The band released its only album, the self-titled Temple of the Dog, in April 1991 through A&M Records. The recording sessions took place in November and December 1990 at London Bridge Studios, in Seattle, Washington with producer Rakesh "Rick" Parashar. Although earning praise from music critics at the time of its release, the album was not widely recognized until 1992, when Vedder, Ament, Gossard, and McCready had their breakthrough with Pearl Jam. Cameron would later join Pearl Jam, serving as drummer since 1998.
The band toured in 2016 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album.
Temple of the Dog was started by Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, who had been a roommate of Andrew Wood, the lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. Wood died on March 19, 1990, of a heroin overdose, the day Cornell got back from a tour. As he went on to tour Europe a few days later, he started writing songs in tribute to his late friend. The result was two songs, "Reach Down" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven", which he recorded as soon as he returned home from touring.
The recorded material was slow and melodic, musically different from the aggressive rock music of Soundgarden. Cornell approached Wood's former bandmates, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament—who were still figuring out how to continue without Mother Love Bone—with the intention of releasing the songs as a single. Ament described the collaboration as "a really good thing at the time" for Gossard and him that put them into a "band situation where we could play and make music." The band's lineup was completed by the addition of Soundgarden (and later Pearl Jam) drummer Matt Cameron and future Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready. They named themselves Temple of the Dog, a reference to a line in the lyrics of the Mother Love Bone song "Man of Golden Words".
All Night Thing
Temple of the Dog Lyrics
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That she wanted to leave
And go somewhere warm
Where we'd be alone
I do not know what's going on
But I'm guessing it's an all night thing
Yeah, it's an all night thing
Nobody is gonna make it end
And if it don't begin
Don't worry that I'll take offense
And if it's an all night thing
And we fall like a tear falling to the ground
I'll never come around
And you'll never hear a word from me
If it's an all night thing
I walked along, feeling at ease
And falling like rain uh uh
Into her scheme
She won't let on what that will be
Yeah but I'm guessing
Ooh, it's an all night thing
Yeah, it's an all night thing
If it's an all night thing
Nobody is gonna make it end
And if it don't begin
Don't worry that I'll take offense
Yeah and if it's an all night thing
And we fall like a tear falling to the ground
I'll never come around
And you'll never hear a word from me
If it's an all night thing
Yeah, it's an all night thing
Ooh, it's an all night thing
Yeah, it's an all night thing
Mmm
The lyrics to Temple of the Dog's song "All Night Thing" describe a situation where the singer meets a woman who motions for him to leave with her and go somewhere warm where they can be alone. The singer is unsure of what is really going on but suspects that it will be an all-night affair. He suggests that if it is, nobody will make it end and if it doesn't begin, he won't take offense. He acknowledges that if it is indeed an all-night thing and they fall like tears on the ground, he will never come back around and she will never hear from him again. The second verse describes the singer walking along feeling at ease and falling like rain into her scheme. He is aware that she won't let on what their end goal is, but he again suspects that it will be an all-night thing.
The lyrics evoke a sense of ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the nature of the encounter the singer is about to embark on. The repeated refrain of "it's an all night thing" emphasizes the sense of duration and commitment it will require of both participants. The final line of the song, where the singer asserts that he will never come around and she will never hear from him again if it ends in tears, reinforces the ephemeral and fleeting nature of the encounter. The song's mood is somewhat melancholic and introspective, with hints of cynicism regarding the possibility of long-lasting romantic connections.
Line by Line Meaning
She motioned to me
She made a gesture to me, implying that she wanted to leave
That she wanted to leave
She expressed a desire to go away
And go somewhere warm
She suggested going to a comforting place
Where we'd be alone
A place where we would be by ourselves
I do not know what's going on
I am unaware of what is happening
But I'm guessing it's an all night thing
But I suspect that it will last for the whole night
Yeah, it's an all night thing
Yes, it will last the entire night
If it's an all night thing
Assuming it will last for the entire night
Nobody is gonna make it end
It will not stop until it has naturally come to an end
And if it don't begin
And if it does not start
Don't worry that I'll take offense
Don't worry that I will be upset
And if it's an all night thing
And if it lasts for the whole night
And we fall like a tear falling to the ground
And if we fall apart as quickly as tears
I'll never come around
I will never return
And you'll never hear a word from me
And you will never hear from me again
I walked along, feeling at ease
I walked calmly and comfortably
And falling like rain uh uh
And falling down like raindrops
Into her scheme
Unknowingly becoming involved in her plan
She won't let on what that will be
She won't reveal what her plan is
Yeah but I'm guessing
But I have a feeling
Ooh, it's an all night thing
It will last for the whole night
Mmm
A sound indicating contemplation or agreement
Lyrics © HIPGNOSIS SONGS GROUP, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Christopher J. Cornell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind