Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell appeared on CBS This Morning on April 22 and played three songs, including the Soundgarden hit “Black Hole Sun.” Video of his performance—including his solo single “Higher Truth” and “The Promise,” which he composed for the film of the same name—are streaming below.
During the interview, Cornell discussed his solo career and side projects for films. His soundtrack writing credits include the theme song “You Know My Name” for the James Bond film Casino Royale, “Live to Rise” for The Avengers, and “Misery Chain” for the Oscar-winning movie 12 Years a Slave.
The Promise, which stars Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon, was released to theaters last Friday, April 21. The drama takes place against the Armenian genocide by the Turks from 1915 through 1923.
Cornell told Pulse of Radio that the events depicted in the film remain relevant today. “We need to be aware that these things happen now,” he said. “We need to kind of be slapped in the face with the fact that, as horrendous as this was a century ago, in many parts of the world we haven't gotten anywhere.” He says he will donate his proceeds from his song “The Promise” to the International Rescue Committee, which responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives.
In related news, Soundgarden are currently writing its seventh studio album, which will follow up 2012’s King Animal. The band will launch its North American tour on April 28 in Tampa, Florida, and conclude it on May 27 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.
The three performance clips from CBS This Morning are below, along with a video of Cornell talking about writing for movies.
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Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
