Burden In My Hand
Soundgarden
1996

Hard to believe that six years have passed since we lost not only one of the greatest vocalists of a generation but one of the greatest vocalists, ever. I wasn’t the biggest Soundgarden fan — for my money, Pearl Jam and Nirvana were far better bands from the Seattle grunge scene — but Chris was probably the best vocalist of any (I say probably because Eddie is right up there).

And this may not even be Soundgarden’s best song! That distinction probably goes to “Black Hole Sun,” and man I listened to that song a lot in high school. But for this list, I'm going with my current favorite Soundgarden song as it features more of Cornell's vocal in my mind than Black Hole Sun does. This sounds almost like more of Cornell's solo stuff than a pure Soundgarden song, which in my old age is a good thing as some of the old Soundgarden is a bit too heavy for me. (Though Superunknown is still a great album.) If anything, I might have ranked this song a touch too low on the list and potentially could've bumped it more into the 70s or even the 60s. But stay tuned for Mr. Cornell -- we may not have seen the last of him yet. hey-o!

Other Songs Considered:
Black Hole Sun