Hands All Over

Infobox Single
Name = Hands All Over


Caption =
Artist = Soundgarden
from Album = Louder Than Love
A-side =
B-side = "Come Together" / "Heretic" / "Big Dumb Sex"
Released = 1990
Format = CD single, Cassette, Vinyl
Recorded = December 1988 – January 1989 at London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Genre = Grunge
Length = 6:00
Label = A&M
Writer = Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil
Producer = Terry Date, Soundgarden
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single = "Loud Love" (1989)
This single = "Hands All Over" (1990)
Next single = "Room a Thousand Years Wide" (1990)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Louder Than Love
Type = studio
prev_track = "Ugly Truth"
prev_no = Track 1
this_track = "Hands All Over"
track_no = Track 2
next_track = "Gun"
next_no = Track 3Audiosample
Upper caption = Audio sample
Audio file = HandsAllOver.OGG"Hands All Over" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden, released in 1990 as the second single from the band's second studio album, "Louder Than Love" (1989). It also appeared on the band's EP "Loudest Love", released in 1990. It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album "A-Sides".

Composition

The song features lyrics written by frontman Chris Cornell and music written by guitarist Kim Thayil. Thayil on the song:

What I liked about the song was that it was just one simple riff -- one note, one chord -- but with a lot of dynamics. In some ways it's simple and basic; in other ways, it's very sophisticated in how it was layered. We don't really have many songs that are like "Hands All Over".Gilbert, Jeff. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/gschool_5-94.shtml "Primecuts: Kim Thayil"] . "Guitar School". May 1994.]

Lyrics

Regarding the song, Cornell said that "it's just sort of an environmental thing. Not strictly environmental, but mostly. It's basically about how we humans tend to screw up everything that's good enough as it is...or everything that we're attracted to, we love to go and defile it."Gilbert, Jeff. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/rocket_3-90.shtml "Big Ugly Truth"] . "The Rocket". March 1990.]

Release and reception

The single marked the beginning of Soundgarden having cover versions as B-sides. The B-side to the single is a cover of The Beatles song "Come Together". Producer Jack Endino provided the backing vocals on the song. This was also the last time that Soundgarden recorded with him. Outside of the United States, the single was released in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Due to some of the lyrics contained in the song (most notably the "kill your mother" line), this song and "Big Dumb Sex" led to the band facing various retail and distribution problems upon the release of "Louder Than Love". [Barber, Patrick. "Soundgarden". "Pit". 1990.] Tom Maginnis of Allmusic called "Hands All Over" a "walloping behemoth of a track." He said, "The song combines an Eastern-tinged rock riff in an extended arrangement, as singer Chris Cornell airs out his impressive lung capacity while lyrically taking a stab at environmental politics." [Maginnis, Tom. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:gvfyxxusldde "Hands All Over > Review"] . Allmusic. Retrieved on May 19, 2008.] J.D. Considine of "Rolling Stone" said that the song "applies swooping bass and jazzily vigorous drumming to counterbalance the static intensity of the song's bone-simple guitar hook." [Consideine, J.D. [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/soundgarden/albums/album/106219/review/5946839/louder_than_love "Soundgarden: "Louder Than Love"] . "Rolling Stone". June 17, 1997.]

Both the song and video were featured in the 1990 film "Pacific Heights", but the song was not included on the film's soundtrack.

Music video

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Track listing

;Promo CD5 and 12"
#"Hands All Over" (Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil) – 6:00
#"Come Together" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 5:52

;US Promo Cassette, Australian Picture 7"
#"Hands All Over" (Cornell, Thayil) – 6:00;Australian 7"
#"Hands All Over" (Cornell, Thayil) – 6:00
#"Big Bottom" (live) (Spinal Tap)

;UK CD5 and 10"
#"Hands All Over" (Cornell, Thayil) – 6:00
#"Come Together" (Lennon, McCartney) – 5:52
#"Heretic" (Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto) – 3:48
#"Big Dumb Sex" (Cornell) – 4:11

Chart positions

References

External links

* [http://wc02.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:gvfyxxusldde Allmusic review of "Hands All Over"]