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Cover of Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden
Cover: Badmotorfinger

Song · Soundgarden

“Outshined” by Soundgarden

From the album Badmotorfinger (1991)

“Outshined” by Soundgarden appears on 52 radio countdowns from 24 stations between 1992 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Badmotorfinger. Its best result is #12 on the WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #266 alternative song of 1992 and #1,149 alternative song of all time.

52countdowns
24stations
#12best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1992–2026years charted

Watch

Soundgarden - Outshined

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

"Outshined" was the second single from Badmotorfinger, Soundgarden's third album, released in 1991, and it gave the band its first entry on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart, peaking at 45. Chris Cornell wrote it alone, and Terry Date produced with the band.

It's grunge sludge with a math-class twist: tuned down to drop D, grinding in D major, with verses that lurch along in 7/4, a lopsided meter the band came back to on "Spoonman." Kim Thayil said the odd time signatures happened purely by accident. Cornell's lyric was a rare personal one for him, contrasting sunny surfaces with a gloomy interior, and he said writing so directly felt refreshing. Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd keep the lurch heavy. It later turned up on A-Sides, Telephantasm and Live on I-5.

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 82 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 340 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 151 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 208 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 97 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 496 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 59 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 42 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 385 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 242 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 770 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 49 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 85 103.3 The Edge 103.3 The Edge Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium 103
2001 388 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 12 WFNX WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002) 50
2002 115 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 42 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 351 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2004 95 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 249 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 215 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 73 WBCN WBCN Grunge Top 104 (2004) 104
2007 230 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2008 481 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2010 173 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 337 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2013 961 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 275 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 956 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 275 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 640 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2019 354 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 371 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 569 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 569 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2020 404 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 221 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 265 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2021 480 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 180 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2021 475 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2022 192 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 361 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 225 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 468 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 256 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 205 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 461 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 133 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2025 138 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 460 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 460 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →
  1. 1Friday I'm in LoveThe Cure
  2. 2Under the BridgeRed Hot Chili Peppers
  3. 3DriveR.E.M.
  4. 4OneU2
  5. 5JeremyPearl Jam
  6. 6TomorrowMorrissey

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