My Wave
"My Wave" | ||||
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Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:12 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Soundgarden singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"My Wave" on YouTube |
"My Wave" is a song by the American
Composition
"My Wave" features lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music co-written by Cornell and guitarist Kim Thayil. The tuning, as with many Soundgarden songs, is unorthodox—E-E-B-B-B-B.[1] The song is in the keys of E minor and B mixolydian.[1] The song also features the use of a bass wah pedal by Ben Shepherd. "My Wave" as a musical piece is very typical of Soundgarden's style. Predominantly in 5
4,[2] a particularly irregular time signature for rock music, the song changes, intersperses and juxtaposes time signatures freely. The effect created is both authoritatively erratic and characteristic of the band, even classically so. Guitarist Kim Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident."[1]
Release and reception
"My Wave" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard
Jon Pareles of The New York Times said, "Amid its warring left- and right-channel guitars, "My Wave" includes a drum break harking back to Abbey Road."[3] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said while Soundgarden had emulated Led Zeppelin in their music, "Zep never reached out like Cornell in 'My Wave'", citing the lyric, "Cry, if you want to cry/If it helps you see/If it clears your eyes/Hate, if you want to hate/If it keeps you safe/If it makes you brave."[4]
"My Wave" appeared in the trailer for the 1994 film,
Music video
The
Live performances
Live performances of "My Wave" can be found on the "
Track listing
All songs written by Chris Cornell and Kim Thayil, except where noted:
Promotional CD (US)
- "My Wave" – 5:12
CD (Australia)
- "My Wave" – 5:12
- "Spoonman" (Steve Fisk remix) (Cornell) – 6:55
- "Birth Ritual" (demo) (Cornell, Matt Cameron, Thayil) – 5:50
- "My Wave" (live) – 4:34
- Recorded live on August 20, 1993 at Jones Beach Amphitheater in Wantagh, New York.
- Recorded live on August 20, 1993 at
Charts
Chart (1994–1995) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA)[8] | 50 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] | 66 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] | 46 |
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] | 11 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 18 |
References
- ^ a b c Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown." Guitar Player. June 1994.
- LA Times. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Pareles, Jon. "RECORDINGS VIEW; Lightening Up On the Gloom In Grunge". The New York Times. March 6, 1994. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (April 5, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ a b Cross, Charles R. "Soundgarden: The Home Team Wins the World Series". The Rocket. December 21, 1994.
- ^ a b "Soundgarden music videos". Music Video Database. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ ""My Wave" was released as the fourth single from Soundgarden's fifth studio album, Superunknown, 27 years ago during October 1994..." Retrieved October 17, 2022 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Soundgarden – My Wave". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2676." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ "Soundgarden – My Wave". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
External links
- "My Wave" (Official audio) on YouTube
- "My Wave" (Official music video) on YouTube