HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Can't Change Me" is the first single released from
Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell ( Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary lyricist for the rock music, rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a ...
's debut solo album, '' Euphoria Morning'' (1999). The song peaked at No. 5 on
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
's
Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" ...
chart, and at No. 7 on the
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart. A
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was produced for the song. "Can't Change Me" was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 2000
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
.


Origin

Chris Cornell Christopher John Cornell ( Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and the primary lyricist for the rock music, rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. He also had a ...
told
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
that students of
Soundgarden 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 ...
'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". About the meaning of the lyrics, Cornell told
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
'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.


Release and reception

"Can't Change Me" was released in 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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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."


Music video

A music video directed by Johan Renck was produced for the song and premiered on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
on September 6, 1999. The video's concept was Cornell's idea. It also stars Portuguese model and actress Ana Cristina de Oliveira. 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 The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its p ...
. The fire shots were filmed in
Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
on August 19, 1999. Its filming was showcased in an episode of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's '' Making the Video'' followed by the world premiere of the music video.


French version

Cornell recorded a version of the song in French. This version is a bonus track on ''Euphoria Mornings deluxe version, and on the JapaneseChris Cornell – Euphoria Morning (Japan)
/ref> and European editions of the album released in November 1999.Chris Cornell – Euphoria Morning (Europe)
/ref> The song was translated to French by Alexis Lemoine.


Track listing

CD1 # "Can't Change Me" (Cornell) # "Flutter Girl" From the Poncier CD (Cornell) # "Nowhere But You" From the Poncier CD (Cornell) CD2 # "Can't Change Me" (Cornell) # "When I'm Down" Demo (Cornell) # "Can't Change Me" (Enhanced CD-Rom video)


Personnel

Personnel adapted from ''Euphoria Morning'' liner notes. *Chris Cornell - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica * Alain Johannes - guitar, backing vocals * Natasha Shneider - keyboards,
tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...
*Ric Markmann - bass guitar *
Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996. He was previously a member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses ...
- drums


Chart positions


References


External links


Official music video
on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
{{authority control 1999 singles Chris Cornell songs Songs written by Chris Cornell Song recordings produced by Chris Cornell 1998 songs Interscope Records singles Music videos directed by Johan Renck