Rusty Cage
Encyclopedia
"Rusty Cage" is a song by the American rock
band Soundgarden
. Written by frontman Chris Cornell
, "Rusty Cage" was released in 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger
(1991). The song became an instant hit and was released as a single in several different formats. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides
and the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm
.
. Guitarist Kim Thayil
on the song:
titled "Touch Me". Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia
, Germany
, the Netherlands
, and the United Kingdom
. The song gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations.
"Rusty Cage" was part of the soundtrack of the 1994 bike racing game, Road Rash
, which received 3DO
's 1994 "Soundtrack of the Year" award. The song appeared on the fictional radio station "Radio X" in the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
. However, these versions are all 1 minute and 43 seconds shorter than the album version. The majority of these versions end as the breakdown at the end of the song comes in. It is also featured in the 2008 racing game, Burnout Paradise
, where the full version is intact. The song is a part of Soundgarden's compilation album Telephantasm
DLC Pack for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
. The song will be added to the Rock Band 3
downloadable content catalog on July 19, 2011.
for "Rusty Cage" was directed by Eric Zimmerman, who had previously directed the "Jesus Christ Pose
" music video for the band. The video features Soundgarden performing the song in a white room amid scenes of the band members being chased through a forest by dogs, farmers, and a man in a truck. The video was released in March 1992. It gained considerable airtime on MTV
.
home video release.
on the 1996 album, Unchained, which won a Grammy Award
for Best Country Album
. During at least one live performance by Soundgarden (early November 1996 at the Aragon Ballroom
in Chicago
, Illinois
), Cornell introduced the song with a dedication
to Cash. Cash's version was featured in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
episode "Bull" in 2008 and has played since 2006 during the closing credits for the syndicated television show "Heart of the Matter" originating from KTMW
. Cash's version is also used as the entrance song to UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch
. More recently, the song has been covered by the Chicago
, Illinois
quartet Soil, which can be found on the band's MySpace
page. Hungarian thrash metal band Ektomorf
covered the song in the EP The Gipsy Way
.
, except where noted:
Promotional CD (US) and Promotional 12" Vinyl (UK)
Promotional CD (US)
CD (Australia, Germany, and UK)
12" Vinyl (UK)
7" Vinyl (UK)
CD (The Netherlands)
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
. Written by frontman Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
, "Rusty Cage" was released in 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its previous album, Louder Than Love , Soundgarden began the recording sessions for its next album with new bassist Ben Shepherd...
(1991). The song became an instant hit and was released as a single in several different formats. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides
A-Sides
A-Sides is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden with songs spanning the band's thirteen year career. It was released on November 4, 1997 through A&M Records.-Overview:...
and the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm
Telephantasm
Telephantasm is a compilation album by the American grunge band Soundgarden. Featuring songs spanning the band's 13-year career, it was released on September 28, 2010 through A&M Records...
.
Origin and recording
"Rusty Cage" was written by frontman Chris CornellChris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
. Guitarist Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
on the song:
The tuning on that song was pretty nutty. It's recorded with a wah wah in the low position used as a filter. That was the first time we did anything like that. It was Chris's idea; he wanted to get that weird tone that you can't really dial in on an amp. But if you use the wah wah as a filter, it gets an incredibly weird sound. And if you listen to that riff, especially if you've heard the original demos of it, it almost sounds backward.
Composition
On "Rusty Cage" the bottom E string is tuned all the way down to B, with Thayil stating that "the string was all wobbly but it had a good effect." The song features a striking tempo change towards the end of the song, going from using 4/4 in its chorus to 19/8 at the end. Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident."Release and reception
"Rusty Cage" was released as a single in 1992 in various versions with a previously unreleased B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
titled "Touch Me". Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations.
"Rusty Cage" was part of the soundtrack of the 1994 bike racing game, Road Rash
Road Rash
Road Rash is the name of a motorcycle-racing video game series by Electronic Arts, in which the player participates in violent illegal street races. The game was originally released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, but was ported to several other systems. Six different games were released from...
, which received 3DO
The 3DO Company
The 3DO Company , also known as 3DO , was a video game company...
's 1994 "Soundtrack of the Year" award. The song appeared on the fictional radio station "Radio X" in the 2004 video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
. However, these versions are all 1 minute and 43 seconds shorter than the album version. The majority of these versions end as the breakdown at the end of the song comes in. It is also featured in the 2008 racing game, Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise
Burnout Paradise is the seventh game in the Burnout racing video game series. It was developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in January 2008 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and on February 5, 2009 for Microsoft Windows...
, where the full version is intact. The song is a part of Soundgarden's compilation album Telephantasm
Telephantasm
Telephantasm is a compilation album by the American grunge band Soundgarden. Featuring songs spanning the band's 13-year career, it was released on September 28, 2010 through A&M Records...
DLC Pack for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
. The song will be added to the Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
downloadable content catalog on July 19, 2011.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Rusty Cage" was directed by Eric Zimmerman, who had previously directed the "Jesus Christ Pose
Jesus Christ Pose
"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...
" music video for the band. The video features Soundgarden performing the song in a white room amid scenes of the band members being chased through a forest by dogs, farmers, and a man in a truck. The video was released in March 1992. It gained considerable airtime on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Live performances
A performance of "Rusty Cage" can be found on the MotorvisionMotorvision
Motorvision is a home video by the American rock band Soundgarden. It was released on November 17, 1992.- Overview :It features eight songs performed live at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington on March 5, 1992 and March 6, 1992 during the Badmotorfinger tour. Allmusic gave it three out of...
home video release.
Cover versions
"Rusty Cage" was covered by Johnny CashJohnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on the 1996 album, Unchained, which won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Country Album
Grammy Award for Best Country Album
The Grammy Award for Best Country Album has been awarded since 1994. The equivalent award, the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Album was presented in 1965 and 1966...
. During at least one live performance by Soundgarden (early November 1996 at the Aragon Ballroom
Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)
The Aragon Ballroom is the name of a ballroom in Chicago, Illinois.Located on West Lawrence Avenue approximately five miles north of downtown in the Uptown neighborhood, it was built in 1926 and designed in the Moorish architectural style with the interior resembling a Spanish village and named...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
), Cornell introduced the song with a dedication
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
to Cash. Cash's version was featured in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
episode "Bull" in 2008 and has played since 2006 during the closing credits for the syndicated television show "Heart of the Matter" originating from KTMW
KTMW
KTMW is a full-service television station in Salt Lake City, Utah. KTMW broadcast locally in analog on UHF channel 20 until the official conversion to digital date on June 12, 2009, when they "flash cut" to digital on the same channel. KTMW is predominately a religious broadcaster with an...
. Cash's version is also used as the entrance song to UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch
Jon Fitch
Jonathan Parker Fitch is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently ranked as the No. 2 welterweight in the world by Sherdog, as well as many other publications.-Background:...
. More recently, the song has been covered by the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
quartet Soil, which can be found on the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. Hungarian thrash metal band Ektomorf
Ektomorf
- Biography :Ektomorf was founded in 1993 in Mezőkovácsháza, Hungary, a small city near the Romanian border, by Zoltán "Zoli" Farkas. In the actual line-up Zoli - songwriter and mastermind of the band - is the only remaining founder member...
covered the song in the EP The Gipsy Way
The Gipsy Way
The Gipsy Way is the first EP by Ektomorf and was released in June 2010. The song "We Die Young" is an Alice in Chains cover, and "Rusty Cage" is a Soundgarden cover.-Track listing:#"We Die Young" #"Rusty Cage"...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Chris CornellChris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
, except where noted:
Promotional CD (US) and Promotional 12" Vinyl (UK)
- "Rusty Cage" (edit) – 3:52
- "Rusty Cage" – 4:26
Promotional CD (US)
- "Rusty Cage" (edit) – 3:52
- "Rusty Cage" – 4:26
- "Girl U WantGirl U Want"Girl U Want" is a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It was the first single released from the album Freedom of Choice. In 1995, Devo rerecorded the song for the soundtrack to Tank Girl.-Song Information:...
" (Gerald CasaleGerald CasaleGerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
, Mark MothersbaughMark MothersbaughMark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
) – 3:29 - "Show Me" (Shepherd) – 2:47
CD (Australia, Germany, and UK)
- "Rusty Cage" (edit) – 3:52
- "Rusty Cage" – 4:26
- "Touch Me" (FancyFancy (band)Fancy were an early-mid 1970s pop group. The band was made up of session musicians produced by Mike Hurst. They had a surprise U.S. hit single in 1974 with a version of the classic "Wild Thing" and a second U.S. hit with "Touch Me" . They were initially fronted by Penthouse Pet Helen Caunt and...
) – 2:51 - "Stray Cat BluesStray Cat Blues"Stray Cat Blues" is the eighth song on the Rolling Stones' album Beggars Banquet. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Jimmy Miller...
" (Mick Jagger, Keith RichardsJagger/RichardsThe songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, known as Jagger/Richards , is a musical collaboration whose output has produced the majority of the catalogue of The Rolling Stones....
) – 4:46
12" Vinyl (UK)
- "Rusty Cage" (edit) – 3:52
- "Touch Me" (Fancy) – 2:51
- "Show Me" (Shepherd) – 2:47
7" Vinyl (UK)
- "Rusty Cage" – 4:26
- "Touch Me" (Fancy) – 2:51
- The vinyl is a limited edition of 5000. Also released as an etched green CD in a Digipak (5000 copies), a picture 7" (5000 copies) and a cassette single.
CD (The Netherlands)
- "Rusty Cage" (edit) – 3:52
- "Big Bottom"/"Earache My EyeEarache My Eye"Earache My Eye" is a comedy routine and song by Cheech and Chong which features Alice Bowie .-History:It first appeared on Cheech & Chong's Wedding Album and later on the greatest hits collections Cheech & Chong's Greatest Hit , and Where There's Smoke There's Cheech & Chong, a double-CD...
" (live) (Spinal TapSpinal Tap (band)Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
)/(Tommy ChongTommy ChongTommy Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, director, activist, and musician who is well known for his stereotypical portrayals of hippie-era stoners...
, Gaye DeLorme, Richard MarinCheech MarinRichard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
) – 10:46- Recorded live on December 10, 1989 at the Whisky a Go GoWhisky a Go GoThe Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
- Recorded live on December 10, 1989 at the Whisky a Go Go
Chart positions
| Chart (1992) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
41 |