Spoonman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Spoonman"
Single by Soundgarden
from the album Superunknown
Released	February 15, 1994
Genre	Grunge hard rock
Length	4:06
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Chris Cornell
Producer(s)	Michael Beinhorn, Soundgarden
Soundgarden singles chronology
"Rusty Cage" (1992) "Spoonman" (1994) "The Day I Tried to Live" (1994)

"Spoonman" is a famous song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Their lead singer, Chris Cornell, wrote the song. It was released on February 15, 1994. This song was the first single from their fourth album, Superunknown. "Spoonman" helped Soundgarden become very popular. It reached number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also hit number nine on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. A different version of the song was also used on other singles. The song is featured on Soundgarden's greatest hits albums.

How "Spoonman" Was Made

"Spoonman" was first written for a movie soundtrack. This was for the 1992 film Singles. At that time, Soundgarden and another band called Pearl Jam were working on music for the movie.

The Real "Spoonman"

The name "Spoonman" came from a real person. His name is Artis the Spoonman. He is a street performer who plays music using spoons. He used to perform in Santa Cruz, California, and later in Seattle, Washington.

Pearl Jam's bassist, Jeff Ament, was creating band names for the movie. He made a list of names, and "Spoonman" was one of them. Chris Cornell used these names to write songs for the film. An early, acoustic version of "Spoonman" was made. You can hear this early song in the movie. It plays when a poster for a fake band is put up.

From Acoustic to Electric

Soundgarden decided to make an electric version of "Spoonman". They did not want to leave the song only on the movie soundtrack. Artis the Spoonman himself played a big part in the final song. He played his spoons during a special part of the song. The band's drummer, Matt Cameron, also played pots and pans. Ben Shepherd, the bassist, sang backing vocals.

What the Lyrics Mean

Chris Cornell explained what "Spoonman" is about. He said it's about how people see Artis. Artis is a street musician. But some people might judge him unfairly. They might think he is just a street person. They might think he cannot get a "normal" job.

Cornell said the song shows that he understands people like Artis more. He feels a stronger connection to them. He connects more with Artis than with someone who might look down on him.

The Music Video

The music video for "Spoonman" was directed by Jeffrey Plansker. The video focuses mostly on Artis the Spoonman. He is the main star of the video. The band members are shown only in black-and-white photos. The video came out in February 1994.

Chris Cornell talked about the music video in an interview. He said the band was smart not to be in the video much. They wanted to keep some mystery about Soundgarden. He remembered a time before MTV. Back then, you could only see your favorite bands at concerts. He felt MTV helped bands but also took away some of that special feeling. He said it was hard when you could see a great rock band on TV one second. Then you could change the channel to a soap opera. He felt this made rock and roll less special for some people.

Song Versions

The song "Spoonman" was released in different versions. Here are some of them:

• CD (Europe) and 12" Vinyl (Europe)
  • "Spoonman" – 4:06
  • "Fresh Tendrils" (written by Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell) – 4:16
  • "Exit Stonehenge" (written by Cameron, Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil) – 1:19
• Cassette (UK) and 7" Vinyl (UK)
  • "Spoonman" – 4:06
  • "Fresh Tendrils" (written by Cameron, Cornell) – 4:16
• Promotional CD (US)
  • "Spoonman" (edit) – 3:50
  • "Spoonman" – 4:06

Chart Success

"Spoonman" was a popular song around the world. It appeared on many music charts.

In 2017, the song also appeared on some charts again:

See also

In Spanish: Spoonman para niños