Jesus Christ Pose

Infobox Single
Name = Jesus Christ Pose


Caption =
Artist = Soundgarden
from Album = Badmotorfinger
A-side =
B-side = "Stray Cat Blues" / "Into the Void (Sealth)" / "Somewhere"
Released = 1991
Format = CD single, Cassette, Vinyl
Recorded = March 1991 – April 1991
Genre = Grunge
Length = 5:51
Label = A&M
Writer = Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil
Producer = Terry Date, Soundgarden
Certification =
Last single = "Room a Thousand Years Wide" (1990)
This single = "Jesus Christ Pose" (1991)
Next single = "Outshined" (1991)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Badmotorfinger
Type = studio
prev_track = "Slaves & Bulldozers"
prev_no = Track 3
this_track = "Jesus Christ Pose"
track_no = Track 4
next_track = "Face Pollution"
next_no = Track 5Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = JesusChristPose.OGG

"Jesus Christ Pose" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in 1991 as the first single from the band's third studio album, "Badmotorfinger" (1991). It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album "A-Sides".

Composition

"Jesus Christ Pose" features lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music co-written by Cornell, drummer Matt Cameron, bassist Ben Shepherd, and guitarist Kim Thayil. Some see the song as defining the "essence" of Soundgarden, as it is credited to all four band members. The song was performed in drop D tuning and is in 4/4 time. Regarding the song, Thayil said, "The song's groove reminds me of helicopter blades. I bent the strings at the beginning and end of the song."Gilbert, Jeff. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/gschool_5-94.shtml "Primecuts: Kim Thayil"] . "Guitar School". May 1994.]

Lyrics

In a press release, Cornell explained the term "Jesus Christ Pose":

You just see it a lot with really beautiful people, or famous people, exploiting that symbol as to imply that they're either a deity or persecuted somehow by their public. So it's pretty much a song that is nonreligious but expressing being irritated by seeing that. It's not that I would ever be offended by what someone would do with that symbol. [Magnuson, Ann. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/spin_2-92.shtml "Sub Zep?"] . "Spin". February 1992.]

Release and reception

Outside of the United States, the single was released in the United Kingdom. Greg Prato of Allmusic said, "In addition to Cornell's biting lyrics and vocals, the rest of the band helped fuel unquestionably one of Soundgarden's most vicious and venomous rockers. Breakneck guitar riffs do battle with sledgehammer drumming for most of the song's five minute and 50 seconds." [Prato, Greg. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:3vftxxrsldse "Jesus Christ Pose > Review"] . Allmusic. Retrieved on May 19, 2008.]

The song is featured on the soundtrack for the 1994 film "S.F.W."

Music video

.]

Controversy

The song garnered attention when MTV decided to ban its corresponding music video in 1991—it has not been shown by the channel in its entirety since. Many listeners were outraged by the song and its video, perceiving it as anti-Christian. The band actually received death threats about it on a UK tour in the early 1990s. [ [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/raw_9-28-93.shtml "I Don't Care About Performing for 20,000!"] . "Raw". September 15, 1993.] The band explained that the lyrics concern the exploitation of religion for personal benefit. The song is a criticism of how public figures use religion (particularly the image of Jesus Christ) to portray themselves as being 'better' than others, or as 'martyrs'.

Thayil on the "Jesus Christ Pose" music video and controversy:

That was our first single off "Badmotorfinger", but it never got any airplay because of the references to Jesus. And MTV wouldn't play the video because they didn't like the idea of a girl on the cross. There are no guitars in the video at all. There's not even a picture of a guitar in the video. It's like this hard, rock-fast, punk-metal video that has no instruments in the whole thing. And it's a six minute video!

Cornell stated:

The way [MTV's] programming works is like a commercial radio station, the shorter the video, the more videos they can play, and—they figured I guess that in the normal hours people watch videos they're not going to want to watch something for six minutes. [Cornell, Chris. "Interview with Chris Cornell." bFM, New Zealand. January 16, 1997.]

Live performances

A live version of the song appears on the "Black Hole Sun" single. A performance of the song is included on the "Motorvision" home video release.

Track listing

;US Promo CD, UK 12"
#"Jesus Christ Pose" (Matt Cameron, Chris Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Kim Thayil) – 5:51

;UK Picture 12"
#"Jesus Christ Pose" (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil) – 5:51
#"Stray Cat Blues" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 4:46;Etched 12", Etched Digipak CD, UK Poster Bag 12"
#"Jesus Christ Pose" (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil) – 5:51
#"Stray Cat Blues" (Jagger, Richards) – 4:46
#"Into the Void (Sealth)" (Chief Sealth, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward) – 6:37
#"Somewhere" (Shepherd) – 4:21

;Promo 7", Promo 12"
#"Jesus Christ Pose" (Cameron, Cornell, Shepherd, Thayil) – 5:51
#"Drawing Flies" (Cameron, Cornell) – 2:25

Chart positions

Accolades

The information regarding accolades attributed to "Jesus Christ Pose" is adapted in part from AcclaimedMusic.net.Cite web|url=http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/061024/S2043.htm|title="Jesus Christ Pose" accolades|accessdate=2008-05-06|publisher=Acclaimed Music]

* denotes an unordered list

References

External links

* [http://wc02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:3vftxxrsldse Allmusic review of "Jesus Christ Pose"]