Hunger Strike (song)

Last updated
"Hunger Strike"
Temple of the Dog Hunger Strike.JPG
Single by Temple of the Dog
from the album Temple of the Dog
B-side "Your Saviour" / "All Night Thing"
Released1991
RecordedNovember–December 1990
Studio London Bridge Studios, Seattle, Washington
Genre Grunge [1]
Length4:03
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Chris Cornell
Producer(s) Rick Parashar, Temple of the Dog
Temple of the Dog singles chronology
"Hunger Strike"
(1991)		"Say Hello 2 Heaven"
(1991)

"Hunger Strike" is a song by the American rock band Temple of the Dog. Written by vocalist Chris Cornell, it was released in 1991 as the first single from the band's sole studio album, Temple of the Dog (1991). It was the band's most successful song, peaking at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Contents

Origin and recording

"Hunger Strike" was written by vocalist Chris Cornell. It features a duet between Cornell and vocalist Eddie Vedder. Cornell was having trouble with the vocals at practice, when Vedder stepped in. Cornell later said "he sang half of that song not even knowing that I'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively." [2] "Hunger Strike" became Temple of the Dog's breakout single; it was also Vedder's first featured vocal on a record. [3]

Cornell on the song:

When we started rehearsing the songs, I had pulled out "Hunger Strike" and I had this feeling it was just kind of gonna be filler, it didn't feel like a real song. Eddie was sitting there kind of waiting for a (Mookie Blaylock) rehearsal and I was singing parts, and he kind of humbly—but with some balls—walked up to the mic and started singing the low parts for me because he saw it was kind of hard. We got through a couple choruses of him doing that and suddenly the light bulb came on in my head, this guy's voice is amazing for these low parts. History wrote itself after that, that became the single. [4]

Guitarist Mike McCready on the song:

I remember thinking that this was a really beautiful song when I heard it. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) showed me the riff. I had a '62 reissue Strat and I wanted to use the fourth-position tone setting—between the bridge and middle pickups—for the beginning of the song because I like that softer sound. Then I kicked it to the front pickup for the heavier part of the song. This is one of many amazing songs written by Chris. [5]

Eddie Vedder on the song:

It was during that same week that I was up there [In Seattle rehearsing with Pearl Jam]. Day four maybe, or day five, they did a Temple [of the Dog] rehearsal after our afternoon rehearsal. I got to watch these songs, and watch how Chris [Cornell] was working, and watch Matt [Cameron] play drums. It got to "Hunger Strike" — I was sitting in the corner, putting duct tape on a little African drum. About two-thirds of the way through, he was having to cut off the one line, and start the other. I'm not now, and certainly wasn't then, self-assured or cocky, but I could hear what he was trying to do, so I walked up to the mic — which I'm really surprised I did — and sang the other part, "Going hungry, going hungry." The next time I was up, he asked if I'd record it — so it was just me and Chris in the same studio that we made [1991's] Ten record. I really like hearing that song. I feel like I could be real proud of it — because one, I didn't write it, and two, it was such a nice way to be ushered onto vinyl for the first time. I'm indebted to Chris time eternal for being invited onto that track. [6]

That was the first time I heard myself on a real record. It could be one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever been on — or the most meaningful. [7]

Release and reception

In the summer of 1992, the album received new attention. Although it had been released more than a year earlier, A&M Records realized that they had in their catalog what was essentially a collaboration between Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, who had both risen to mainstream attention in the months since the album's release with their respective albums, Badmotorfinger and Ten . A&M decided to reissue the album and promote "Hunger Strike" as a single. "Hunger Strike" became the most successful song from Temple of the Dog on the American rock charts. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number seven on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Jim Guerinot, A&M's senior VP of marketing at the time, said, "I don't think that anyone would have paid attention if 'Hunger Strike' wasn't a great song." [8] Outside the United States, the single was released in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song reached the top 50 on the Canadian Singles Chart. "Hunger Strike" reached the top 60 in the UK.

David Fricke of Rolling Stone said, "Cornell and Vedder . . . turn its four minutes into a veritable opera of rock-star guilt. . . . Cornell turns on the Robert Plant-style napalm full blast, but it is Vedder's scorched introspection that brings the conscience in the song to a full boil. 'Hunger Strike' was his first starring vocal on record; it is still one of his best." [9]

Music videos

The original music video for "Hunger Strike" was directed by Paul Rachman who also directed the 2006 punk documentary American Hardcore . A&M decided to reissue the album and promote "Hunger Strike" as a single, with an accompanying music video. The video features the band performing the song on a beach and in a forest. The video was filmed at Discovery Park in Seattle, Washington. The West Point Lighthouse is featured in the video. There are two different versions of the video for the track. The music video is playable in the video game Guitar Hero Live .

The music video for the 2016 mix, also directed by Rachman, was filmed at an abandoned elementary school on March 7, 1991. Only Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder appeared in the video. It premiered on Vevo on September 2, 2016.

Live performances

"Hunger Strike" was first performed live at the band's November 13, 1990 concert in Seattle, Washington at the Off Ramp Café. [10] In the time since the album's release, the band reformed for short live performances on four occasions where both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were performing. Temple of the Dog performed "Hunger Strike" on October 3, 1991, at the Foundations Forum in Los Angeles, California; [10] October 6, 1991 at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood for the RIP Magazine 5th anniversary party; [11] August 14, 1992 at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, Virginia; and September 13, 1992, at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater in Irvine, California (both shows were part of the Lollapalooza festival series in 1992). [12] Pearl Jam has played the song, without Cornell, on several occasions, most notably during the 1996 tour.

Temple of the Dog reunited to perform the song during a Pearl Jam show at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California on October 28, 2003. Vedder and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney performed a rendition of "Hunger Strike" that is viewable as an easter egg on disc 1 of the Pearl Jam Live at the Garden DVD. Chris Cornell performed the song live several times with Audioslave, Brad Wilk singing Vedder's parts. Pearl Jam also performed the song in Antwerp and Barcelona in 2006 with Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother singing Cornell's parts. Cornell added "Hunger Strike" to his solo live set in 2007. [13] [14] Cornell also performed the song on Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour singing Vedder's part with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington joining in to sing Cornell's part.

On October 6, 2009, Pearl Jam played in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre. They were joined onstage by Cornell to perform the song. [15]

On September 3 and 4, 2011 Pearl Jam played at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre as part of the PJ20 destination weekend in celebration of the band's 20 years together, Cornell joined onstage to perform the song as well as several other lengthy Temple of the Dog and Mother Love Bone tracks.

At the Bridge School Benefit on October 25 and 26, 2014 Pearl Jam were once again joined onstage with Cornell to play the song. [16] The October 26 concert marked the last time that Vedder and Cornell performed the song together. [17]

On July 22, 2015 Halestorm and Corey Taylor performed this song during the 2015 Alternative Press Music Awards. [18]

On August 9, 2015 Zac Brown Band performed this song during the final show of their three night stand at Boston's Fenway Park.

The original members of Temple of the Dog (minus Vedder), performed the song during the band's first tour in the fall of 2016 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album, [19] [20] with the crowd singing Vedder's parts. "It was one of the most emotional moments in the show", Cornell said. [21] During the concert at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on November 21, 2016, Chris Cornell dedicated the song to Eddie Vedder and asked for the crowd to sing Vedder's part. [22]

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Cornell, except where noted: 7" vinyl (Germany and UK), 7" promotional vinyl (UK), CD (Australia), and Cassette (UK)

  1. "Hunger Strike" – 4:03
  2. "All Night Thing" – 3:52

12" vinyl (UK), 12" promotional vinyl (UK), CD (Germany and UK), and Promotional CD (UK)

  1. "Hunger Strike" – 4:03
  2. "Your Saviour" – 4:02
  3. "All Night Thing" – 3:52

Promotional CD (Canada) and Promotional CD (US)

  1. "Hunger Strike" – 4:03

Promotional Cassette (US)

  1. "Hunger Strike" – 4:03
  2. "Say Hello 2 Heaven" (excerpt)
  3. "Pushin Forward Back" (excerpt) (Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Cornell)
  4. "Reach Down" (excerpt)

Chart positions

Chart (1992)Peak
position
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [23] 50
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [24] 47
UK Singles (OCC) [25] 51
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [26] 4
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [27] 7
Chart (2017)Peak
position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [28] 16
US Rock Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [29] 8

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundgarden</span> American rock band

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 1990 and was replaced initially by Jason Everman and shortly thereafter by Ben Shepherd. The band dissolved in 1997 and re-formed in 2010. Following Cornell's death in 2017 and a year of uncertainty regarding the band's future, Thayil declared in October 2018 that Soundgarden had disbanded once again, though they did reunite in January 2019 for a one-off concert in tribute to Cornell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddie Vedder</span> American singer, musician and songwriter (born 1964)

Eddie Jerome Vedder is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He previously was a guest vocalist for supergroup Temple of the Dog, a tribute band dedicated to the late singer Andrew Wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother Love Bone</span> American rock band

Mother Love Bone was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1988. The band was active from 1988 to 1990. Frontman Andrew Wood's personality and lyrics helped to catapult the group to the top of the burgeoning late 1980s/early 1990s Seattle music scene. Wood died only days before the scheduled release of the band's debut album, Apple, thus ending the group's hopes of success. The album was released a few months later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Cornell</span> American singer and guitarist (1964–2017)

Christopher John Cornell was an American singer, songwriter and musician best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and 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 Andrew Wood. Several music journalists, fan polls and fellow musicians have regarded Cornell as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of the Dog</span> American rock band

Temple of the Dog was an American rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. It was conceived by vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of the bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone. The lineup included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar, Mike McCready on lead guitar, and Matt Cameron on drums. Eddie Vedder appeared as a guest to provide some lead and backing vocals and later became lead vocalist of Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, was released four months after Temple of the Dog's only studio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Ament</span> American musician and songwriter

Jeffrey Allen Ament is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Cameron</span> American drummer

Matthew David Cameron is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of the band's studio albums until its break-up in 1997. In 1998, Cameron was invited to join Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour and then became a permanent member of the band. In 2010, Cameron became simultaneously a member of Pearl Jam and the reunited Soundgarden. He remained with Soundgarden until its disbandment after the death of lead singer Chris Cornell in 2017. Cameron, along with guitarist Kim Thayil and Cornell, is one of three members to feature on every Soundgarden studio album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Gossard</span> American guitarist

Stone Carpenter Gossard is an American musician who serves as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoonman</span> 1994 single by Soundgarden

"Spoonman" is a song by the American band Soundgarden. Written by the band's frontman, Chris Cornell, "Spoonman" was released on February 14, 1994, as the first single from the band's fourth studio album Superunknown (1994). "Spoonman" is credited as one of the songs that launched Soundgarden's career into the mainstream. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number nine on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. A remixed version of the song by Steve Fisk appears on the "Black Hole Sun" and "My Wave" singles. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album A-Sides and the 2010 compilation album Telephantasm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy (song)</span> 1992 single by Pearl Jam

"Jeremy" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, with lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by bassist Jeff Ament. "Jeremy" was released in August 1992 as the third single from Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten (1991). The song was inspired by a newspaper article Vedder read about Jeremy Wade Delle, a high school student who shot himself in front of his English class on January 8, 1991. It reached the number 5 spot on both the Album and Modern Rock Billboard charts. It did not originally chart on the regular Billboard Hot 100 singles chart since it was not released as a commercial single in the US at the time, but a re-release in July 1995 brought it up to number 79.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outshined</span> 1991 single by Soundgarden

"Outshined" is a song by American rock band Soundgarden. Written by frontman Chris Cornell, "Outshined" was released in 1991 as the second single from the band's 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. The song was included on Soundgarden's 1997 greatest hits album, A-Sides, the 2010 compilation album, Telephantasm and the live album Live on I-5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Even Flow</span> 1992 single by Pearl Jam

"Even Flow" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, "Even Flow" was released in 1992 as the second single from the band's debut album, Ten (1991). The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included in Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror . A remixed version of the song was included on the 2009 Ten reissue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am Mine</span> 2002 single by Pearl Jam

"I Am Mine" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "I Am Mine" was released on October 8, 2002, as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save You (Pearl Jam song)</span> 2002 single by Pearl Jam

"Save You" is a song by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on December 9, 2002, as the second single from the band's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002). Although credited to all members of Pearl Jam, it features lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music primarily written by guitarist Mike McCready. The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on Pearl Jam's 2004 greatest hits album, rearviewmirror .

"Thumbing My Way" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "Thumbing My Way" is the seventh track on the band's seventh studio album, Riot Act (2002).

<i>Temple of the Dog</i> (album) 1991 studio album by Temple of the Dog

Temple of the Dog is the only album by the American rock band Temple of the Dog, released on April 16, 1991, through A&M Records. It is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former lead singer of Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone, who died on March 19, 1990, of a heroin overdose. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Hello 2 Heaven</span> 1991 single by Temple of the Dog

"Say Hello 2 Heaven" is a song by the American rock band Temple of the Dog. Written by vocalist Chris Cornell, "Say Hello 2 Heaven" was released in 1991 as the second single from the band's sole studio album, Temple of the Dog (1991). The song reached number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pushin Forward Back</span> 1991 single by Temple of the Dog

"Pushin Forward Back" is a song by the American rock band Temple of the Dog. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Chris Cornell and music co-written by bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard, "Pushin Forward Back" was released in 1991 as the third single from the band's sole studio album, Temple of the Dog (1991).

The Lightning Bolt Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam to support its tenth studio album, Lightning Bolt (2013). The tour started with two legs in North America, the first on the East Coast in October 2013, followed by a second leg on the West Coast the following month before finishing in their hometown of Seattle in December. Rolling Stone listed the tour as one of the 19 hottest tours to see in the fall of 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Jam 2018 Tour</span> 2018 concert tour by Pearl Jam

The Pearl Jam 2018 Tour was a concert tour by the American rock band Pearl Jam. The tour consisted of twenty-seven shows, with five in South America, fifteen in Europe and seven in North America. It was the band's first tour following their North American tour that finished in August 2016.

References

  1. ↑ Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste .
  2. ↑ Nicholls, Justin (1991-04-14). "KISW 99.9 FM: Seattle, Radio Interview by Damon Stewart in The New Music Hour with Chris Cornell, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard". Fivehorizons.com. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  3. ↑ David Fricke (29 May 2017). "Chris Cornell: Inside Soundgarden, Audioslave Singer's Final Days". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  4. ↑ Weisbard, Eric, et al. "Ten Past Ten". Spin . August 2001.
  5. ↑ Gilbert, Jeff. "Prime Cuts: Mike McCready - The Best of Pearl Jam!". Guitar School. May 1995.
  6. ↑ Prato, Greg (15 December 2010). Book Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, 2009. ISBN   9781554903474.
  7. ↑ Jeff Giles (16 April 2016). "How Temple of the Dog Helped Members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam Mourn a Friend". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  8. ↑ "In the Temple of Pearlgarden". Entertainment Weekly . July 31, 1992.
  9. ↑ Fricke, David. "Temple of the Dog: Temple of the Dog". Rolling Stone . December 14, 2000.
  10. 1 2 "Pearl Jam: 1990/1991 Concert Chronology". Fivehorizons.com. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  11. ↑ "Kerrang! 100 greatest gigs of all time".
  12. ↑ "Pearl Jam: 1992 Concert Chronology part 2". Fivehorizons.com. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  13. ↑ Brownlee, Clint (2007-10-05). "Seattlest Misses Greyhound, Catches Chris Cornell's Hit Parade". Seattlest. Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  14. ↑ Zahlaway, Jon (2007-04-20). "Live Review: Chris Cornell in Boston". LiveDaily. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  15. ↑ "Two Feet Thick: LA3: Cornell & Cantrell". Two Feet Thick. 2009-10-07. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ↑ "Temple of the Dog Reunite for 'Hunger Strike' at Bridge School Benefit". Rolling Stone. 2014-10-26. Retrieved 2014-10-26.
  17. ↑ Andy Greene (May 23, 2017). "Flashback: Chris Cornell, Eddie Vedder's Final 'Hunger Strike' Duet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  18. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube .
  19. ↑ Roffman, Michael (July 20, 2016). "Temple of the Dog announce first-ever tour dates for 25th anniversary". consequenceofsound. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  20. ↑ Maine, Samantha (November 6, 2016). "Watch Pearl Jam and Soundgarden supergroup Temple of Dog cover David Bowie". NME. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Temple of the Dog: Chris Cornell on the return of the 90s grunge supergroup". The Guardian. November 16, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike - Seattle (November 21, 2016)". YouTube . November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1930." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  24. ↑ "Temple of the Dog – Hunger Strike". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  25. ↑ "Temple of the Dog: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  26. ↑ "Temple of the Dog Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  27. ↑ "Temple of the Dog Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  28. ↑ "Temple of the Dog Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  29. ↑ "Temple of the Dog – Chart history – Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.