Template:Good article Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Superunknown1994A-Sides1997studioDown on the UpsideSoundgarden-DownOnTheUpside.jpgSoundgardenTemplate:Start dateNovember 1995 – February 1996* Studio Litho (Seattle, Washington)

Down on the Upside is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21, 1996, through A&M Records. Following a worldwide tour in support of its previous album, Superunknown (1994), Soundgarden commenced work on a new album. Self-produced by the band, the music on the album was notably less heavy and dark than the group's preceding albums and featured the band experimenting with new sounds.

The album topped the New Zealand and Australian charts and debuted at number two on the United States' Billboard 200, selling 200,000 copies in its opening week and spawning the singles "Pretty Noose", "Burden in My Hand", "Blow Up the Outside World", and "Ty Cobb". The band played the 1996 Lollapalooza tour and, afterward, supported the album with a worldwide tour.

Down on the Upside was Soundgarden's last studio album until 2012's King Animal, as tensions within the band led to its break-up in April 1997. The album has sold 1.6 million copies in the United States.

RecordingEdit

Recording sessions for the album took place between November 1995 and February 1996 at Studio Litho and Bad Animals Studios in Seattle, Washington. Studio Litho is owned by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard.<ref name="blackholesons">"Black Hole Sons!". Kerrang!. August 12, 1995.</ref> The members of Soundgarden produced the album themselves. On the choice of not working with a producer, frontman Chris Cornell said that "a fifth guy is too many cooks and convolutes everything. It has to go down too many mental roads, which dilutes it."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Drummer Matt Cameron added that, while working with Michael Beinhorn on Superunknown had good results, it was "a little more of a struggle than it needed to be", and self-production would make the process go faster.<ref name=bill>McCormick, Moira. "Soundgarden Digs Down to Its Roots". Billboard. April 13, 1996</ref> Adam Kasper, who previously had worked with Soundgarden as an assistant engineer on Superunknown,<ref name="intensity">Warden, Steve. "A Degree of Intensity". Access. June 1996.</ref> worked with the band as a production collaborator and mixed the album.<ref>Cross, Charles R. "The Joys of Noise: Soundgarden Throw a High-Frequency Sludgefest". Rolling Stone. February 8, 1996.</ref>

Work on the album began in July 1995.<ref name="drama">"Soundgarden Man in Near Death Drama". Kerrang!. March 16, 1996.</ref> The band took a break to perform at festivals in Europe, where new material was road-tested.<ref>Atkinson, Peter. "Soundgarden: From Superunknown to Superstars". Jam. May 24, 1996.</ref> Afterward, the band did more songwriting for about a month and then recorded most of the album at Studio Litho.<ref name="intensity"/> The overall approach to songwriting was less collaborative than with past efforts, with the individual band members having brought in most of the songs more completely written.<ref>Zogbi, Marina. "Upshot on "The Upside" from Kim Thayil". Metal Edge. August 1996.</ref> The band sought to try things it had not done before and to use a greater variety of material.<ref name="buzzword">"Down on the Upside". The Buzz Word. August 1996</ref> They tried to create a live atmosphere for the album,<ref name="raygun">Appleford, Steve. "Soundgarden". Ray Gun. June 1996.</ref> and looked to leave in sounds that producers would normally try to clean up, such as feedback and out-of-tune guitar parts.<ref name="controversy">"Soundgarden's New Video Causes Controversy". Toronto Sun. May 10, 1996.</ref> The overall time spent working on the album was less than what the band had spent working on Superunknown.<ref name="Hard Music 1996">"Soundgarden". Hard Music. June 1996.</ref> Cornell described the album-making process as "way faster and way easier".<ref name="blackholesons"/>

Most of the material was written by Cornell and bassist Ben Shepherd, the latter having already worked on six of the sixteen album tracks. Reportedly, tensions within the group arose during the recording sessions, with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell allegedly clashing over Cornell's desire to shift away from the heavy guitar riffing that had become the band's trademark.<ref name="soundgardensplit">Colopino, John. "Soundgarden Split". Rolling Stone. May 29, 1997.</ref> Thayil's only contribution to the album was the song "Never the Machine Forever", for which he wrote both the lyrics and the music, and which was also the last song the band recorded.<ref>Turman, Katherine. "Soundgarden: Seattle's Sonic Boom". Metal Edge. July 1996.</ref> The song initially came out of a jam session Thayil had with Seattle musician Greg Gilmore.<ref name="upbeat">Maloof, Rich. "Kim Thayil of Soundgarden: Down on the Upbeat". Guitar Magazine. July 1996.</ref> In the liner notes, Thayil credits Gilmore for inspiring the song. He stated that he had a lot of incomplete music ideas that were missing lyrics and were not arranged, so they did not make the album.<ref name="upbeat"/> Thayil said: "It can be a little bit discouraging if there isn't satisfactory creative input, but on the other hand, I write all the solo bits and don't really have limitations on the parts I come up with for guitar."<ref name="upbeat"/> Cornell said: "By the time we were finished, it felt like it had been kind of hard, like it was a long, hard haul. But there was stuff we were discovering."<ref name="raygun"/>

Music and lyricsEdit

{{#invoke:Listen|main}} Down on the Upside continues the band's musical development away from alt-metal to a more experimental sound, described as alternative rock and grunge.<ref name="Goldmine">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album's songs placed emphasis on vocals and melody over the heavy guitar riffs that were found on the band's earlier LPs.<ref name="drama"/><ref name="soundoff">"Soundgarden Sound Off". Melody Maker. March 23, 1996.</ref> It also features a rawer sound than Soundgarden's previous album Superunknown, as the band members produced the record themselves.<ref name="painting">Clay, Jennifer. "Soundgarden: Painting Beautiful Pictures". RIP. June 1996.</ref> Cornell summed up the changes by saying: "What we've lost in sonic precision we've gained so much in terms of feeling."<ref name="real">Rubin, Mike. "The Real Thing". Spin (July 1996).</ref> Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said Soundgarden "retained their ambitious song structures, neo-psychedelic guitar textures, and winding melodies but haven't dressed them up with detailed production."<ref name="allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The songs vary in tempo throughout the course of the album, with Thayil describing the album as having a "dual nature".<ref name="rave">"Soundgarden: The Garden of Earthly Delights". Rave. May 15, 1996.</ref> He stated, "It keeps listeners on their toes and lets them know they're not getting the same album over and over."<ref name="rave"/> Shepherd called the album "the most accurate picture of what Soundgarden actually sounds like", stating: "It's way more raw. It's way more honest. It's way more 'responsible.'"<ref name="painting"/>

The band stated at the time that it wanted to experiment with other sounds,<ref>Turman, Katherine. "Soundgarden: Seattle's Sonic Boom". Hypno. 1996.</ref> which included Shepherd and Cornell playing mandolin and mandola in the song "Ty Cobb".<ref name="soundoff"/> This experimentation can be heard to a lesser degree on Superunknown. Soundgarden used alternative tunings and odd time signatures on several of the album's songs. For example, "Never the Machine Forever" uses a time signature of 9/8.<ref>"Seattle Supersonic: The Screaming Life & Odd Times of Soundgarden's Kim Thayil". Guitar Player. July 1996.</ref> "Pretty Noose" and "Burden in My Hand" were written in C-G-C-G-G-E tuning.<ref>Leonard, Michael. "Unknown Pleasures". The Guitar Magazine. December 1996.</ref>

The overall mood of the album's lyrics is not as dark as on previous Soundgarden albums.<ref name="True">True, Everett. "Soundgarden". Melody Maker. May 25, 1996.</ref> Cornell even admitted "Dusty" was "pretty positive for a Soundgarden song", describing it as an opposite to the previous album's "Fell On Black Days".<ref name=cmj>Lanham, Tom. "Soundgarden: Overaware". CMJ New Music Monthly, July 1996</ref> According to Cornell, "Pretty Noose" is about "an attractively packaged bad idea",<ref>"Soundgarden Returns" Template:Webarchive. MTV.com. April 12, 1996.</ref> and "Ty Cobb" is about a "hardcore pissed-off idiot".<ref name="questiontime">"Gardener's Question Time". Kerrang!. March 1, 1997.</ref> Cornell said the songs "Never Named" and "Boot Camp" are based on his childhood.<ref name="painting"/> Thayil said the lyrics for "Never the Machine Forever" are about "a life-and-death match between an individual and a less specifically defined entity".<ref name="drama"/> Cornell referred to "Overfloater" as "self-affirming".<ref name="True"/>

PackagingEdit

The album's cover art, photographed by Kevin Westenberg, features the members of the band in silhouette. Reportedly, at one point the photo of caterpillars eating a tomato that was used for the "Blow Up the Outside World" single was considered for use as the cover of Down on the Upside.<ref>"Blow Up the Outside World" Template:Webarchive. Unofficial SG Homepage.</ref> The album was also released in a limited edition with the Into the Upside interview disc.

The title Down on the Upside comes from a line in the song "Dusty". The lyric is "I think it's turning back on me/I'm down on the upside". Cornell said the title represents the different feels on the album.<ref name="intensity"/> In an interview, he explained how the name was chosen:

"I brought it up at some point because the song that the title came from was 'Dusty', but my title for it was 'Down on the Upside', but Ben wrote the music and he called it 'Dusty'. So since we don't really like having song titles being the title of the record, 'cause it brings this weird, undue focus to the song, I thought it would be cool to call it Down on the Upside. We started thinking about all these other titles, and worrying about them describing the whole record without excluding anything ... So it was the last minute and we were at a photo shoot for Spin and someone called and said, 'We need your title now so we can start doing the record package,' so Matt [Cameron] brought up the title again, and everyone went, 'yeah, that's it.'"<ref>Ewing, Jerry. "Shooting from the Hip! 20 Questions with Chris Cornell". Metal Hammer. July 1996.</ref>

In an interview given by the band, Cameron and Shepherd jokingly said that two other titles considered for the album were Mr. Bunchy Pants and Comin' At Ya!<ref name="buzzword"/>

Release and receptionEdit

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Down on the Upside had a 10,000-copy limited edition vinyl release on May 14, 1996, one week prior to its main release on CD and cassette.<ref name=bill/> It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 album chart with 175,500 units sold, behind only The Score by the Fugees.<ref>Mayfield, Geoff. "Another Close One". Billboard, June 8, 1996</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album has gone on to sell 1.6 million copies in the United States,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.<ref name="riaa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ivan Kreilkamp of Spin gave the album an eight out of ten, saying the album is "as sprawling and generous-spirited as Superunknown, but ... is a looser and live-er-sounding affair, not seeking the same level of aural precision".<ref name="spin"/> Alternative Press gave the album a three out of five, saying Soundgarden are "now fully capable of penning some damned spiffy pop songs", and adding that "they sound more human here, like they're playing in your living room".<ref name="alternativepress">(August 1, 1996). "Review: Down on the Upside". Alternative Press (pp. 87-88).</ref> Rolling Stone staff writer David Fricke gave Down on the Upside three out of five stars, observing that the album has "some quality frenzy", but criticizing it for "lack[ing] defining episodes of catharsis", and saying: "Soundgarden seem to be digging in their heels rather than kicking up dirt, relying too much on drone-y impressionism and clever (as opposed to cleaving) guitar motifs."<ref name="rollingstone"/> Neil Strauss of The New York Times called the album the "rawer, looser follow-up to Superunknown", adding: "Generally, identifying with animals in song lyrics is a sign of low self-esteem, and Soundgarden is no exception. For all the virility and macho power that rock singers have tried to wring from the [snake], Soundgarden remains more interested in the fact that it is the only animal cursed to spend its days slithering on the ground."<ref name="thenewyorktimes">Template:Cite news</ref>

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+, saying: "Few bands since Led Zeppelin have so crisply mixed instruments both acoustic and electric." He praised several songs as being "as powerful as anything the band has done", but criticized the album's production, saying that, "like many self-produced efforts, it shows." He added: "With arrangements that crest and fall to the point where a road map would have helped, the overlong (16-song) album is often unwieldy and could have benefited from judicious trimming."<ref name="entertainmentweekly"/> AllMusic staff writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, saying that "it might seem like nothing more than heavy metal, but a closer listen reveals that Soundgarden haven't tempered their ambitions at all."<ref name="allmusic"/> The reviewer for Melody Maker said that "their roots don't matter now. All I care for now is the immediacy of their pop moments."<ref name="melodymaker">(May 18, 1996). "Review: Down on the Upside". Melody Maker (p. 49).</ref> Critic Robert Christgau gave the album an honorable mention of one star, describing it as "brutal depression simplified" and highlighted by the songs "Ty Cobb" and "Applebite",<ref name="Christgau">Christgau, Robert. "Soundgarden" Template:Webarchive. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved on May 20, 2009.</ref> while Jason Josephes from Pitchfork called it a "double shot of grunge, no foam but plenty of caffeine."<ref name="pitchforkmedia"/> A negative review came from Johnny Cigarettes of NME, who gave the album 3/10 and said: "Throughout this record the mood of dark, demon-wrestling introspection continually rings hollow ... the lack of gut-level resonance [Soundgarden] create reveals all this as mere dark stylistics, the modern equivalent of a scary monster on an Iron Maiden T-shirt."<ref name="NME"/>

The album included the singles "Pretty Noose", "Burden in My Hand", and "Blow Up the Outside World", all of which had accompanying music videos. All three singles placed on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. The album's other commercially released single, "Ty Cobb", did not chart, however its acommpanying B-side, "Rhinosaur", also from the album, did chart. "Burden in My Hand" was the most successful song from Down on the Upside on the rock charts, spending a total of five weeks at number one on the Mainstream Rock charts and reaching number two on the Modern Rock charts.<ref name="wm05.allmusic.com"/> At the 1997 Grammy Awards, "Pretty Noose" received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

TourEdit

The band played the 1996 Lollapalooza tour with Metallica, who had insisted on Soundgarden's appearance on the tour.<ref>Bell, Max. "Soundgarden — Like Falling Off a Hog". Blah Blah Blah. June 1996.</ref> Thayil said the band wasn't interested in doing the tour until it became a "Metallica tour".<ref name="Hard Music 1996"/> During the Lollapalooza tour, the band members reportedly took separate flights and then met at the gigs.<ref name="st.pete">"Soundgarden's End Called the End of Grunge". St. Petersburg Times. April 15, 1997.</ref>

After Lollapalooza, the band embarked on a worldwide tour, supported by Moby.<ref>Waters, Rodney. "Getting Down with Soundgarden". Hit Parader. October 1996.</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Tensions continued to increase and, when asked if the band hated touring, Cornell said: "We really enjoy it to a point and then it gets tedious, because it becomes repetitious. You feel like fans have paid their money and they expect you to come out and play them your songs like the first time you ever played them. That's the point where we hate touring."<ref name="questiontime"/> The band was criticized for its lack of energy while performing.<ref name="soundgardensplit"/> Cornell said that "after a number of years, you start to feel like you're acting. All those people who criticize us for not jumping around should shut the fuck up, and when they come to our shows they should jump around and entertain us for a while."<ref>"Soundgarden". Kerrang!. May 29, 1996.</ref> Thayil had an issue with how the band's audience had changed, stating that "nowadays, you also have the kids and the housewives, the casual fans. With your casual fans, you say, 'Thanks for the money.' And they say, 'Thanks for the song.'"<ref name="st.pete"/> The band's concerts in December 1996 were postponed for a week due to Cornell's throat problems.<ref name="st.pete"/>

At the final stop of the tour, in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 9, 1997, Shepherd threw his bass into the air in frustration after suffering equipment failure, and subsequently stormed off the stage.<ref>"Nirvana and the Story of Grunge", pg. 100.</ref> The band retreated, and Cornell returned alone to conclude the show with a solo encore.<ref>Berger, John. "'Garden' of supersonic delight". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 10, 1997.</ref> On April 9, 1997, the band announced its disbanding. Thayil said, "It was pretty obvious from everybody's general attitude over the course of the previous half year that there was some dissatisfaction."<ref>Gilbert, Jeff. "Sound of Silence". Guitar World. February 1998.</ref> Cameron later said that Soundgarden was "eaten up by the business".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Track listingEdit

Template:Tracklist

OuttakesEdit

Various versions of the "Burden in My Hand" single featured two B-sides from the Down on the Upside recording sessions that were not included on the album: "Karaoke" and "Bleed Together". "Bleed Together" was included on the band's 1997 greatest hits compilation, A-Sides, and was released as a promo CD single in 1997. Thayil said the song was not included on Down on the Upside because the band was not pleased with the mixing that was done on the song and the band already had enough songs for the album.<ref>"Kim Thayil's A-Sides". Metal Hammer. January 1998.</ref>

Another song that was written and recorded for the album is "Kristi",<ref name="gregrule">Rule, Greg. "Matt Cameron of Soundgarden: Balance of Power & Grace". Drum!. September 1996.</ref> which Cameron has said is one of his favorite Soundgarden songs.<ref name="gregrule"/> "Kristi" was finally mixed in 2014 and included on the compilation Echo of Miles: Scattered Tracks Across the Path, along with both "Karaoke" and "Bleed Together".

PersonnelEdit

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Soundgarden
Additional musicians
  • Adam Kasper – piano ("Applebite"), co-production, engineering, mixing
Artwork
  • Ben Marra Studios – "cinema" photography
  • Helix creative inc, Seattle – art direction and design
  • Ben Shepherd – back CD photo
  • Kevin Westenberg – photography

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Production
  • Matt Bayles, Sam Hofstedt – assistant engineering
  • John Burton, Tom Smurdon – additional tracking assistance
  • David Collins – mastering at A&M Mastering Studios, Hollywood, CA
  • Gregg Keplinger – drum technician
  • Darrell Peters – guitar technician
  • Soundgarden – production, mixing

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ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart<ref>https://infodisc.fr/Album_Artiste_Choisi.php</ref> Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart
Chart (1996-2024) Peak
position
Canada Albums (The Record)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)<ref name="Listen">Template:Cite news</ref> 15
Estonia Albums (Eesti Top 10)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

8
Europe (European Top 100 Albums)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 6
Greek Albums (IFPI Greece)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

46
Hungary Albums (MAHASZ)<ref>Soundgarden in Hungarian Charts Template:Webarchive. Hungarian chart Retrieved on June 4, 2008.</ref> 34
Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 3
Italian Albums (FIMI)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 7
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref name="Japan">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

31
Portuguese Albums (AFP)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 23
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 14
Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 45
US Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 14
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 39

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Year-end chartsEdit

Template:Albumchart
Chart (1996) Position
European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)<ref name = "EuropeAlbum">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 93
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

20
Swedish Albums Chart<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

93
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 47

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SinglesEdit

Year Single Peak chart positions
US
Air

<ref name="RadioSongs">Soundgarden - Radio Songs - Chart History Template:Webarchive billboard.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.</ref>
US Main
<ref name="wm05.allmusic.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

US Mod
<ref name="wm05.allmusic.com"/>
AUS
<ref name="www.australian-charts.com">Soundgarden in Australian Charts Template:Webarchive. Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.</ref>
CAN
<ref>Peak positions for Soundgarden's Down on the Upside singles on Canadian Singles Chart:
CAN Alt.
<ref>Peak positions for Soundgarden's Down on the Upside singles on the Canadian Alternative rock Chart:
FIN
<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

NZ
<ref name="charts.org.nz">Soundgarden in New Zealand Charts . Charts.Org.NZ. Retrieved on May 28, 2008.</ref>
SWE
<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

SWI
<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

UK
<ref name="www.everyhit.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

1996 "Pretty Noose" 37 4 2 22 43 1 10 18 42 47 14
"Burden in My Hand" 40 1 2 57 9 1 33
"Blow Up the Outside World" 53 1 8 76 89 2 40
1997 "Ty Cobb"
"Rhinosaur" (airplay) 19
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released in that country.

CertificationsEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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