"Can't Change Me" | ||||
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Single by Chris Cornell | ||||
from the album Euphoria Morning | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio | 11 AD Studios in Los Angeles, California [1] | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 3:23 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Cornell | |||
Producer(s) | Chris Cornell Natasha Shneider Alain Johannes | |||
Chris Cornell singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Can't Change Me" on YouTube |
"Can't Change Me" is the first single released from Chris Cornell's debut solo album, Euphoria Morning (1999). [2] The song peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, [3] and at No. 7 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. [4] A music video was produced for the song. [5] "Can't Change Me" was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards. [6]
Chris Cornell told MTV News that students of Soundgarden's music can find the genesis of "Can't Change Me" in some of the band's hits, such as "Blow Up the Outside World" and "Fell on Black Days". [2]
About the meaning of the lyrics, Cornell told MTV's Making the Video :
It was written in the middle of a long songwriting period that I had for the record. Although it's the first song released as a single, it was probably one of the later songs that I wrote. The idea of the song... you kinda get the idea that it's a statement from the singer. It's kind of more of a sad discovery that this singer is involved with this person that has amazing powers to help people and change things positively, and he's realizing that none of it is really rubbing off on him. [7]
"Can't Change Me" was released in early 1999 and turned out to be the biggest hit from the album, achieving strong chart positions. "Can't Change Me" was the first Cornell single to chart, peaking on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart at No. 5 and on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at No. 7. In the UK, it peaked at No. 62.
Greg Tate of Rolling Stone said "'Can't Change Me' is as rhapsodically gorgeous as pop gets, putting a spin on true love that any reprobate slacker can relate to: 'She's going to change the world/But she can't change me/Suddenly I can see everything that's wrong with me/But what can I do?/I'm the only thing I really have at all.' Cornell unveils a desire to be reckoned with as an openly wounded and unabashedly portentous rock balladeer." [8]
A music video directed by Johan Renck was produced for the song and premiered on MTV on September 6, 1999. [5] [9] The video's concept was Cornell's idea. [10] It also stars Portuguese model and actress Ana Cristina de Oliveira. [11] The video was shot in Hollywood in four days, between July 31 and August 2, 1999, in locations such as at the Raji's, the Townhouse Motel, and in the tiny mountain town of Cornell, located in the Santa Monica Mountains. [10] The fire shots were filmed in Stockholm, Sweden on August 19, 1999. [10] Its filming was showcased in an episode of MTV's Making the Video followed by the world premiere of the music video. [10]
Cornell recorded a version of the song in French. [12] This version is a bonus track on Euphoria Morning's deluxe version, [13] and on the Japanese [14] and European editions of the album released in November 1999. [15] The song was translated to French by Alexis Lemoine. [15]
CD1
CD2
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 7 |
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles [16] | 2 |
UK Singles Chart [17] | 62 |
Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and drummer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Cornell switched to rhythm guitar in 1985, replaced on drums initially by Scott Sundquist, and later by Matt Cameron in 1986. Yamamoto left in 1989 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and reformed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden would not continue, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell. Cornell, Thayil, and Cameron appeared on all of the band's studio albums.
Christopher John Cornell was an American musician. He was best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary lyricist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a solo career and contributed to numerous movie soundtracks. Cornell was the founder and frontman of Temple of the Dog, a one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend, musician Andrew Wood. Several music journalists, fan polls and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.
Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. Produced by Michael Beinhorn and the band themselves, Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of their previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown retained the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991, through A&M Records. Soundgarden began the recording sessions for the album with new bassist Ben Shepherd in the spring of 1991. The album maintained the band's heavy metal sound, while featuring an increased focus on songwriting compared to the band's previous releases. AllMusic considered the album's music to be "surprisingly cerebral and arty"; alternative tunings and odd time signatures were present on several of the album's songs, and lyrics were intended to be ambiguous and evocative.
Euphoria Mourning is the first solo studio album by American musician Chris Cornell. It was released through A&M Records on September 21, 1999, and Cornell embarked on a tour in support of the album in 2000. Cornell's only album from between the dissolution of Soundgarden and the formation of Audioslave, it did not sell as well as much of his work with those groups, though it did sell over 75,000 copies in its first week of release and has gone on to sell over 393,000 copies in the U.S. The album was well-received critically, and its lead single, "Can't Change Me", was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.
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"Black Hole Sun" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released in 1994 by A&M Records as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). Considered to be the band's signature song, it topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of seven weeks at number one. Despite peaking at number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, "Black Hole Sun" finished as the number-one track of 1994 for that listing. Worldwide, the single reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, and Ireland, while in Iceland, it reached number one.
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"Outshined" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by the band's frontman Chris Cornell, the song was released as the second single from their third studio album, Badmotorfinger (1991). It became the band's first single to reach the U.S. Mainstream Rock charts, where it peaked at number 45. It was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides, the 2010 compilation album, Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5.
"The Day I Tried to Live" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "The Day I Tried to Live" was released in April 1994 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Superunknown (1994). The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 25 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
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"Blow Up the Outside World" is a song by the American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Blow Up the Outside World" was released on November 18, 1996, as the third single from the band's fifth studio album, Down on the Upside (1996). The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, where it spent a total of four weeks at number one. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides.
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