"Room a Thousand Years Wide" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Soundgarden Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil (both of whom are the only members to appear in every incarnation of the band), and bassist Hiro Yamamo ...

. Featuring lyrics written by guitarist

Kim Thayil Kim Anand Thayil (born September 4, 1960) is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he co-founded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984. Cornell and Thayil rem ...

and music written by drummer

Matt Cameron Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of ...

, the song was released as a single in 1990 through

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

. A re-recorded version later appeared on the band's third studio album, ''

Badmotorfinger ''Badmotorfinger'' is the third studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991, through A&M Records. Soundgarden began the recording sessions for the album with new bassist Ben Shepherd in the spring of 1991. The alb ...

'' (1991).

Origin and recording

"Room a Thousand Years Wide" is one of the few Soundgarden songs written without any input from frontman

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American singer and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and primary lyricist and songwriter for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. H ...

. The song features lyrics written by guitarist

and music written by drummer

. It was also the first Soundgarden song to be recorded and released with bassist

Ben Shepherd Hunter Benedict Shepherd (born September 20, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Soundgarden from 1990 to 2019. Shepherd has won two Grammy Awards as a member of Soundgarden. Early life Shepherd was bor ...

. Both the original and re-recorded version of the song that is featured on ''

'' include the addition of a

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

featuring Scott Granlund (saxophone) and Ernst Long (trumpet). The song is in 6/4 time.

Lyrics

Thayil on "Room a Thousand Years Wide":

I really liked the music to the song and it needed words, and since no one else pursued it, I decided to. It's not really about things that have actually happened to me. It's more about experience in general. I've heard a lot of good ideas from people telling me what it's about. They said it's about God, Satan, Jesus, Satan, both, it's religious, it isn't religious ... The truth is, it's just me.Nicholson, Kris
"Angry Young Men"
''The Music Paper''. February 1992.

Release

"Room a Thousand Years Wide" was released as a single in 1990 with a previously unreleased

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

titled "H.I.V. Baby". It was released as a 7" through

's ''Single of the Month'' club a full year before the release of ''Badmotorfinger''. The original version recorded for Sub Pop appears on the Deluxe Edition of the band's 2010 album ''

Telephantasm ''Telephantasm'' is a compilation album by the American rock band Soundgarden. Featuring songs that span 23 years of the band's career, it was released on September 28, 2010, through A&M Records. The album was certified platinum by RIAA after its ...

''.

Live performances

A performance of the song can be found on the ''

Motorvision ''Motorvision'' is a home video by the American grunge band Soundgarden. It was released on November 17, 1992. Overview It features eight songs performed live at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington on March 5 and 6, 1992, during the ...

'' home video release.

Track listing

#"Room a Thousand Years Wide" (

) – 4:15 #"H.I.V. Baby" (

) – 4:58

References

{{Authority control 1990 singles Soundgarden songs Song recordings produced by Chris Cornell Song recordings produced by Matt Cameron Song recordings produced by Terry Date Songs written by Matt Cameron 1990 songs Songs written by Kim Thayil Sub Pop singles A&M Records singles