On May 18, 2017, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell committed suicide in his Detroit hotel room after his last show with Soundgarden. I was lucky enough to see Soundgarden in concert on July 2, 2011 in Toronto. Soundgarden was one of the first bands that "pulled me in" at age 14. When I became a musician, the Seattle grunge bands took over my life. And Soundgarden was no exception! I listened to Badmotorfinger and Superunknown every day in the summer of 2002. Then later that fall, Cornell's new band at the time Audioslave debuted with the Rage Against The Machine band members. That further deepened my appreciation for Chris Cornell. The kind of artist I wanted to be when I grew up. Whether I could sing like him or not.
So fast forward 15 years later, and I receive the news that one of my favourite artists took his own life. Right away my first thought was, "So, this must've been what it felt like when Kurt Cobain died." Because I became a fan of Nirvana years after Cobain committed suicide, and did not remember his death as I was too young. Chris Cornell's death had an effect on me. Almost as if I had lost a family member. I listened to Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple Of The Dog, and his solo material a lot the week he died. "Say Hello 2 Heaven" by Temple Of The Dog was a song that Cornell wrote in tribute to his lost friend Andrew Wood who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. I probably listened to that song the most after Cornell died.
On May 22, 2017 I wrote the lyrics to "All Hail" as a commemoration to Chris Cornell 4 days after his death. The music for the song was written a couple of months earlier on March 24, 2017. I wanted to write a song that really illustrated my appreciation for an artist who helped guide me towards my own musical identity. I don't sing like Chris Cornell and I don't have his range. No matter how bad I want to. But Cornell proved to me that I can have my own voice. And it's better to be original than to be an imitator.
The guitar riff for "All Hail" is one of my favourite riffs from the Plaidalog. It's takes place in the meaty part of the guitar neck positioned between the 2nd and 4th frets, and the riff uses all 4 fingers. It's a guitar riff that dances around and largely follows the chord progression of the verses. The guitar solo towards the end of the song uses a thin wah pedal-type tone and fills a lot of space. The beginning of the solo intentionally "borrows" from Tom Morello's guitar riff in "Your Time Has Come" by Audioslave. That same song is referenced in the lyrics of the choruses as well. On top of that, "Say Hello 2 Heaven" by Temple Of The Dog and "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden are also referenced in the choruses. With the line "Say hello to heaven if you pass the black hole sun. It's a crying shame your time has come."
I used a good amount of vocal harmonies in this song with 3-part harmonies in some sections. Songs with Chris Cornell singing don't often have vocal harmonies behind them because of his incredibly high vocal range. "All Hail" is not exactly in the style of Chris Cornell and his bands, but it's a representation of the amount of influences I have outside of his music as well. I started recording "All Hail" on September 17, 2017 and finished recording the tune on November 12, 2017. Although I've never played the song with a band, it will be on the to-do list when I get a POF band together in the future!
lyrics
Words and music by Nolan Randall
You were the voice inside the head of teenage dreams
All that you've done is more important than it seems
Hearts are aching, nothing's making any sense at all
We're all confused by the way that you had to fall
Too many lessons to be learned
So many of us are concerned
All hail, the one who gave us promise
All hail, the one who helped to calm us
Say hello to heaven if you pass the black hole sun
It's a crying shame your time has come
When I was fourteen, I was driven by your voice
I knew from that point on, I had to make a choice
Adolescence caught the essence of my destiny
You helped to shape the person i was meant to be
Why did you have to take your life?
We would've helped you in your fight
All hail, the one who gave us promise
All hail, the one who helped to calm us
Say hello to heaven if you pass the black hole sun
It's a crying shame your time has come
All hail, the one who gave us promise
All hail, the one who helped to calm us
Say hello to heaven if you pass the black hole sun
It's a crying shame your time has come
Plaid On Flannel is an alternative indie blues rock act from Toronto, Canada. With 80+ original songs recorded since 2011,
singer-songwriter Nolan Randall has remained the sole constant member of the band. POF's music is known for guitar riffs/solos, memorable hooks, catchy melodies/harmonies, evocative lyrics, & superb musicianship. While keeping a focus on originality and songwriting quality....more
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