Jesus Christ Pose
"Jesus Christ Pose" is the song that many people point to as the one that defines the essence of
Soundgarden, as it is credited to all four members in the liner notes to
Badmotorfinger. The song garnered intense popularity as soon as
MTV decided to ban the video in 1991 - it has not been shown by the channel since.
"Jesus Christ Pose" contains various images of crosses as well as a scene of a teenage girl and various cruciform vegetables seemingly being crucified.
Many people believe that this song is anti-Christian. The band actually received death threats about it on a UK tour in the early 1990s. The song's meaning is actually about people using the image of
Jesus and the "Jesus Christ Pose" (the crossed-arm pose generally associated with Christ) in media advertisements and wrongful use. Cornell in particular wrote the lyrics as a parody of Jane's Addiction lead singer
Perry Farrell, whose majestic on-stage demeanor Cornell found pretentious.
"Jesus Christ Pose" is featured in the 1994 film
S.F.W., in which it is played during the opening credits.
The song was covered by
The Dillinger Escape Plan in the Kerrang! 25th anniversary cd,
High Voltage.
