Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 198… Read Full Bio ↴Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band's full-time drummer in 1986, while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990. The band dissolved in 1997 and re-formed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017 and a year of uncertainty of the band's future, Thayil declared in October 2018 that the band was finished; they did, however, reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell.

Soundgarden are associated with grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle. After releasing two EPs on the Seattle-based label Sub-Pop in 1987 and 1988, their debut album, Ultramega OK was released on the California-based independent label SST Records in 1989. While the album did not sell well nationally, it gained critical acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy award in 1990. They recorded their second album, Louder Than Love, independently but had signed with major label A&M Records in the interim, and released the album as their major label debut. Unlike their debut, which had failed to chart, Louder Than Love peaked at number 108 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Released the same day as fellow Seattle grunge act Nirvana's album Nevermind, their third album Badmotorfinger would bring Soundgarden to national acclaim for the first time, buoyed by the popularity of the singles "Jesus Christ Pose", "Outshined", and "Rusty Cage", the album would reach number 39 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA. Soundgarden was one of the seminal creators of grunge, a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle, and was the first of a number of grunge bands to sign to the record label Sub Pop. Soundgarden was also one of the first grunge bands to sign to a major label (A&M Records in 1989), though they did not achieve commercial success until they popularized the genre in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana.

Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun". In 1996, the band experimented with new sonic textures on their follow-up album Down on the Upside, which debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned several hit singles of its own, including "Burden in My Hand" and "Blow Up the Outside World". In 1997, the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction and exhaustion from touring. After more than a decade of working on projects and other bands, Soundgarden reunited in 2010, and Republic Records released their sixth and final studio album, King Animal, two years later.

As of 2019, Soundgarden sold more than 14 million records in the United States, and an estimated 30 million worldwide. VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their special 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgarden

Studio albums
Ultramega OK (1988)
Louder Than Love (1989)
Badmotorfinger (1991)
Superunknown (1994)
Down on the Upside (1996)
King Animal (2012)

Face Pollution
Soundgarden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

An' I can count it on my fingers
I have all my reasons not to feel
I'm numb as rigor mortis
Scared by monkey faces drowned in shark fins

But I don't feel like feeling, I don't feel like feeling
I don't feel like feeling, feeling like you

Now I'm in the mirror, now it's getting clear
I fear that I'm in now, I'm into plastics
Now I've made a mask, it looks like fish heads

But I don't feel like feeling, I don't feel like feeling
I don't feel like feeling, feeling like you

I don't feel like feeling, I don't feel like feeling
I don't feel like feeling, feeling like you

Face pollution, face pollution
Face pollution, face pollution
(Feel)
Face pollution, face pollution
Face pollution, face pollution

(Feel)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Soundgarden's "Face Pollution" express feelings of numbness and disconnection. The lines "And I can count it on my fingers, I have all my reasons not to feel" suggest a deliberate choice to shut off emotions, perhaps as a coping mechanism. The imagery of "monkey faces drowned in shark fins" is unsettling and could represent the overwhelming intensity and aggression of the world around the singer. Despite this, the singer is still afraid and has resorted to wearing a mask made of plastic that resembles fish heads. The repetition of "I don't feel like feeling, feeling like you" emphasizes the disconnect between the singer and the outside world.

The title of the song, "Face Pollution," is a term coined by lead singer Chris Cornell to describe the negative impact of mass media on self-image. The song was a critique of the shallow and superficial nature of popular culture, and the idea that individuals are pressured to conform to certain ideals of beauty and success. It was released in 1988 on Soundgarden's debut album Ultramega OK, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.

Line by Line Meaning

An' I can count it on my fingers
I only have a few reasons to feel something

I have all my reasons not to feel
I have many valid reasons not to feel anything

I'm numb as rigor mortis
I feel completely numb and lifeless

Scared by monkey faces drowned in shark fins
Images of strange and scary things unsettle me

But I don't feel like feeling, I don't feel like feeling
I don't want to experience any emotions right now

feeling like you
I don't want to feel like someone else

Now I'm in the mirror, now it's getting clear
I'm reflecting on myself and my situation, and it's becoming clearer

I fear that I'm in now, I'm into plastics
I'm realizing that I'm too caught up in superficial things

Now I've made a mask, it looks like fish heads
I've created a false identity that resembles something bizarre

Face pollution, face pollution
The idea of people masking their true selves is repulsive

(Feel)
The singer is encouraging the listener to feel something, despite their own feelings