View source for Rusty Cage

{{Short description|1992 single by Soundgarden}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Rusty Cage
| cover      = Rusty Cage album by Soundgarden cover.jpg
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Soundgarden]]
| album      = [[Badmotorfinger]]
| B-side     = "Big Bottom"/"[[Earache My Eye]]" (live)
| released   = March 1992<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Hard-Report/1992/Hard-1992-03-20.pdf | title=Soundgarden/Rusty Cage| work= The Hard Report|page=11| date=March 20, 1992}}</ref>
| recorded   = March–April 1991
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
*[[Grunge]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ostroff |first1=Joshua |title=Nine Inch Nails Is The Best Band Of The 90s (And The 2000s, Too) |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/joshua-ostroff/nine-inch-nails-best-band-90s_b_5600355.html |access-date=24 August 2018 |agency=The Huffington Post |date=2014}}</ref>
*[[alternative metal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treblezine.com/10-essential-alternative-metal-singles/|title=10 Essential Alternative Metal Singles|last1=Terich|first1=Jeff|last2=Blyweiss|first2=Adam|date=October 3, 2012|website=Treblezine|language=en-US|access-date=December 26, 2018}}</ref>
}}
| length     = 4:26
| label      = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer     = [[Chris Cornell]]
| producer   = [[Terry Date]], Soundgarden
| prev_title = [[Outshined]]
| prev_year  = 1991
| next_title = [[Spoonman]]
| next_year  = 1994
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|pBZs_Py-1_0|"Rusty Cage"}}}}
}}
"'''Rusty Cage'''" is a song by the American [[rock music|rock]] band [[Soundgarden]]. Written by frontman [[Chris Cornell]], "Rusty Cage" was released in 1992 as the third single from the band's third studio album, ''[[Badmotorfinger]]'' (1991). The song became an instant hit and was released as a single in several different formats. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, ''[[A-Sides (Soundgarden album)|A-Sides]],'' and the 2010 compilation album ''[[Telephantasm]].''

==Origin and recording==
"Rusty Cage" was written by frontman [[Chris Cornell]]. Guitarist [[Kim Thayil]] on the song:
<blockquote>The tuning on that song was pretty nutty. It's recorded with a wah wah in the low position used as a filter. That was the first time we did anything like that. It was Chris's idea; he wanted to get that weird tone that you can't really dial in on an amp. But if you use the wah wah as a filter, it gets an incredibly weird sound. And if you listen to that riff, especially if you've heard the original demos of it, it almost sounds backward.<ref name="gilbert">Gilbert, Jeff. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/gschool_5-94.shtml "Primecuts: Kim Thayil"]. ''Guitar School''. May 1994.</ref></blockquote>

==Composition==
On "Rusty Cage" the bottom E string is tuned all the way down to B,<ref>Woodard, Josef. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/musician_3-92.shtml "Soundgarden's Kim Thayil & Chris Cornell"]. ''[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]''. March 1992.</ref> with Thayil stating that "the string was all wobbly but it had a good effect".<ref>Leonard, Michael. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/theguitar_12-96.shtml "Unknown Pleasures"]. ''The Guitar Magazine''. December 1996.</ref> The song features a striking tempo change towards the end of the song. The phrasing and meter also change: the first part of the song is in 4/4 but the second, slower, part is in an irregular, recurring metric pattern containing nineteen beats that could be interpreted various ways: either as 4 bars of 3/4 followed by one bar of 2/4, followed by a bar of 3/4 and a bar of 2/4 (3+3+3+3+2+3+2), or as 3+3+3+5+5, or even as one long bar of 19/4 or 19/8. Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident".<ref>Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown". ''[[Guitar Player]]''. June 1994.</ref>

==Release and reception==
"Rusty Cage" was released as a single in 1992 in various versions with a previously unreleased [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] titled "Touch Me". Outside the United States, the single was released commercially in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The song gained considerable airtime on alternative rock radio stations.

In 2017, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' ranked the song number nine on their list of the 15 greatest Soundgarden songs,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/soundgarden-best-songs-chris-cornell-7800864/|title=The 15 Greatest Soundgarden Songs: Critic's Picks|first=Andrew|last=Unterberger|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=May 18, 2017|accessdate=April 12, 2022}}</ref> and in 2021, ''[[Kerrang!|Kerrang]]'' ranked the song number eight on their list of the 20 greatest Soundgarden songs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-soundgarden-songs-ranked|title=The 20 greatest Soundgarden songs – ranked|first=Sam|last=Law|work=[[Kerrang!|Kerrang]]|date=May 10, 2021|accessdate=April 12, 2022}}</ref>

"Rusty Cage" was part of the soundtrack of the 1994 bike racing game, ''[[Road Rash (1994 video game)|Road Rash]]'',<ref>{{cite web | title=Road Rash: Review by Matt Brown| url=http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/creviews/rrash1.html | author=Brown, Matt | publisher=[[ibiblio]] | access-date=December 26, 2007}}</ref> which received [[The 3DO Company|3DO]]'s 1994 "Soundtrack of the Year" award. The song appeared on the fictional radio station "[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack#Radio X|Radio X]]" in the 2004 video game ''[[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]]''.<ref>[http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Soundtrack"]. [[Rockstar Games]].</ref> However, these versions are all 1 minute and 43 seconds shorter than the album version. The majority of these versions end as the breakdown at the end of the song comes in. It is also featured in the 2008 racing game, ''[[Burnout Paradise]]'',<ref>[http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/ "EA Announces The Adrenaline Infusing Soundtrack For Burnout Paradise"]. [[Electronic Arts]]. December 18, 2007.</ref> where the full version is intact. The song is a part of Soundgarden's compilation album ''[[Telephantasm]]'' DLC Pack for ''[[Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock]]''. The song was added to the ''[[Rock Band 3]]'' downloadable content catalog on July 19, 2011. The Johnny Cash version also appears in the Mob of the Dead zombies map in ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops II]]'''s Uprising downloadable content. Like previous songs in the Call of Duty series' DLC, it is triggered by activating objects in the environment.<ref>{{cite web | title=Achievement Hunter : Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Mob of the Dead Hidden Song | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXRGSgqhW9c | author=RoosterTeeth | website=[[YouTube]] | date=April 17, 2013 | access-date=April 19, 2013}}</ref> It also appeared on the official trailer for [[Prey 2]], which was later cancelled. Toyota also used the song for the 2014 Corolla advertisement.

==Music video==
The music video for "Rusty Cage" was directed by Eric Zimmerman, who had previously directed the "[[Jesus Christ Pose]]" music video for the band.<ref name="mvdbase">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mvdbase.com/artist.php?last=Soundgarden&first=&sortord=1=|title=Soundgarden music videos|access-date=February 22, 2008|publisher=Music Video Database}}</ref> The video features Soundgarden performing the song in a white room amid scenes of the band members being chased through a forest by dogs, farmers, and a man in a truck. The video was released in March 1992.<ref name="mvdbase"/> It gained considerable airtime on [[MTV]].

==Live performances==
A performance of "Rusty Cage" can be found on the ''[[Motorvision]]'' home video release.

==Track listing==
All songs written by [[Chris Cornell]], except where noted:
;Promotional CD (US) and Promotional 12" Vinyl (UK)
#"Rusty Cage" (edit)&nbsp;– 3:52
#"Rusty Cage"&nbsp;– 4:26

;Promotional CD (US)
#"Rusty Cage" (edit)&nbsp;– 3:52
#"Rusty Cage"&nbsp;– 4:26
#"[[Girl U Want]]" ([[Gerald Casale]], [[Mark Mothersbaugh]])&nbsp;– 3:29
#"Show Me" (Shepherd)&nbsp;– 2:47

;CD (Australia, Germany, and UK)
#"Rusty Cage" (edit)&nbsp;– 3:52
#"Rusty Cage"&nbsp;– 4:26
#"Touch Me" ([[Fancy (band)|Fancy]])&nbsp;– 2:51
#"[[Stray Cat Blues]]" ([[Jagger/Richards|Mick Jagger, Keith Richards]])&nbsp;– 4:46

;12" Vinyl (UK)
#"Rusty Cage" (edit)&nbsp;– 3:52
#"Touch Me" (Fancy)&nbsp;– 2:51
#"Show Me" (Shepherd)&nbsp;– 2:47

;7" Vinyl (UK)
#"Rusty Cage"&nbsp;– 4:26
#"Touch Me" (Fancy)&nbsp;– 2:51
#*Lead vocals by Stephanie (Barber) Fairweather

*The vinyl is a limited edition of 5000. Also released as an etched green CD in a Digipak (5000 copies), a picture 7" (5000 copies) and a cassette single.

;CD (The Netherlands)
#"Rusty Cage" (edit)&nbsp;– 3:52
#"Big Bottom"/"[[Earache My Eye]]" (live) ([[Spinal Tap (band)|Spinal Tap]])/([[Tommy Chong]], Gaye DeLorme, [[Cheech Marin|Richard Marin]])&nbsp;– 10:46
#*Recorded live on December 10, 1989 at the [[Whisky a Go Go]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].

==Personnel==
* [[Chris Cornell]] – vocals, rhythm guitar
* [[Kim Thayil]] – lead guitar
* [[Ben Shepherd]] – bass
* [[Matt Cameron]] – drums

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for "Rusty Cage"
! Chart (1992)
! Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite Ryan|page=261}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|80
|-
!scope="row"|Australia Alternative ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 8, 1992 |url=https://postimg.cc/ZWZ6Z11C |title=Top 20 Alternative Charts |magazine=[[ARIA Report]] |issue=145 |page=11 |access-date=May 5, 2024}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|4 
|-
{{singlechart|UKsinglesbyname|41|artist=Soundgarden|rowheader=true|accessdate=November 6, 2016}}
|}

==Johnny Cash version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Rusty Cage
| cover      = Johnny_Cash_Rusty_Cage_Single_Cover.png
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Johnny Cash]]
| album      = [[Unchained (Johnny Cash album)|Unchained]]
| released   = 1996
| recorded   = 1995
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
* [[Gothic country]]<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/johnny-cashs-11-coolest-cover-songs-20140912/rusty-cage-soundgarden-20140912 "Johnny Cash's 11 Coolest Cover Songs"] Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 19, 2015</ref>
*[[country rock]]
*[[blues rock]]
*[[hard rock]]}}
| length     = 2:56
| label      = [[American Recordings (record label)|American Recordings]]
| writer     = [[Chris Cornell]]
| producer   = [[Rick Rubin]]
| prev_title = Drive On
| prev_year  = 1994
| next_title = [[The Man Comes Around]]
| next_year  = 2002
}}

"Rusty Cage" was covered by American country singer [[Johnny Cash]] on his 1996 album, ''[[Unchained (Johnny Cash album)|Unchained]]'', which won a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Country Album|Best Country Album]], and Cash's version earned him a Grammy nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Male Country Vocal Performance]]. During at least three live performances by Soundgarden (July 21, 1996, in [[Knoxville]], [[Tennessee]], at Forks In The River, early November 1996 at the [[Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)|Aragon Ballroom]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], and at Soundgarden's last pre-breakup show at the Blaisdell Arena, [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]], on February 9, 1997<ref>Gary C.W. Chun. [http://web.stargate.net/soundgarden/articles/honolulu_2-10-97.shtml "Tantrum mars Soundgarden show"] [[The Honolulu Advertiser]]. February 10, 1997.</ref>), Cornell introduced the song with a [[Dedication (art)|dedication]] to Cash. On Cornell's ''[[Higher Truth]]'' acoustic tour in late 2015, he started including "Rusty Cage" in the set-list, employing Cash's country-rock arrangement of the song.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|5rVNdGnVMb4|"Rusty Cage" (Official audio)}}
*{{YouTube|pBZs_Py-1_0|"Rusty Cage" (Official music video)}}

{{Soundgarden}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1991 songs]]
[[Category:1992 singles]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:American Recordings (record label) singles]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Chris Cornell]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Matt Cameron]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Terry Date]]
[[Category:Songs written by Chris Cornell]]
[[Category:Soundgarden songs]]