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.
She'll Never Be Your Man
Chris Cornell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Morning blinds me had that dream of you again
Fog is lifting I realize that you're not here
How you left me, life disappeared
Life is rejection, I know you've had your share
But this one's special, I can't compete with her
And did she tell you only she could know your mind
[Chorus]
She can be your lover
She can be your friend
She can be your vision of a mother, like the one you never had
She will know your troubles better than I can
But she'll never be your man
She'll never be your man
She'll never be your man
She's got you thinking of a world where you might fit in
A whole lot better than the one you've been living in
And did she tell you only she could understand
And did she sell you only time will tell
[Chorus]
She can be your lover
She can be your friend
She can be your vision of a mother, like the one you never had
She will know your troubles better than I can
Yeah, but one thing's for sure
She'll never be your man
She can be your lover
She can be your friend
She can be your vision of a mother, like the one you never had
She will know your troubles better than I can
Yeah, but one thing's for sure
She'll never be your man
She'll never be your man (Never be your man)
She'll never be your man (Never be your man)
Never be
She'll never be your man
The song "She'll Never Be Your Man" by Chris Cornell is a melancholic tune about a failed relationship. The first verse begins with the lyrics, "The AM finds me home alone, awake and dead. Morning blinds me had that dream of you again. Fog is lifting, I realize that you're not here. How you left me, life disappeared." From these lyrics, it is clear that the singer is feeling lost and alone after their partner has left them. The dream they had of their lover woke them up, but the reality of their absence hit hard. The line "How you left me, life disappeared" suggests that the break-up has caused the singer to feel like they have lost their purpose and direction in life.
The second verse talks about how the singer's ex has moved on and found someone else. The lyrics, "Life is rejection, I know you've had your share. But this one's special, I can't compete with her. And did she tell you only she could know your mind. And did she sell you what I said one time," suggest that the new woman in the ex's life is making the singer feel inadequate. The chorus reinforces this sense of inadequacy by implying that the new woman can be everything the ex needs, except for the fact that she can never be a man.
Overall, the song is a poignant exploration of the pain of heartbreak and the sense of loss that can come with it. The lyrics are a reminder that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can't be what someone else needs.
Line by Line Meaning
The AM finds me home alone, awake and dead
I wake up in the morning, feeling lonely and lifeless with no one around.
Morning blinds me had that dream of you again
I had a dream about you and it's the first thing that comes to my mind in the morning.
Fog is lifting I realize that you're not here
As I start to come to my senses, I realize that you are not with me.
How you left me, life disappeared
Since you left, my life has lost its meaning and purpose.
Life is rejection, I know you've had your share
I am aware that life is full of rejections and that you have faced your fair share of them.
But this one's special, I can't compete with her
This rejection hurts more than the others because I know I can never compete with her.
And did she tell you only she could know your mind
Did she say that she is the only one who can understand your thoughts and feelings?
And did she sell you what I said one time
Did she convince you that what I said once was not true or relevant anymore?
She can be your lover
She can take the role of your lover.
She can be your friend
She can be your friend.
She can be your vision of a mother, like the one you never had
She can be the mother figure you always wanted but never had.
She will know your troubles better than I can
She might have a better understanding of your problems than I do.
But she'll never be your man
Despite all that she can be to you, she will never be able to replace the role of a man in your life.
She's got you thinking of a world where you might fit in
She makes you believe that you can belong in a world you never thought you could fit into.
A whole lot better than the one you've been living in
This new world seems much better than the one you have been living in all along.
And did she tell you only she could understand
Did she convince you that you are only understood by her?
And did she sell you only time will tell
Did she assure you that time will tell and prove her understanding and love for you?
Yeah, but one thing's for sure
However, there is one thing that's certain.
Never be
She will never be able to replace the role of a man in your life.
She'll never be your man (Never be your man)
No matter how much she tries, she will never be able to fill the gap of a man in your life.
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CHRIS CORNELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind