The Meaning Behind “Jesus Christ Pose” by Soundgarden

Heavy metal bands are no strangers to controversy. And any time religious imagery gets used outside of its original context, especially in pop culture, you’re bound to see some feathers ruffled.

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“Jesus Christ Pose” appears on Soundgarden’s third studio album, Badmotorfinger. While some were offended by its title, most were reaching for the stereo dial and turning it to the right. Soundgarden felt like the second coming (pun intended) of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, and “Jesus Christ Pose” helped ignite a rock music revolution.

About “Jesus Christ Pose”

Chris Cornell grew tired of seeing rock stars and models exploiting the crucifixion in music videos and magazines. So he wrote the lyrics as a rebuke to the messianic complex common in pop culture figures.

And you stare at me,
In your Jesus Christ pose.
Arms held out,
Like you’ve been carrying a load.

Released as a single in 1991, “Jesus Christ Pose” stirred controversy because of its imagery. It follows a long tradition of rock musicians causing outrage among religious groups. The most infamous being John Lennon’s 1966 quote that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus now.”

But the uproar was misguided, as Cornell critiques how the iconography gets used to present famous people as martyrs.  

Arms held out,
In your Jesus Christ pose.
Thorns and shroud,
Like it’s the coming of the Lord.

Rock Stars and Idols

Social media has removed the wall between fans and famous musicians. But from Hank Williams to Elvis Presley and The Beatles, fans have long idolized rock stars. Before the Internet, you could cultivate an image and use mystery as a marketing tool. Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna all appeared larger-than-life, especially with the rise of MTV.

From the audience’s perspective, people physically look up at the stage. And the term “rock star” suggests something otherworldly. Think of singing competition shows American Idol and The Voice. Who’s going to be the next American “idol”? Who’s going to be the voice this season?

Grunge and Anti-Rock Stars

The Seattle bands were visibly uncomfortable with fame. Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Cornell wrote dark songs and were tormented by indie guilt when it came to being a rock star.

But the sentiment was full of contradictions as they still appeared on magazine covers and at MTV award shows. And few singers had more rock-god DNA than Cornell.  When Soundgarden arrived, he was the most rock-god looking dude since Robert Plant.

Meanwhile, the dissonance of “Jesus Christ Pose” began a kind of rock and roll insurgency. Kim Thayil’s ominous riff feels like a warning to the bloated rock stars of the previous decade. Something was changing in the 90s. Badmotorfinger had disorienting tunes, as if built to dislodge the existing order.

Soundgarden and fellow grunge bands disrupted rock music. They soon dominated pop culture and, in many ways, became the very thing they raged against.

Photo by Lester Cohen