Pretty Noose is a song by Soundgarden, written by the band’s frontman, Chris Cornell. Pretty Noose was released in April 30, 1996 as the first single from the band’s fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart, and peaked at number 10 in Finland. The song was included on Soundgarden’s 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
Drummer Matt Cameron said of the song:
“That song for me was kind of interesting, because we were at the phase where we were just going to demo tunes. So I learned the tune and recorded it, and we ended up using that take. When we recorded that, I had walked to the studio (in Seattle) and my legs were really tired. But to make a long story short, I was trying to get a walking feel on the drum part. So it probably has a little weird shuffle to it probably from that walk that I took to the studio that day.”
According to Cornell, Pretty Noose is about “an attractively packaged bad idea … something that seems great at first and then comes back to bite you.” Frank Kozik, the director of the song’s music video, interpreted the song as “your average bad-girlfriend experience”, an interpretation which Cornell agreed with.
The music video for Pretty Noose was directed by Frank Kozik. Kozik had previously been known for his work on posters and album art. The video blends animation with various scenes of the band members in a bar, an exotic dancer, Cameron riding a motorcycle, Shepherd being arrested, a tattoo parlor, and Cornell in a bedroom. In the original version of the video, Cornell is shown killing a woman. The video was released in May 1996.
Cornell said of the music video:
“It’s unlike anything else we’ve ever done … In fact, I think it’s unlike anything else anyone has ever done. Working with someone like Frank was really interesting because his approach was so fresh—he didn’t know the rules that he’s supposed to play under. He made the video what it is. It’s really interesting and colorful. It’s the kind of video that’s still fun to look at after you’ve seen it a few times. That was very important to us. At this point in our lives, part of the challenge is to try new things, not to fall into the pattern of playing it safe. We did that on the video, and we did that on the album too.”
MTV refused to show the full video, as it ends with an apparent murder. MuchMusic was given a revised version for its channel. Kozik said that the video was censored because it was “too heavy” for the “dipshits at MTV”. He added, “They got a dead girl in that lame Stabbing Westward video so I don’t understand their problem.”
An alternative international version of the music video for “Pretty Noose” was released. This version was directed by Henry Shepherd (bass guitarist Ben Shepherd‘s brother), who had previously co-directed the “My Wave” music video for the band. The video simply features the band performing the song live in a studio. The footage is taken from a pre-release European promotional kit for Down on the Upside. The video was released to areas outside the United States, but began to be shown in the United States after Kozik‘s version debuted.
Tracklist:
- Pretty Noose
- Applebite (Cameron, Cornell)
- An Unkind (Shepherd)
- Interview
Soundgarden
Chris Cornell: lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Kim Thayil: lead guitar
Ben Shepherd: bass guitar
Matt Cameron: drums
Chris Cornell (July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017).
