"Black Sunshine" is a song initially featured on the album '' La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One'' by White Zombie which was used as a

promo single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

in 1992 and 1993. The song can also be found on Rob Zombie's '' Past, Present & Future'' and the

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

The Best of Rob Zombie ''The Best of Rob Zombie'' is a greatest hits album by Rob Zombie, released in 2006 through Geffen Records. It was certified Gold by the RIAA. Track listing See also *Rob Zombie discography The discography of American vocalist, film direc ...

''. A spoken word section was recorded by

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

for the intro and was used in the song's final cut.

Music and lyrics

The song is about a racing car, a

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

, called "Black Sunshine."

recorded the spoken word vocal intro and outro of the song "Black Sunshine" as well as playing the character of a writer in the video shot for the song. He is singled out for special thanks in the liner notes of album. The audio sample "I work on this baby the same way, trying to get maximum performance," is taken from the 1965 movie ''

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! ''Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'' is a 1965 American exploitation film directed by Russ Meyer and co-written by Meyer and Jack Moran. It follows three go-go dancers who embark on a spree of kidnapping and murder in the California desert. The fil ...

''. Also, the lyrics contain the words "to the devil a daughter comes," most likely a reference to the movie ''

To the Devil a Daughter ''To the Devil...a Daughter'' is a 1976 British-West German horror film directed by Peter Sykes, produced by Hammer Film Productions and Terra Filmkunst, and starring Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Nastassja Kinski and Den ...

''. It is in 6/4 and 4/4 time with a tempo of 135 beats per minute. Iggy Pop's spoken intro is as follows: :"''Gripping the wheel his knuckles went white with desire'' :''The wheels of his Mustang exploding on the highway like a slug from a

.45 This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to caliber range. *''Length'' refers to the cartridge case Case or CASE may refer to: Containers * Case (goods), a package of related merchandise * Cartridge case or casing, a ...

'' :''True death: 400

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

of maximum performance piercing the night'' :''This is Black Sunshine...''"

Reception

The song was released as a single after Thunder Kiss '65 initially failed to receive attention on U.S. radio. It became a minor success, charting at #39 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks. However, the song has gone on to be a fan favorite and has appeared on Rob Zombie's solo greatest hits albums, but is rarely played during his solo act.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of the song, which was filmed in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

, features the band playing in the basement of an old dilapidated house. The animated characters

Beavis and Butthead ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, an ...

provided support for the band by "reviewing" the video during the episode "

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

." Iggy Pop also plays the character of a writer in the video.

Track listings

First single (1992)

# "Black Sunshine" (LP version) – 4:48 # "Thunder Kiss '65" (Swingers Lovers mix) – 4:46 # "Thunder Kiss '65" (Swinging Lovers extended mix) – 6:10

Second single (1992)

# "Black Sunshine" (LP version) – 4:48 # "Black Sunshine" (Indestructible 'Sock It to Me' Psycho-Head mix) – 4:58

Third single (1993)

# "Black Sunshine" (edit) – 3:55 # "Black Sunshine" (LP version) – 4:48

In popular culture

*It is covered by band Lesser Known for the White Zombie

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

Super-Charger Hell ''Super-Charger Hell'' is a tribute album dedicated to American heavy metal band White Zombie. The album name is a reference to the song "Super-Charger Heaven "Super-Charger Heaven" (sometimes referred to as "Devil Man" due to its chorus) is ...

'' in 2000. *Cover version by "WaveGroup" in '' Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock''. *Since 17 February 2009, master recording is downloadable content for ''Rock Band'' series music video game series, but audio samples are omitted. *"Black Sunshine Indestructible "Sock It to Me" Psycho-Head Mix" is featured in the 2000 film ''Wings of the Crow''. *Music video appears on the Beavis and Butt-head episode "Home Improvement" *The song is available as a downloadable song for the video game ''Rocksmith'', teaching players how to perform the song on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Charts

References

External links

{{Authority control White Zombie (band) songs 1992 singles 1992 songs Black-and-white music videos Songs written by Rob Zombie Songs about cars Geffen Records singles