When Bad Does Good

Album: Chris Cornell (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This previously unreleased song appears on the self-titled posthumous album, Chris Cornell.
  • The video stars the late Chris Cornell's 12-year-old son Christopher as a paperboy biking around Seattle, delivering copies of The Seattle Times. Christopher also starred in the visual for "Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart," the lead single from his father’s 2015 solo album, Higher Truth.
  • Directed by Kevin Kerslake (Soundgarden's "Loud Love" and "Hands All Over"), the video features song lyrics from Cornell's illustrious career popping up across various Seattle locations. A house with the phrase "I Am Not Your Blowing Wind" written on its steps, for instance, is a homage to the 2002 Audioslave track "I Am The Highway."

    Kerslake said: "I wanted to highlight an aspect of Chris' talents often overshadowed by his more obvious virtues (e.g., his monstrous guitar chops, operatic vocal range or commanding physical presence), which is his place as one of this generation's greatest lyricists… but do it within a specific context that turned a simple, straightforward journey through the streets of Seattle into a eulogy, of sorts, with mystical undertones."
  • This won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance at the 2019 ceremony.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Sam Hollander

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.