Hunger Strike

"Hunger Strike"
Single by Chris Cornell
from the album Songs From The Underground
Recorded:	July 18, 2008
Released:	November 28, 2008
Format:	Digital, CD
Length:	4:14
Live debut:	July 16, 2008
Last performed:	August 24, 2008
Writer:	Chris Cornell
Label:	Warner Bros. Records
Songs From The Underground tracklist
Announcement Service Public Qwerty (Studio Version) And One Sold My Soul To Yo Mama Dedicated (Demo 1999) Hunger Strike (Live From Projekt Revolution 2008): Chris Cornell featuring Chester Bennington My December (Live 2008) Part Of Me

Background

"Hunger Strike" is a song written by Chris Cornell and released in 1991 as the first single from the only studio album by Temple Of The Dog, a band consisting of members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.

Chris Cornell was having trouble with the vocals at practice, when Eddie Vedder stepped in. Eddie was sitting there waiting for a Pearl Jam (Mookie Blaylock at the time) rehearsal and walked up to the mic and started singing the low parts because he saw it was hard for Chris. Cornell said, "he sang half of that song not even knowing that I'd wanted the part to be there and he sang it exactly the way I was thinking about doing it, just instinctively." So the song ended up being a duet between both vocalists.

Prior to the start of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution Tour in 2008, Chris Cornell said he would be looking to jump on stage with Chester Bennington and Linkin Park or any other band on the tour if the opportunity presented itself. He said, "Absolutely, either surprise or on purpose. Yeah, Chester and I discussed picking some songs and actually going up. Yeah, I'd be into that anytime anybody wants to do something with me or vice versa performing. I think that's what makes these types of tours work better. That's when you really take advantage of it is when you got a lot of bands together breaking the ice and nothing breaks the ice better than when you're onstage together in front of 20,000 people. It doesn't get any more intense than that. Once you've gone through that with someone you pretty much gonna be pals."

Linkin Park played a secret show in their rehearsal space at Third Encore for fourteen members of the LPUnderground during early rehearsals for the tour on May 29, 2008. The Soundgarden song "Fell On Black Days" was listed last on a draft of the setlist but it wasn't performed for an unknown reason.

Chris Cornell started to perform "Hunger Strike" in his solo live set in 2007. In 2008, he performed the song on the Projekt Revolution Tour singing Vedder's part with Chester Bennington joining in to sing Cornell's part. During the Denver show of that tour, Cornell joked that he wrote the song thinking no one would be able to hit those cords, but Chester nailed it with no difficulties.

One of the performances was registered in audio and released on Linkin Park's compilation album Songs From The Underground. The track was recorded on July 18, 2008 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.

A video of the collaboration, filmed on August 24, 2008 in Woodlands, Texas was also released by Chris Cornell on YouTube but it has since been made private.

Chester is godfather to Chris Cornell's and Vicky Karayanni's second child, Christopher-Nicolas Cornell, and baptized him.

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Hunger Strike	Temple Of The Dog Hunger Strike Pushin Forward Back	4:03	November–December 1990	January 14, 1991	Features vocals by Eddie Vedder.

Live

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Hunger Strike (Live From Projekt Revolution 2008): Chris Cornell featuring Chester Bennington	Songs From The Underground A Decade Underground	4:14	July 18, 2008	November 28, 2008	Temple Of The Dog song. Features vocals by Chester Bennington.

Live

Originally by Temple Of The Dog, Chris Cornell performed the song during his set on Projekt Revolution 2008. Chester joined him for all performances of the song throughout the tour.

Personnel

• Chris Cornell - vocals
• Chester Bennington - vocals
• Yogi Lonich - guitar
• Peter Thorn - guitar
• Corey McCormick - bass
• Jason Sutter - drums

Production

• Written-By – Chris Cornell
• Mastered By – Brian Gardner
• Recorded By, Mixed By – Dylan Ely, Ken Van Druten

Lyrics

Album Version

Well I don't mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadents
But I can't feed on the powerless
When my cup's already overfilled

Yeah
But it's on the table
The fire's cooking
And they're farming babies
The slaves are all working

Blood is on the table
The mouths are all choking
But I'm goin' hungry
Yeah

I don't mind stealing bread
From the mouths of decadents
But I can't feed on the powerless
When my cup's already overfilled

But it's on the table
The fire is cooking
And they're farming babies
The slaves are all working

And it's on the table
Their mouths are all choking
But I'm going hungry (Going hungry)
I'm going hungry (Going hungry)
I'm going hungry (Going hungry)