The Ongoing History of Protest Music

Early morning on May 18, 2017, Chris Cornell was declared dead. Cornell played an important part of my teen years and young adulthood. The first concert I ever attended was a Pearl Jam & Neil Young double bill and Soundgarden was one of the opening acts. This was in support of their 1991 album Badmotorfinger and just before the release of their mega breakthrough 1994 album Superunknown. I also witnessed Cornell live about a decade later when he was performing with Audioslave. Even though Cornell isn’t widely associated with political music, he did possess a social awareness. From time to time that came across in his music. Here is a sample of ten protest tunes that he sung. These include selections from Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog, Audioslave and solo. He also written or co-written the lyrics to these songs.

Hands All Over – Soundgarden

This tune off of their 1988 sophomore album Louder Than Love, deals with the damage that humans are doing to the environment. The song makes reference to issues such as deforestation and oil drilling and how unchecked greed is destroying Mother Earth.

New Damage – Soundgarden

This political protest tune from Badmotorfinger takes aim at governmental authority. The lyrics reference “a new world order” which was a quote from then US President George H.W. Bush. According to Cornell, the Bush administration was bringing about “a new world for hate” and it’s going to bring about “new damage done”. The lyrics are definitely poignant in today’s political climate.

Hunger Strike – Temple Of The Dog

Temple Of The Dog was formed as a way to pay tribute to Cornell’s close friend and roommate Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose on March 19, 1990. Wood was the lead singer of Mother Love Bone. Cornell joined forces with Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. Also included in the group was Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron (who would later join Pearl Jam) and guitarist Mike McCready who at the time was starting to form a band with Grossard and Ament, which would later become known as Pearl Jam.

The project ended up releasing one self-titled album in 1991. The biggest hit from the album, “Hunger Strike”, also features vocals from Eddie Vedder, who happened to be in the studio because he was auditioning for the band that would become Pearl Jam.  The lyrics grapples with what it means for an indie band who signs to a major label. On one hand the lyrics express they don’t mind taking money from greedy record company executives, but on the other hand there is the fact that many of these corporate entities are getting rich by the exploitation of others. Not necessary a direct protest tune, but a thought-provoking examination of capitalistic greed and how to navigate in a system which is built on it.

Wooden Jesus – Temple Of The Dog

This tune from Temple Of The Dog’s self-titled album deals with religious greed. It makes reference to TV evangelists who get rich exploiting the poor and vulnerable.

Your Time Has Come – Audioslave

Chris Cornell joined three-fourths of Rage Against The Machine to create Audioslave. Even though the band wasn’t nearly as political as Rage, it did tend to be more political than Soundgarden. This tune is from their 2005 sophomore album Out of Exile. The song deals with the idea of people dying senseless deaths way too young. The lyrics also make a powerful reference to the Vietnam War Memorial:

“I’ve seen 50,000 names all engraved on a stone
Most of them, met an early grave
Years before I was born
All of them left brothers and sisters and mothers behind
And most of their family and friends alive, doing time”

The lyrics include wars as a cause of senseless death. It also discusses how those deaths cause countless pain to grieving friends and family.

The music video features footage of their free concert in Havana, Cuba in front of 50,000 attendees. The band was the first American rock band to perform in Cuba since Bonnie Raitt and Billy Joel did in 1979.

Sound Of A Gun – Audioslave

This tune is from their third and final album, 2006’s Revelations. The album is Audioslave’s most socially conscious. This tune deals with those that are affected by the constant threat of gun violence. It would definitely apply to the war-torn Middle East, but the lyrics also currently resonate with the prevalence of mass shootings in the USA and how many children go to school in fear.

Wide Awake – Audioslave and Solo

This tune originally appeared on Revelations, but a powerful version appeared on Cornell’s 2011 acoustic live album Songbook. Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello stated the following about the tune: “It’s the most political song Audioslave’s ever written, and it’s a scathing condemnation of the Bush administration’s failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It’s a sad, powerful and angry song.”

Ground Zero – Solo (featuring Timbaland)

This tune is from Cornell’s 2009 Timbaland produced Scream. An acoustic version of it also appears on Songbook. Scream was polarizing among both critics and Cornell fans, because it was a deviation in sound. Personally I dig the electro funk beats of this song. The lyrics deal with the tendency to hold on to 9/11. Failure to move forward causes hatred to build and contributes to a regressive society which will never achieve peace.

Non-State Actor – Soundgarden

This tune is from Soundgarden’s 2012 album, King Animal. The lyrics were co-written with lead guitarist Kim Thayil. It deals with the idea of citizens speaking up against injustice and taking positive action (“We’re not elected, but we will speak”).

The Promise – Solo

Chris Cornell composed this song for the closing credits of 2016 film of the same name. The film was a historical drama set against the backdrop of the Armenian Genocide. Cornell released it as a charity single in 2017, with all proceeds going to the International Rescue Committee which offers humanitarian aid to refugees and displaced persons.  It was also the last piece of music that Cornell released before his death.