Magic Jewball

I’m a little late with this theme but it’s not my fault that the Fourth of July didn’t fall on a Sunday. You didn’t expect me to move my feature, did you? Why can’t they just move the date?

Anyway, I’m so forgetful with iSotW that sometimes I plan a song only to find I’ve already done it. Other times, I simply cannot believe that I’ve never done a certain band (as a post; if I’d done a band in some other way, I’m pretty sure I’d remember). This is one of those times. No Soundgarden? What was I thinking?

This is not my favorite Soundgarden song but it’s up there. And iTunes informs me it’s my most played one, so that must count for something. I don’t know what the lyrics are about but although it has a fireworks motif, it doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with Benjamin Franklin or Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Still, you can’t go wrong with a line like, “down in the ho-ooo-oole, Jesus tries to crack a smile….” Whatever that means.

When I think of this song, I think of it next to the word “Grunge” in the Dictionary of Historical Musical Styles (the picture is probably a line drawing of a flannel shirt). It’s just so muddy and the guitars grind and churn. It’s just… grungy. You can really picture Jesus in that hole, I swear.

Napster:
Soundgarden – 4th Of July

Streaming audio available on the iPod Song of the Week page.