# The joke title Chris Cornell turned into an iconic 1990s anthem: “They put him a few pegs down”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-joke-title-chris-cornell-turned-into-an-iconic-1990s-anthem-they-put-him-a-few-pegs-down/
- Published: 2026-11-09T17:36:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T18:37:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/joke-title-chris-cornell-turned-into-an-iconic-1990s-anthem/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- ‘Spoon Man’ began as a joke title for the film *Singles*.
- Cornell later developed it for Soundgarden’s *Superunknown*.
- The song celebrates Artis the Spoonman and sold over five million copies.

## Summary

Soundgarden turned Chris Cornell’s joke title ‘Spoon Man’ into a defining song on their 1994 album *Superunknown*. The track began as part of a fictional solo tape for the film *Singles*, but Cornell later developed it into a polished recording that became an enduring 1990s anthem.

The title came from a list of song names Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament devised for the film’s character Cliff Poncier. Cornell made songs from the titles as a joke, then revisited ‘Spoon Man’ while Soundgarden were preparing *Superunknown*. Its lyrics refer to street performer Artis the Spoonman and challenge the way people judge him for dressing differently; the song went on to sell more than five million copies.

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