The definitive Soundgarden playlist

"Searching with My Good Eye Closed" was never released as a single from the stellar Badmotorfinger album. However, during the band's heyday in the early-to-mid 1990s, it often kicked off Soundgarden's high-energy live shows. At times, bassist Ben Shepherd waded over, and sometimes on top of the group's amplifiers. It's a haunting piece with the memorable 'See N' Say' intro that's found a nice place in the group's legacy.  

The first of five singles released off the five-times-platinum Superknown, "Spoonman" is essentially the song that ushered the band into the mainstream and won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance. It's one of the most recognizable songs from the 1990s.

To most casual grunge fans, "Outshined" is one of the most recognizable tracks from the twice-platinum Badmotorfinger album. It's also known for housing one of the best lines in the band's history, with Chris Cornell proclaiming, "I'm looking California and feeling Minnesota." The latter portion of the line inspired the 1996 film Feeling Minnesota. 

Soundgarden was always considered perhaps the most "metal" of those grunge-associated bands. In fact, the group's debut album Ultramega OK earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. "Flower" was the only single off that record and still stands as one of Soundgarden's more underrated tracks. While still raw, the song delivers that signature Soundgarden balance of heavy-handed rock and melodic flare.

On the band's second release, Louder Than Love, the metal sound was still there, but we saw the maturation process begin to a more melodic approach. That allowed Soundgarden to fit in well with the grunge movement. "Loud Love" is like a preview of what fans would hear on Badmotorfinger. It's dirty and edgy but polished enough to enjoy success as the most notable track off Louder Than Love.

Before Johnny Cash made it famous with his gritty cover in 1996, "Rusty Cage" was already a long-time favorite and live staple from Badmotorfinger. The song is known for Kim Thayil's creative guitar tuning, most notably in the intro, which was reportedly Chris Cornell's idea. Its overall creativity and uniqueness were something that helped further set Soundgarden apart from other Seattle bands.  

The first single and first track off Down on the Upside, the follow-up to Superunknown. Down on the Upside sold nearly two million copies in the United States alone, so it was a solid follow-up effort thanks to songs like this one. "Pretty Noose" is a heavy track. It also blossomed into a live favorite over the years.

This was the last single from Superunknown that was released. In an eerie statement in 1994, Cornell said in the article "Journey into the Superunknown" that the song was about life going well, then taking an abrupt turn for the worse. Fans thought Cornell was on top of the world in 2017 when he hanged himself on May 18 of that year. The song remains one of the band's most well-known singles.

The first single off Badmotorfinger truly captures the collective brilliance of the band. From Matt Cameron's thundering drum work to the introduction of Ben Shepherd's heart-thumping bass to Kim Thayil's wailing yet intricate guitar work to Chris Cornell's classic shrieking vocals. It's the complete Soundgarden package. 

"Kickstand" was not released as a single off Superknown, but it's actually one of the best offerings on the band's most celebrated record. At just over 90 seconds, the track is aggressive and straightforward and shows off some of the punk roots the band harbored. The music was written by guitarist Kim Thayil, the undisputed star of this underrated Soundgarden gem.

Chris Cornell made a few appearances in the Cameron Crowe classic Singles. While checking out the monster sound system Cliff (Matt Dillon) installed in Janet's (Bridget Fonda) car and onstage with Soundgarden performing this track, which is included on the film's stellar soundtrack. It's another example of Cornell's ridiculous vocal range that defined the band's overall sound throughout its run.

The band's final studio album, King Animal from 2012, cracked the top five on the Billboard 200 in the United States. However, it garnered nowhere near as much mainstream attention as the likes of Superunknown or Down on the Upside. Of the three singles released from the project, "By Crooked Steps" stands out and is worth inclusion to showcase the best of the band's final contribution to the rock world. The video is pretty entertaining, too.

Another single from Down on the Upside, "Ty Cobb" starts off rather mellow before picking up into a blistering pace, even with a mandolin and mandola in the mix. This underrated track kind of got lost amid some of the more well-known tracks on the record. It still became a live concert favorite as the years went on.

Another hit off Superunknown, "My Wave" shows Matt Cameron's underrated skills on the drums. One of the heavier songs on the record, it's a track that harkens back to the band's early years, maybe something off Louder Than Love, though more polished and with better production. Superunknown will go down as one of the most well-produced albums of the 1990s.

Perhaps the most controversial song in the Soundgarden catalog. This track, along with "Hands All Over," earned the Louder Than Love record a Parental Advisory sticker. According to songfacts.com, guitarist Kim Thayil said this tune is a jab at all those songs filled with sexual innuendos, especially from the disco era. In this case, the band just came right out and announced its sexual intentions.

A strong release from Down on the Upside, "Burden in My Head" is a rather dark song when absorbing the lyrics. Soundgarden was known to take a somewhat macabre approach to its lyrics and subject matter. Guitarist Kim Thayil told the Michigan Daily back in 1996 that this song was the band's own "Hey Joe" moment.

Like "Searching with My Good Eyes Closed," "Slaves & Bulldozers" was not released as a single off Badmotorfinger. Yet, it remains one of the group's greatest deep cuts and was a concert favorite until the end. It's driven by Kim Thayil's signature down-tuned guitar excellence and the dark, melodic, crescendo-building vocals from Chris Cornell. Consider it the perfect song to end one of the band's sets before heading into the encores.

One of the most popular songs of 1994, a Grammy winner for Best Hard Rock Performance, and arguably the song that's most recognizable by the band. It proved to be the highlight of Superunknown, and its video was in heavy rotation on MTV. The song showcased the depth of Chris Cornell's voice beyond the wailing and shrieking. As time went on, the band's live performances featured an acoustic take of "Black Hole Sun," which seemed even more impactful than the studio version.

For some die-hard fans of the group, this is the best song on the Superunknown album. It's an easy tune to like, even for those fans who weren't into grunge or metal but can appreciate a strong hard-rock song where they hear it. Along with "Black Hole Sun," "The Day I Tried to Live" is a standout moment in Chris Cornell's legacy as a songwriter, singer, and performer. 

It's not the last song on Down on the Upside, but it's a great way to close out a live set or finish the ideal Soundgarden setlist. "Blow Up the Outside World" has almost a bluesy feel to it. It's also a rather emotional track that builds up and brings the listener back down without skipping a beat. One year after the release of Down on the Upside, Soundgarden broke up and would not put out another studio album until 2012.