivers, The One I Love / Black Hole Sun (Live) by Bush & The Alternative Polka! by "Weird Al" Yankovic
 Black Hole Sun Covers
 Black Hole Sun by Hazen (metal band), Black Hole Sun (Cover) by Samantha Leon, Black Hole Sun by Leftover Salmon, Black Hole Sun by Duomo, Black Hole Sun by Maxence Cyrin, Black Hole Sun by The Fujiyama Monsters, Black Hole Sun by Cinderella Effect, Black Hole Sun by Mateo Messina, Black Hole Sun by Brandi Carlile, Black Hole Sun by Oscar Giunta Supertrío!, Black Hole Sun by David Hodges, Black Hole Sun by BAD CHILD, Black Hole Sun by Like a Storm, Black Hole Sun by Cæcilie Norby, Black Hole Sun by Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros, Hurricane Irma Tribute by EmpLemon, Black Hole Sun by Steve and Eydie, Black Hole Sun by Daniel Crawford, Black Hole Sun by D-Ross, Black Hole Sun by Cibo Matto, Black Hole Sun by Trivium, Black Hole Sun by Hayley Richman, Black Hole Sun by Guns N' Roses, Black Hole Sun by Mike Masse, Black Hole Sun by Morgan James, Black Hole Sun by Norah Jones, Black Hole Sun by Incubus, Black Hole Sun by Cody Jinks, Black Hole Sun by Ryan Adams, Black Hole Sun by Train, Black Hole Sun by Ann Wilson, Black Hole Sun by Ramin Djawadi, Black Hole Sun by Exit Ten, Black Hole Sun by VersaEmerge, Black Hole Sun by Judith Owen, Black Hole Sun by Sofia Karlberg, Black Hole Sun by The Acacia Strain, Black Hole Sun by Rachel Z, Black Hole Sun by Lea DeLaria, Black Hole Sun by Kendra Morris, Black Hole Sun by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox (Ft. Haley Reinhart), Black hole sun by Obadiah Parker, Black Hole Sun by Peter Frampton (Ft. Matt Cameron & Mike McCready), Black hole sun by Nicklas hocker, Black Hole Sun by Brad Mehldau, Black hole sun by Nouela, Black Hole Sun by Paul Anka, Black Hole Sun by Anastacia, Black Hole Sun by Copeland, Black Hole Sun by Richard Cheese & Black Hole Sun by R. Stevie Moore
 Black Hole Sun Live Performances
 Black Hole Sun (Rehearsal Version) by Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun (Live from the Artists Den) by Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun (Live) by Soundgarden & Black Hole Sun by Chris Cornell
 View Black Hole Sun samples
 Tags
 RockPsychedelic RockAlternative RockGrunge
 Expand
 Comments
 Sign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓
 Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.
 Sign Up

 Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge

 About GeniusContributor GuidelinesPressShopAdvertisePrivacy Policy
 LicensingJobsDevelopersCopyright PolicyContact UsSign InDo Not Sell My Personal Information
 © 2023 ML Genius Holdings, LLC
 Terms of Use
 Verified Artists
 All Artists:
 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z #
 Hot Songs:
 Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 Kill Bill GOD DID Have It Your Way (Whopper Whopper) Viva la Vida View All
“Black Hole Sun” is the 7th track and 3rd single from Soundgarden’s hit 1994 album Superunknown. It is one of their biggest hits, reaching #1 of the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #2 on the Modern Rock chart.
Regarding “Black Hole Sun”, Cornell stated:
 It’s just sort of a surreal dreamscape, a weird, play-with-the-title kind of song. Lyrically it’s probably the closest to me just playing with words for words' sake, of anything I’ve written. I guess it worked for a lot of people who heard it, but I have no idea how you’d begin to take that one literally." 
In another interview he elaborated further, stating,
 It’s funny because hits are usually sort of congruent, sort of an identifiable lyric idea, and that song pretty much had none. The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn’t have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across." 
Commenting upon how the song was misinterpreted as being positive, Cornell said:
 No one seems to get this, but “Black Hole Sun” is sad. But because the melody is really pretty, everyone thinks it’s almost chipper, which is ridiculous." 
In a 2014 Rolling Stone interview, Cornell stated, “If you read the lyrics to the verses, it’s sort of surreal, esoteric word painting. It was written very quickly. It was stream of consciousness. I wasn’t trying to say anything specific; I was really writing to the feel of the music and accepting whatever came out.”
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
https://genius.com/Soundgarden-black-hole-sun-lyrics
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/why-sun-wont-become-black-hole/
Why the Sun Won't Become a Black Hole - NASA
2019-09-26T14:00:00Z

<html><body><div><div>
	<article><div><div><div><p></p><p></p><h3>NASA</h3><p></p></div><p><span>Sep 26, 2019</span></p>
</div><div>
<p>Will the Sun become a black hole? No, it’s too small for that!</p>
<p>The Sun would need to be about 20 times more massive to end its life as a black hole. Stars that are born this size or larger can explode into a supernova at the end of their lifetimes before collapsing back into a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/black_hole_description.html">black hole</a>, an object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Some smaller stars are big enough to go supernova, but too small to become black holes — they’ll collapse into super-dense structures called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCwDNXKlN8Q">neutron stars</a> after exploding as a supernova. But the Sun’s not big enough for this fate, either: It has only about one-tenth of the mass needed to eventually become a neutron star.</p>
<p>So what <em>will</em> happen to the Sun? In some 6 billion years it will end up as a <a href="https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/dwarfs2.html">white dwarf</a> — a small, dense remnant of a star that glows from leftover heat. The process will start about 5 billion years from now when the Sun begins to run out of fuel.</p>
<p>Like most stars, during the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve">main phase</a> of its lifetime, the Sun creates energy by fusing hydrogen atoms in its core. In about 5 billion years, the Sun will start to run out of hydrogen in its core to fuse, and it will begin to collapse. This will let the Sun start to fuse heavier elements in the core, along with fusing hydrogen in a shell wrapped around the core. When this happens, the Sun’s temperature will increase, and the outer layers of the Sun’s atmosphere will expand so far out into space that they’ll engulf Earth. (This would make Earth uninhabitable for life as we know it — though other factors in planetary evolution might make it uninhabitable before that point.) This is the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve">red giant</a> phase, and it will last about a billion years, before the Sun collapses into a white dwarf.</p>
<p><em><strong>Image: </strong>NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this view of a solar eruption on April 21, 2015. <strong>Credit:</strong> NASA/SDO</em></p>
<p><em><strong>By <a href="mailto:sarah.frazier@nasa.gov?subject=Why%20the%20Sun%20Won&#39;t%20Become%20a%20Black%20Hole">Sarah Frazier</a><br/>
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.</strong></em></p>
</div></div></article>
</div></div></body></html>
NASA     Sep 26, 2019 
 
Will the Sun become a black hole? No, it’s too small for that!
The Sun would need to be about 20 times more massive to end its life as a black hole. Stars that are born this size or larger can explode into a supernova at the end of their lifetimes before collapsing back into a black hole, an object with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Some smaller stars are big enough to go supernova, but too small to become black holes — they’ll collapse into super-dense structures called neutron stars after exploding as a supernova. But the Sun’s not big enough for this fate, either: It has only about one-tenth of the mass needed to eventually become a neutron star.
So what will happen to the Sun? In some 6 billion years it will end up as a white dwarf — a small, dense remnant of a star that glows from leftover heat. The process will start about 5 billion years from now when the Sun begins to run out of fuel.
Like most stars, during the main phase of its lifetime, the Sun creates energy by fusing hydrogen atoms in its core. In about 5 billion years, the Sun will start to run out of hydrogen in its core to fuse, and it will begin to collapse. This will let the Sun start to fuse heavier elements in the core, along with fusing hydrogen in a shell wrapped around the core. When this happens, the Sun’s temperature will increase, and the outer layers of the Sun’s atmosphere will expand so far out into space that they’ll engulf Earth. (This would make Earth uninhabitable for life as we know it — though other factors in planetary evolution might make it uninhabitable before that point.) This is the red giant phase, and it will last about a billion years, before the Sun collapses into a white dwarf.
  Image: NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this view of a solar eruption on April 21, 2015. Credit: NASA/SDO 
  By Sarah Frazier 
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Why the Sun Won't Become a Black Hole - NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2019/why-the-sun-wont-become-a-black-hole/
https://scopethegalaxy.com/black-hole-vs-sun/
Black Hole vs Sun (The Similarities And Differences!)
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

<html><body><div><div>
	
<div>
<p><em>*This post may contain affiliate links. This means we may make a commission if you purchase an item using one of our links*</em></p></div>
<hr/>
<p><strong>Black holes and our Sun are completely different in many ways from the temperature they exude, where the sun is 6000°C and black holes nearly absolute zero, the significant discrepancy in density, luminosity along with different ways they affect the surrounding space around them. </strong></p><p>Black holes are formed after a star dies with anything that enters it essentially ceasing to be whilst the Sun is still an active star that continues to supply energy for the many beings within its local solar system to continue existing and thrive</p><p>Continue reading for a more thorough break down of both entities along with the similarities and differences between the two.</p><h2><span></span>What Is A Black Hole?<span></span></h2><div>
<p>Table of Contents</p>
<nav><ul><li><a href="#What_Is_A_Black_Hole">What Is A Black Hole?</a></li><li><a href="#What_Is_The_Sun">What Is The Sun?</a></li><li><a href="#Can_The_Sun_Become_A_Black_Hole">Can The Sun Become A Black Hole?</a></li><li><a href="#Similarities_Between_The_Sun_And_Black_Holes">Similarities Between The Sun And Black Holes</a></li><li><a href="#Differences_Between_The_Sun_And_Black_Holes">Differences Between The Sun And Black Holes</a></li><li><a href="#Summary">Summary</a></li></ul></nav></div>
<p></p><p>A <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-58.html">black hole</a> is created when a large star about 4 solar masses large collapses below its Schwarzschild radius causing a supernova explosion. The density of the star creates a massive gravitational pocket and pulls everything within its vicinity into it.</p>
<p>The edge of a black hole is known as the event horizon and once something crosses this point, there is no escape. The gravitational pull of a black hole is so immense that even light is sucked inside.</p>
<p>All objects pulled in are subjected to an unimaginable crushing gravitational force as they are pulled toward the super dense end point of the black hole known as the singularity.</p><p>Black holes can be split into a variety of different types such as a supermassive black hole, intermediate mass black hole, and stellar mass black hole.</p><p>Stellar mass black holes are formed as described above by the death of a large star collapsing inward on itself. An intermediate mass black hole is slightly larger than a stellar mass black hole and may form be acquiring stars within its reach although not many have been discovered so little is still known about them.</p>
<p>A supermassive black hole can be found at the center of a galaxy and consumes stars and smaller black holes in order to obtain its massive size – millions of times larger than our Sun.</p>
<h2><span></span>What Is The Sun?<span></span></h2>
<p></p>
<p>The Sun is the bright, celestial entity at the centre of our solar system and is also a star that falls under the G type main sequence star bracket (also called a <a href="https://scopethegalaxy.com/red-dwarf-vs-yellow-dwarf/">yellow dwarfs</a>), all of which are medium sized stars that tend to be around 0.84 – 1.15 solar masses.</p><p>Our Sun is 1 solar mass, making it a medium sized medium star. It’s also on the brighter side for a yellow dwarf, the color that it emits is white in color as opposed to the slightly yellow color that less luminous yellow dwarfs would be.</p>
<p>Of course we still see the Sun as yellow or even red on Earth but, the reason for this significant color shift is because our atmosphere scatters and breaks up the photons that reach us, ultimately changing the true color of the light rays from white to the yellow, orange or red colors we see in our day to day.</p>
<p>As it is a star, the Sun will actively convert the hydrogen elements at its core into helium, through a process called nuclear fusion.</p>
<p>Nuclear fusion is the reason why it generates light and produces the energy we receive, helping us power machinery, technology, grow crops so on and so forth.</p><p>The process of nuclear fusion also affects how hot our star burns, hitting temperatures of 6000°C on a day to day basis. This will be the case for another <a href="https://www.space.com/14732-sun-burns-star-death.html">4.5 – 5 billion years</a> until it’s unable to convert hydrogen into helium.</p>
<p>Once hydrogen cannot be converted, an imbalance between the inward and outward forces keeping the Sun together will occur, causing an imbalance which would result in our Sun bloating up many many times its current size.</p>
<p>When this happens it will enter its red giant phase, where it’ll be around 256 times larger than it is now.</p>
<p>This phase will last for around a billion years until it sheds it mass through a process called planetary nebula, leaving behind only a dead <a href="https://scopethegalaxy.com/white-dwarf-vs-red-giant/">white dwarf</a> remnant.</p><h2><span></span>Can The Sun Become A Black Hole?<span></span></h2>
<p>The short answer is no. This is because once the Sun is nearing the end of its life, the chances of it experiencing a supernova explosion and have around 3 solar masses of materials left over is simply not going to happen.</p>
<p>Our Sun is currently 1 solar masses in size and when it becomes a red giant it will only decrease in weight despite bloating up in diameter. Black holes require at least 3 solar masses in remnants to even begin forming into arguably the densest and darkest entity in our universe.</p><p>In short, for stars to even have the opportunity to become a black hole, they will need to have an initial solar mass of 20+ and the Sun is far below this</p>
<h2><span></span>Similarities Between The Sun And Black Holes<span></span></h2>
<p>The only thing that a black hole and the Sun have in common would be that both were initially stars that produced light and vast amounts of energy converting hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion.</p><p>Other than this, they are distinctly different from one another.</p>
<h2><span></span>Differences Between The Sun And Black Holes<span></span></h2>
<p>Some of the differences between black holes and the Sun include the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Black holes are between 10 times and 12 billion times the density of the Sun, where supermassive black holes cover the upper echelon of the density.</li>
<li>The Sun is around 6000°C in temperature whilst black holes are 1.4 x 10-14 Kelvin which is close to absolute 0.</li>
<li>Black holes are remnants of dead stars whilst the Sun is still an active star.</li>
<li>Black holes have a <a href="https://scopethegalaxy.com/do-black-holes-last-forever/">lifespan</a> far far longer than the Sun where a modest sized black hole of 5 solar masses would take around 2.6 * 10^69 years to dissolve whilst the Sun only has 5 – 7 billion years of life left till it dies and becomes a white dwarf.</li>
<li>Black holes have more mass than the Sun where the sun is 1 solar masses in size and black holes between 3 to billions for supermassive black holes.</li>
<li>The Sun is more luminous than black holes with a +1 luminosity rating whilst black holes are at least +750,000 which essentially means they are extremely dark.</li>
<li>Black holes allow no light to escape its grasp whilst the Sun produces light, an activity that only active starts can do.</li>
<li>Black holes can warp space and dilate time around them whilst the sun cannot.</li>
<li>Black holes have a stronger magnetic field than our Sun.</li>
<li>Our Sun’s core proactively converts hydrogen via nuclear fusion whilst black holes cannot do this.</li>
</ul>
<h2><span></span>Summary<span></span></h2>
<p>Both entities are gargantuan entities in their own right but, the Sun pales in comparison to black holes in a number of ways, whether it comes to density, mass, it’s effect on the environment and even lifespan.</p>
<p>The Sun is an active resource and will continue to provide energy to us for many billions of years whilst black holes are the remnants of stars many times the size of our sun that is already dead will continue to exist for a time so long that our universe hasn’t even eclipsed 0.00000001% of its life in its entire existence.</p><p>In the end of it all, the only thing that links the two together is that black holes were once stars too.</p>	</div></div></body></html>
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means we may make a commission if you purchase an item using one of our links*  
 Black holes and our Sun are completely different in many ways from the temperature they exude, where the sun is 6000°C and black holes nearly absolute zero, the significant discrepancy in density, luminosity along with different ways they affect the surrounding space around them.   Black holes are formed after a star dies with anything that enters it essentially ceasing to be whilst the Sun is still an active star that continues to supply energy for the many beings within its local solar system to continue existing and thrive Continue reading for a more thorough break down of both entities along with the similarities and differences between the two.   What Is A Black Hole?   
Table of Contents
   What Is A Black Hole?   What Is The Sun?   Can The Sun Become A Black Hole?   Similarities Between The Sun And Black Holes   Differences Between The Sun And Black Holes   Summary    
  A black hole is created when a large star about 4 solar masses large collapses below its Schwarzschild radius causing a supernova explosion. The density of the star creates a massive gravitational pocket and pulls everything within its vicinity into it.
The edge of a black hole is known as the event horizon and once something crosses this point, there is no escape. The gravitational pull of a black hole is so immense that even light is sucked inside.
All objects pulled in are subjected to an unimaginable crushing gravitational force as they are pulled toward the super dense end point of the black hole known as the singularity. Black holes can be split into a variety of different types such as a supermassive black hole, intermediate mass black hole, and stellar mass black hole. Stellar mass black holes are formed as described above by the death of a large star collapsing inward on itself. An intermediate mass black hole is slightly larger than a stellar mass black hole and may form be acquiring stars within its reach although not many have been discovered so little is still known about them.
A supermassive black hole can be found at the center of a galaxy and consumes stars and smaller black holes in order to obtain its massive size – millions of times larger than our Sun.
  What Is The Sun?  
 
The Sun is the bright, celestial entity at the centre of our solar system and is also a star that falls under the G type main sequence star bracket (also called a yellow dwarfs), all of which are medium sized stars that tend to be around 0.84 – 1.15 solar masses. Our Sun is 1 solar mass, making it a medium sized medium star. It’s also on the brighter side for a yellow dwarf, the color that it emits is white in color as opposed to the slightly yellow color that less luminous yellow dwarfs would be.
Of course we still see the Sun as yellow or even red on Earth but, the reason for this significant color shift is because our atmosphere scatters and breaks up the photons that reach us, ultimately changing the true color of the light rays from white to the yellow, orange or red colors we see in our day to day.
As it is a star, the Sun will actively convert the hydrogen elements at its core into helium, through a process called nuclear fusion.
Nuclear fusion is the reason why it generates light and produces the energy we receive, helping us power machinery, technology, grow crops so on and so forth. The process of nuclear fusion also affects how hot our star burns, hitting temperatures of 6000°C on a day to day basis. This will be the case for another 4.5 – 5 billion years until it’s unable to convert hydrogen into helium.
Once hydrogen cannot be converted, an imbalance between the inward and outward forces keeping the Sun together will occur, causing an imbalance which would result in our Sun bloating up many many times its current size.
When this happens it will enter its red giant phase, where it’ll be around 256 times larger than it is now.
This phase will last for around a billion years until it sheds it mass through a process called planetary nebula, leaving behind only a dead white dwarf remnant.   Can The Sun Become A Black Hole?  
The short answer is no. This is because once the Sun is nearing the end of its life, the chances of it experiencing a supernova explosion and have around 3 solar masses of materials left over is simply not going to happen.
Our Sun is currently 1 solar masses in size and when it becomes a red giant it will only decrease in weight despite bloating up in diameter. Black holes require at least 3 solar masses in remnants to even begin forming into arguably the densest and darkest entity in our universe. In short, for stars to even have the opportunity to become a black hole, they will need to have an initial solar mass of 20+ and the Sun is far below this
  Similarities Between The Sun And Black Holes  
The only thing that a black hole and the Sun have in common would be that both were initially stars that produced light and vast amounts of energy converting hydrogen to helium via nuclear fusion. Other than this, they are distinctly different from one another.
  Differences Between The Sun And Black Holes  
Some of the differences between black holes and the Sun include the following:
Black holes are between 10 times and 12 billion times the density of the Sun, where supermassive black holes cover the upper echelon of the density.
The Sun is around 6000°C in temperature whilst black holes are 1.4 x 10-14 Kelvin which is close to absolute 0.
Black holes are remnants of dead stars whilst the Sun is still an active star.
Black holes have a lifespan far far longer than the Sun where a modest sized black hole of 5 solar masses would take around 2.6 * 10^69 years to dissolve whilst the Sun only has 5 – 7 billion years of life left till it dies and becomes a white dwarf.
Black holes have more mass than the Sun where the sun is 1 solar masses in size and black holes between 3 to billions for supermassive black holes.
The Sun is more luminous than black holes with a +1 luminosity rating whilst black holes are at least +750,000 which essentially means they are extremely dark.
Black holes allow no light to escape its grasp whilst the Sun produces light, an activity that only active starts can do.
Black holes can warp space and dilate time around them whilst the sun cannot.
Black holes have a stronger magnetic field than our Sun.
Our Sun’s core proactively converts hydrogen via nuclear fusion whilst black holes cannot do this.
  Summary  
Both entities are gargantuan entities in their own right but, the Sun pales in comparison to black holes in a number of ways, whether it comes to density, mass, it’s effect on the environment and even lifespan.
The Sun is an active resource and will continue to provide energy to us for many billions of years whilst black holes are the remnants of stars many times the size of our sun that is already dead will continue to exist for a time so long that our universe hasn’t even eclipsed 0.00000001% of its life in its entire existence. In the end of it all, the only thing that links the two together is that black holes were once stars too.
Black Hole vs Sun (The Similarities And Differences!)
https://scopethegalaxy.com/black-hole-vs-sun/