The song is about a racing car, a Ford Mustang, called "Black Sunshine." Iggy Pop 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!. Also, the lyrics contain the words "to the devil a daughter comes," most likely a reference to the movie To the Devil a Daughter. It is in 6/4 and 4/4 time with a tempo of 135 beats per minute.
Rob Zombie is the spoken intro and 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
True death: 400 horsepower 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 of the song, which was filmed in black and white, features the band playing in the basement of an old dilapidated house. The animated characters Beavis and Butthead provided support for the band by "reviewing" the video during the episode "Home Improvement." 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
