Chris Cornell's Vocal Mastery

    During the grunge movement of the 90s, Chris Cornell rose to fame as the lead singer of the band Soundgarden until it dissolved in 1997. After, he did solo work and formed a new band, Audioslave, in 2001 alongside former members of another 90s rock band, Rage Against the Machine. Cornell is considered one of the most influential figures in grunge and 90s rock as a whole, thanks to his unique songwriting and singing styles.

    Typically when musicians write songs, it’s common to stick to a singular key because it contains all the notes and chords to make a good melody. In Black Hole Sun, a famous Soundgarden song, Cornell upends this by making many key changes within a short time frame, creating the surreal sound which earned the song its fame. He wrote the song after he thought he heard a weatherman say “black hole sun”, and decided to write a song to match the visual. Cornell’s vast vocal range of almost four octaves allowed him a greater degree of creative freedom when writing, and he sometimes incorporated yells and vocalizations in his vocal parts. Additionally, his vocal style incorporates inspiration from many different genres including belts characteristic of soul music.

     Apart from singing in several major bands and having a solo career, Cornell also collaborated with other artists, notably singing vocals for Alice in Chains’ “Right Turn” on their 1992 EP, Sap. An acoustic solo song titled “Seasons”, which he contributed to the movie Singles from the same year, beautifully captures the feeling of being stuck in an ever-changing world throughout the progression of the song. Written for a movie focusing on the Seattle grunge scene which he was a part of, it’s easy to hear the passion and authenticity in his singing.

    In The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, he writes about Jennifer Doudna’s preference for experiments that aren’t rigid and don’t require a strict protocol. This is the type of creative thinking which helped her develop CRISPR gene editing technology. Similarly, Cornell’s rapid key changes show his preference for not following typical music-making practices. His vocal range allows him more options when writing songs, and he doesn’t let those options go to waste by restricting himself to one key. In both of their fields, unconventional thinking has led them to new and fruitful ideas. 

    Cornell tragically died by suicide in 2017, but his iconic vocals and contributions to grunge cement him as one of the greatest rock musicians of all time. In recognition of this, he will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Soundgarden later this year.