10 Rock Songs That Were Written As A Joke
2. Spoonman - Soundgarden
Out of all the grunge bands coming out of Seattle, Soundgarden seemed to be the one act that was classic rock approved. Compared to the more artsy stuff coming out of bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney, the way that Chris Cornell's gutteral howl paralleled that of Robert Plant made it easy for casual rockers to get into their music. However, that didn't stop the subject matters for being any less zany.
Across Superunknown, most of Soundgarden had settled into a groove, with songs that were some of the heaviest of their time. Though Spoonman certainly deserved a spot among their greatest songs, the actual inspiration was from something much more down to Earth. When trying to find the right lyrics, Cornell starting riffing on an idea he had about a street performer in Seattle who was known for playing the spoons. Originally just thrown onto the Singles soundtrack as a demo, the rest of the band saw much more potential in the song when it came time to actually record their next record.
They went all out on it too, even drafting in the street performer that inspired the tune to come in and play his cutlery during the drum break of the song. Despite having one of the greatest riffs of the entire '90s to its name, Spoonman is one of the few songs who's inspiration hasn't gotten any less weird with age.