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)
Touch Me
Soundgarden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the city
Alone in my room
Ooh wall to wall
[Chorus]
Touch me, can you feel it
Touch me, it feels good
(I got the feelin');
Touch me
Couldn't get to sleep in my room last night
Somethin' isn't quite the same
Just as I was reaching for the nearest light
I heard somebody calling my name
(Chorus)
Oh yeah
All right now
Shivers down my backbone 'cause my man is back
And my pulse began to race
Oh when she layed beside me everything went black
'Cause I've seen the strangest things
(Chorus)
In the song Touch Me by Soundgarden, the singer is portrayed as lonely and isolated in a big city in the night. He is alone in his room, where the walls seem to be closing in on him, and something feels different. He is unable to sleep and as he is about to turn on the light, he hears someone calling his name, which implies that he is desperately seeking human connection. He longs to be touched by someone, to feel the human warmth and intimacy that he lacks in his life.
The chorus of the song expresses this yearning desire to be touched, to feel alive and connected to someone else. The singer is aware of the impact that being touched can have on him, as he says "Touch me, can you feel it? Touch me, it feels good. Touch me, yeah, I can feel it, I got the feeling.” The song also depicts an encounter with someone who has come back into the singer's life, someone who is close to him and makes him feel alive. The lines, "Shivers down my backbone 'cause my man is back and my pulse began to race" and "When she laid beside me everything went black, Cause I've seen the strangest things" suggests that this person may be a former lover, who holds deep emotions and experiences that are best left unspoken.
The song delves into the heart of loneliness and the yearning for physical connection and human warmth, themes that are prevalent in many songs. However, Soundgarden's take on it is unique, as the lyrics are cryptic and ambiguous, leaving much to the interpretation of the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
In the night
During nighttime
In the city
Within the city limits
Alone in my room
Solitude within my personal space
Ooh wall to wall
All around me
Touch me, can you feel it
Can you sense the physical contact
Touch me, it feels good
The sensation is pleasurable
Touch me, yah I can feel it
Yes, I can sense the touch
(I got the feelin');
I have the sensation
Couldn't get to sleep in my room last night
Unable to fall asleep within my personal space the previous night
Somethin' isn't quite the same
There is a change or discrepancy from before
Just as I was reaching for the nearest light
At that very moment as I went to turn on the light
I heard somebody calling my name
I perceived the sound of someone saying my name
Oh yeah
Emphatic agreement
All right now
Confirmation of positive feeling
Shivers down my backbone 'cause my man is back
A feeling of excitement or anticipation due to someone's return
And my pulse began to race
The beating of my heart increased in speed
Oh when she layed beside me everything went black
When that person rested next to me, I lost consciousness or sense of time
'Cause I've seen the strangest things
I've witnessed peculiar or odd occurrences
Contributed by Sydney G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.