In 1984 he formed the band Soundgarden with bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Throughout the late 1980s and 90s, Soundgarden experienced major success as one of the major grunge bands (along with groups such as Alice in Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam).
In 1990, Chris Cornell worked together with the (then) Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, and Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament and Mike McCready (who would later form Pearl Jam) in a project named Temple of the Dog. They wrote a 10 song album as a tribute to Andrew Wood, the singer of Mother Love Bone who had died the year before of a heroin overdose.
In 1997 Soundgarden split at the zenith of their popularity due to tensions in the group and Chris began a solo career. He released the sucessful album Euphoria Morning. Out of this album came the single Can't Change Me.
When Zack De La Rocha left Rage Against The Machine in 2001, Chris Cornell joined the instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine to form the band Audioslave.
In 2006 Chris recorded a theme song for the James Bond 007 movie, "Casino Royale", titled You Know My Name, which is used as the opening song.
In the fall of 2006, Cornell started recording his second solo album Carry On, with producer Steve Lillywhite. Among some fellow artists who are expected to accompany him on his second solo release is friend and legendary musician Gary Lucas, who has contributed acoustic guitar to some of the tracks. Cornell has stated that he is always writing, and that there are some songs that he was not able to put into an Audioslave album. Carry On was released in the summer of 2007.
On February 15, 2007, Chris Cornell issued a statement that he was leaving Audioslave, shortly after Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk reunited with their former vocalist Zack de la Rocha to reform Rage Against the Machine.
Chris Cornell released his third solo album, Scream, with American rapper and record producer Timbaland on February 3rd, 2009. This album was a critical failure, and sold poorly. It is rumored that he is going to try and "De-Timbalandize" the tracks.
On January 1st, 2010, Chris Cornell announced the reunion of Soundgarden after a 12 year hiatus.
Chris Cornell was extremely revered among the music listeners for his powerful multi-octave singing and gritty, soulful vocal style. He was a baritone with an ability to sing extremely high in the tenor range, as well as in the lower register of a baritone voice. He showcased this in various songs, most notably the studio and the demo versions of "Beyond the Wheel", where he can be heard spanning three octaves. He has also experimented with various different vocal styles, ranging from light falsetto to brutal screams and chants.
On May 17, 2017, Cornell died in Detroit after performing at a show with Soundgarden. He committed suicide by hanging himself in his hotel room. Footage of his final concert was posted to YouTube.
Climbing Up The Walls
Chris Cornell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my eyes are closed.
I'm rememberin' how it used to go.
All the medicated
Nearly comatose.
A bullet out of your head
Is it on that road?
When you kill more than time.
You're sinking so low thinking you will be high.
Biting your lip while you're losing your mind.
Alone. God knows
You're climbing up the walls.
You're just climbing up the walls.
You're climbing up the walls.
Now you're reaching that age
Where you should know.
How to figure it out
Out on your own.
On the far side of town
Is a room you love.
Started tearin' it down.
To get you to follow
So much in your mind
When you kill more than time.
You're sinking so low thinking you will be high.
Biting your lip while you're losing your mind.
Alone. God knows
You're climbing up the walls.
You're just climbing up the walls.
You're climbing up the walls.
The world won't rise and ease your crying.
If you do nothing
If you do nothing
The world won't try to change your mind.
If you don't change at all.
You're climbing up the walls.
You're just climbing up the walls.
You're climbing up the walls.
Drunk. He's fast asleep.
He's so tired. Makes me weep.
He stays up all night workin' on his songs.
But then I guess we all do the same thing.
He's sleepy
The lyrics to "Climbing Up The Walls" by Chris Cornell speak to the struggles of someone who has become addicted to drugs or other vices. The singer sees the face of the person they love whenever they close their eyes, and they remember how things used to be before addiction took hold. The person they love has become medicated and nearly comatose in order to escape the realities of their situation. The singer wonders if this person will end up taking their own life.
The second verse speaks to the desperation that the addicted person feels. They are sinking so low that they think they will only find relief by indulging in their addiction. They bite their lip in frustration and isolation, feeling completely alone. The repeated refrain of "you're climbing up the walls" emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and unable to break free from the cycle of addiction.
The final verse speaks to the idea that change must come from within. The singer tells the addicted person that the world won't try to ease their pain or change their mind if they don't take action themselves. The final repetition of "you're climbing up the walls" emphasizes that change may be difficult, but it's necessary in order to break free from addiction.
Line by Line Meaning
I keep seein' your face
Even though you're gone, I still remember you so vividly
When my eyes are closed.
I don't need to see you to feel your presence
I'm rememberin' how it used to go.
I'm recalling how things were before everything went wrong
All the medicated
You relied on drugs to numb the pain
Nearly comatose.
You were almost in a vegetative state
A bullet out of your head
You considered ending your life
Is it on that road?
Did you choose that path?
So much in your mind
You have so many thoughts that you can't sort through them all
When you kill more than time.
You spend time doing things that aren't beneficial for you
You're sinking so low thinking you will be high.
You think doing more of what's hurting you will somehow help you
Biting your lip while you're losing your mind.
You're struggling internally but trying to hide it
Alone. God knows
You feel isolated and think no one can understand
You're climbing up the walls.
You're feeling trapped and don't know how to escape
Now you're reaching that age
You're at a point in your life where you should have things figured out
Where you should know.
You should have a better understanding of life by now
How to figure it out
You need to start making sense of your life
Out on your own.
You need to learn how to navigate through life without help
On the far side of town
There's a place that brings back good memories for you
Is a room you love.
That room holds a special place in your heart
Started tearin' it down.
You're starting to lose touch with the things you once loved
To get you to follow
You're losing yourself and need to find your way back
The world won't rise and ease your crying.
Things won't get better until you take action
If you do nothing
You can't expect anything to change if you continue to do nothing
The world won't try to change your mind.
If you're not open to change, you'll stay stuck where you are
If you don't change at all.
You need to make changes in your life to see progress and growth
Drunk. He's fast asleep.
This is a description of someone who's numb to the world
He's so tired. Makes me weep.
It's heartbreaking to see someone so lost and depleted
He stays up all night workin' on his songs.
Despite his pain, he's still holding onto his craft
But then I guess we all do the same thing.
We all have our own ways of coping and healing
He's sleepy
He's exhausted and needs rest
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIMOTHY MOSLEY, JEROME HARMON, CHRIS CORNELL, JAMES WASHINGTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind