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Soundgarden: Their 5 Most-Viewed Music Videos on YouTube

Avatar photo By Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Soundgarden is one of several major omissions from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So far, the Seattle giants have been nominated three times in 2020, 2023, and 2025. (They have been eligible for induction since 2012.)

In short: It’s an honor that’s been long overdue for the band, even though their induction will be bittersweet considering the 2017 death of Chris Cornell at age 52. Regardless, they deserve to be inducted and enshrined in the Rock Hall alongside their peers Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

As of yesterday (March 10), Soundgarden is 4th out of the 14 nominees as part of the 2025 Rock Hall Fan Vote. While being included on the Fans’ Ballot doesn’t guarantee induction, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

In honor of their third Rock Hall nomination (and hopefully, their soon-to-be-pending induction), here’s a look at the five most-viewed Soundgarden music videos on YouTube.

(NOTE: All view figures below are as of March 11, 2025.)

  • 5. "The Day I Tried To Live": 27.5 million views

     

    “The Day I Tried To Live” is deceptive. While the song sounds grim on the surface, it’s far more hopeful. Chris Cornell was asked in a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone whether “The Day I Tried to Live” was “a heroin song.” Cornell explained, “No, I don’t have any heroin songs. It’s about trying to step out of being patterned and closed off and reclusive, which I’ve always had a problem with … ‘The Day I Tried to Live’ means more like the day I actually tried to open up myself and experience everything that’s going on around me as opposed to blowing it all off and hiding in a cave.”

  • 4. "Spoonman": 30.9 million views

    “Spoonman,” of course, was inspired by Artis the Spoonman, a Seattle-based street performer. Not only is Artis featured on “Spoonman,” but he also stars in the music video for the song, which was the lead single off of Soundgarden’s 1994 album Superunknown.

  • 3. "Burden In My Hand": 31.9 million views

    A soaring rock song with incredibly dark lyrics? Yes, please! Sarcasm aside, Chris Cornell’s voice on “Burden In My Hand” is so booming that it nearly distracts you from the fact that this song is about a man murdering a woman he’s seeing. Aptly, the video is filmed in a desert setting, a nod to its opening lyrics (“Follow me into the desert/As thirsty as you are”).

  • 2. "Fell On Black Days": 72.9 million views

    The video for “Fell On Black Days” is a straightforward performance video. Dramatically filmed in black and white, the video features many close-up shots of Chris Cornell singing intensely into the camera, which add even more power to the song’s lyrics, which reflect a turn from joy to depression in someone’s daily life.

  • 1. "Black Hole Sun": 279.9 million views

    It’s not terribly surprising that “Black Hole Sun” is number one on this list, but what is surprising is how far into first place it is with over 279.9 million views compared to the 72.9 million views of “Fell On Black Days.” Of course, this trippy clip isn’t just Soundgarden’s most iconic music videos; it’s one of the most iconic music videos of all time.  Even if you’ve seen the video many times, you just can’t help but watch it again with disturbed awe.

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