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.
Enemy
Chris Cornell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something to remind me I'm not dead or caught in between
I listen to the voice and what it says its never sweet
Something I was born into I guess livin' in me
No prize nothing I pay will make it all rised
Nothin' I see will make it lose sight
Nothin' I take will make me sleep at night ,sleep at night
I will never sake this feeling till I feel nothing nothing nothin
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
Everytime I take another breath I feel
Everyone around is seem so numb I feel everything
No prize nothing I pay will make it all rised
Nothin' I see will make it lose sight
Nothin' I take will make me sleep at night ,sleep at night
When I look at them and I feel I guess I got to be runnin' runnin' runnin'
I will never sake this feeling till I feel nothing nothing nothin
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
Taking my time to untangle the wires and staring to my sanity
Plopping the hammer and pulling the trigger I know now the bullet is me
I'm the enemy inside of me,
I'm the enemy, enemy, enemy inside of me enemy, enemy, enemy
I'm the enemy, enemy, enemy inside of me enemy, enemy, enemy
The lyrics of Chris Cornell's "Enemy" seem to speak to a struggle within oneself. Every time the blood rushes to the head, the singer hears a ringing that reminds him that he's not dead. He listens to the voice in his head, one that is not sweet, which he assumes is something he was born with. The feeling of being pulled in two different directions creates a sense of running, but he can never shake the feeling until he feels nothing. This internal conflict is referred to as "the enemy inside me."
The second verse appears to be a continuation of this same theme. Every time the singer takes another breath, he feels everything while everyone else around him seems numb. He cannot find a prize, pay his way out of it, or find anything to see that will ease his mind. He takes nothing that will allow him to sleep at night. All of these feelings feed the sense of being an enemy within himself.
The last verse seems to be the culmination of the internal battle. The singer is trying to untangle the wires, but he's wrestling with his sanity. He feels like he's the bullet, but at the same time, he's the one pulling the trigger. The final chorus brings the idea of being the enemy back around once again, driving home the idea that the enemy is not an external force, but instead an internal one.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time the blood runs to my head I hear the ring
When I'm overwhelmed, I feel a ringing in my head
Something to remind me I'm not dead or caught in between
The ring reminds me that I'm still alive and conscious
I listen to the voice and what it says its never sweet
The voice inside me is always negative and critical
Something I was born into I guess livin' in me
I've always had this inner voice, it's a part of me
No prize nothing I pay will make it all rise
I can't buy my way out of feeling this way
Nothin' I see will make it lose sight
I can't distract myself from these feelings by changing my surroundings
Nothin' I take will make me sleep at night ,sleep at night
Even if I try to drink or take drugs to numb myself, I'll never find peace
When I look at them and I feel I guess I got to be running running running runnin
Seeing other people living their lives makes me feel like I need to run away
I will never shake this feeling till I feel nothing nothing nothin
I'll keep feeling this way until I'm completely numb
Everytime I take another breath I feel
Every breath reminds me of my inner turmoil
Everyone around is seem so numb I feel everything
Other people seem emotionless to me, while I feel everything deeply
Taking my time to untangle the wires and staring to my sanity
I'm trying to make sense of my chaotic thoughts and maintain my mental health
Plopping the hammer and pulling the trigger I know now the bullet is me
If I try to blame someone else for my problems, I know deep down that I'm really to blame
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
I recognize that my biggest obstacle is my own negative thoughts and emotions
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
I'm fighting against myself, and I know I need to change this pattern
I'm the enemy enemy enemy inside of me enemy enemy enemy
This internal struggle is something that I can't escape from, but I need to confront it to move forward
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIMOTHY MOSLEY, JEROME HARMON, KING LOGAN, CHRIS CORNELL, RYAN TEDDER, BALE'WA MUHAMMAD, EZEKIEL LEWIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind