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Cover of Grave Dancers Union by Soul Asylum
Cover: Grave Dancers Union

Song · Soul Asylum

“Black Gold” by Soul Asylum

From the album Grave Dancers Union (1992)

“Black Gold” by Soul Asylum appears on 33 radio countdowns from 13 stations between 1992 and 2023. It was first released in 1992 on the album Grave Dancers Union. Its best result is #35 on the Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #69 alternative song of 1993 and #951 alternative song of all time.

33countdowns
13stations
#35best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1992–2023years charted

Watch

Soul Asylum - Black Gold (Official HD Video)

Video from YouTube (SoulAsylumVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Black Gold" came off Grave Dancers Union, Soul Asylum's sixth album, and Columbia sent it out as the second single in January 1993. Dave Pirner wrote it by himself, and Michael Beinhorn's production gives the Minneapolis band a big, clean, heavy-lidded sound that suits Pirner's weary rasp.

Zack Snyder directed the video, which casts George Wendt as a gas station attendant pushing a car with Pirner sitting inside. The song has also been compared to Weird Al Yankovic's "The Night Santa Went Crazy", though Yankovic never billed that one as a parody.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1992 81 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 81 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101
1993 62 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1993 107
1993 35 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 375 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1994 979 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 969 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 376 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1996 975 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 71 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1999 319 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 202 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 404 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 133 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 133 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 134 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 134 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 846 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 134 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 134 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 134 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 749 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2007 242 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 1875 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1857 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1886 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1945 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2020 334 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 423 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 306 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 488 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 343 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2023 315 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893

Charting alongside it in 1993

Best songs of 1993 →
  1. 1CannonballThe Breeders
  2. 2CreepRadiohead
  3. 3LingerThe Cranberries
  4. 4PlushStone Temple Pilots
  5. 5No RainBlind Melon
  6. 6Soul to SqueezeRed Hot Chili Peppers

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