Chris Cornell’s music career began at a Catholic elementary school in Seattle, where he sang the 1960s antiwar tune “One Tin Soldier.” In an early hallmark of his grunge career, Cornell’s mother later removed him and his sister from Catholic school, fearing their inquisitive natures would land them in hot water. Continuing on that trajectory, Chris Cornell formed Soundgarden in 1984 with lead guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. More than 40 years later, the Seattle grunge luminaries will join the Rock and Roll of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 8. In honor of the milestone, here is a throwback performance that highlights the late Soundgarden vocalist’s enormous talent.
Videos by American Songwriter
Watch Chris Cornell Strip Back Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” on ‘The Howard Stern Show’
A misheard line from a news anchor inspired Chris Cornell to pen Soundgarden’s signature song. “I heard ‘blah blah blah black hole sun blah blah blah.’ I thought that would make an amazing song title, but what would it sound like?” Cornell reportedly told Uncut magazine in 1994.
Spending most of his time on arranging the melodies and instrumentals, Cornell wrote the lyrics last, in about 15 minutes. “I wrote the song thinking the band wouldn’t like it—then it became the biggest hit of the summer,” he remarked.
“Black Hole Sun” is unusual in that most radio hits sprout from a recognizable lyric idea. “[That] song pretty much had none,” explained Cornell. “The chorus lyric is kind of beautiful and easy to remember. Other than that, I sure didn’t have an understanding of it after I wrote it. I was just sucked in by the music and I was painting a picture with the lyrics. There was no real idea to get across.”
Perhaps because of its reliance on melody rather than messaging, “Black Hole Sun” could take on whole new meanings from performance to performance. Perhaps the best example of this is Cornell’s 2007 acoustic performance on The Howard Stern Show, which you can watch below.
“No one sings like you anymore, Chris,” lamented one Instagram user.
[RELATED: 3 Songs Featuring Chris Cornell’s Best Lyrics]
What Would Cornell Think of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction?
Tragically, Soundgarden founding vocalist Chris Cornell died in 2017 at just 52 years old, following a years-long battle with depression. This means he won’t see the band gain entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during tomorrow’s ceremony at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. However, guitarist Kim Thayil is confident in saying that Cornell “would definitely be stoked” about the honor.
” I think he’d be very appreciative and thankful to all the people who have believed in him and believed in the work he did and the work that we all did, collectively,” Thayil told Billboard earlier this year.
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