Unreleased Chris Cornell cover of ‘Fast Car’ shared to mark late star’s 60th birthday
Chris Cornell is tragically no longer in the world, however, an unreleased cover of ‘Fast Car’ by the Soundgarden frontman has been released by his family to mark his 60th birthday.
Cornell would have celebrated the landmark occasion on July 20th, but sadly departed the world in 2018. The grunge icon rose to prominence with Soundgarden during the 1990s, with tracks such as ‘Fell on Black Days’ and ‘Black Hole Sun’ asserting them on the map. While they split up in 1997, they eventually reunited in 2010, and played a show in Detroit hours before Cornell lost his life.
Outside of Soundgarden, Cornell previously fronted The Temple of the Dog, and also led Audioslave. Additionally, the rock icon carved out an impressive solo career, releasing four studio albums and recording the theme song to the James Bond movie, 2006’s Casino Royale.
Cornell mastered the art of the cover, regularly sharing his take on classics from acts such as The Beatles to Bob Dylan during his live shows. In 2020, a posthumous album, No One Sings Like You Anymore, Vol. 1, was released which comprised of ten covers that he recorded in 2016, including hits by John Lennon, Sinéad O’Connor, Janis Joplin and the Electric Light Orchestra.
Seemingly, Cornell left behind more material in the vaults as a previously unreleased take on Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ has been released on social media. The iconic track enjoyed a second life in 2023 when country singer Luke Combs hit the top of the charts with his cover, leading to him performing with Chapman to duet on ‘Fast Car’ at the Grammys.
To coincide with the release, Cornell’s widow, Vicky Cornell, shared a heartfelt message to celebrate her late husband’s life, stating, “Chris would have turned 60 today. Although everyone that loved him is sad that he’s no longer here, it’s all of you, the fans who made him, whose love has continued to keep his legacy alive. I’m so grateful to you all for that.”
Vicky then said that although her memories of Cornell are of him being a “wonderful husband, father and human”, she also believes it was appropriate to “celebrate his whole life and everything he gave us.”
She continued: “On his 60th we can all celebrate his genius as an artist who redefined music, but also the incredible man who touched and changed lives. He’s an icon, and he gave us all so much – his unique voice, his poetry, his creativity… his life was a gift to so many.”
Cornell also promised that “there’s more to come” before thanking everybody for their “love and support”.
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