Hunger Strike


“But ‘Hunger Strike’ came about because of an existential crisis that Soundgarden faced at that moment. We were sort of the first band [from Seattle – Ed] that had attention from labels in a meaningful way. There was a bidding war, which was unusual for any band from Seattle. We were living our dream, but there was also this mistrust over what that meant. Does this make us a commercial rock band? Does it change our motivation when we’re writing a song and making a record? “Hunger Strike” is a statement that I’m staying true to what I’m doing regardless of what comes of it, but I will never change what I’m doing for the purposes of success or money.”Chris Cornell (1062)

Say Hello 2 Heaven/Reach Down


“I don’t really remember doing much else after the funeral other than just being swept up in the grief of the moment, but after a couple of weeks I wrote two songs [‘Say Hello 2 Heaven and ‘Reach Down – Ed] for Andy [Wood, Mother Love Bone singer – Ed]. I don’t remember recording the demos, but I remember the ideas and writing the lyrics because they were really different and they involved a real person. That wasn’t something I’d normally do. I’d normally write a character that was part me and part a fictional character. But these lyrics specifically reflected Andy and my feelings about him. … I didn’t let anything else in. It was precious.”Chris Cornell (1062)