Text originally published on the Mad Sound website.
This Friday, the 20th, the vocalist would have turned 54 if he were alive; he passed away a year ago, a victim of suicide
For an entire decade, a musical style represented the anguish, hatred, and pain felt by those born between the late 1980s and early 1990s. Dressed in flannel shirts, with hair that frightened their parents and covered in tattoos that would become regrets, the creation of a new genre became inevitable.
Grunge was born in Seattle, in the United States, but its development brought bands from Los Angeles and San Diego, among other American cities. With a barrage of exceptionally strong, hoarse, and painful vocals, one stood out. Chris Cornell , vocalist of iconic bands – Soundgarden , Audioslave , and Temple of the Dog – became, alongside Layne Staley , Kurt Cobain , and Scott Weiland , a legend. Unfortunately, he accompanied them to a tragic end.
On May 18, 2017, Chris Cornell was found dead in a Detroit hotel room, shortly after a Soundgarden concert , with a rope around his neck. Suicide caused by depression, the scourge of the century. That day, the world awoke dark, sad, and heavy. We lost a voice that tore its way to the deepest layer of the soul. We lost an artist who made words and melodies a refuge, a safe haven, a source of strength. And not only for himself. Thousands of fans lean on his songs to overcome life's barriers, to overcome difficulties that appear along the way, to alleviate suffering and pain felt in the quietest, loneliest night, and, most importantly, to feel that they belong to something greater than themselves.
Cornell was an engaged, concerned, and sentimental artist. He supported social causes and fought for a more just, joyful, and lighthearted world. He participated in debates, campaigns, and projects aimed at equality, peace, and freedom. An example of this was a work the musician released just a few months before his death. "Promise" was written for the film of the same name, which portrays the Armenian genocide. With the song, Cornell was the first to receive the Promise Award, a celebration by the Los Angeles Human Rights Committee.
Among the many other standout songs in Cornell's repertoire are the hits "Like a Stone," "Be Yourself," "Black Hole Sun," and "Outshined," each resonating with fans in a unique way. These songs feature compositions, melodies, and interpretations that couldn't be recreated by other artists. Of course, there are countless covers out there – many of high quality – such as "Spoonman" by DJ Steve Aoki , "Hunger Strike" by Zac Brown Band , "Feel on Black Days" by Halestorm , and "Rusty Cage" by Johnny Cash , but none possess the essence that Cornell naturally exuded. His interpretation of his own compositions, his suffering, and the anguish he felt were reflected in the very first note he played.
Cornell was the youngest son of two alcoholic parents, and his obsession and love for music began early when he discovered a box of abandoned Beatles in his neighbor's basement. From there, he worked in restaurant kitchens and, in his free time, played drums and tried his hand at singing on a song or two. In 1984 he formed Soundgarden, but success only came in the 90s when they released the masterpieces Badmotorfinger and Superunknown .
The vocalist didn't give up on the music world when Soundgarden ended in 1997. He soon formed Audioslave with members of Rage Against The Machine , while also pursuing solo projects. We could spend all day talking about the last two decades of Cornell's career, but they deserve more than the brief summary you'd find here.
What you need to know about Cornell is simple: with his own unique complexity and depth, the vocalist marked the grunge era, a genre that has lost its icons, and his works will be heard, studied, and remembered by future generations.
“It’s not something you get over,” he said a few years ago when asked about the loss of grunge legends, “I don’t believe there’s a healing process. How can you stop and think, ‘Well, it’s God’s will.’ I’ve always thought that phrase, which I’ve heard countless times, is nonsense. It’s a tragedy,” he confessed. “I carry all of this with me all the time. The only thing I can do, if there is anything, is, in honor and respect for my friends who are no longer here, to do my best to have a good life and enjoy the fact that I’m still here. I must seize the opportunities they should have had.”
