CD Review: “Euphoria Mourning”
This album sold 75,000 copies in its first week of release.
The older I get, the more I have learned that I prefer to listen to an entire CD as a whole rather than disparate songs mashed together in a playlist. This CD definitely falls into that category. All the songs fall under the same theme. The title of the CD “Euphoria Mourning” seems to imply being sad about being happy, a contradiction that can perhaps be attributed to Chris’ own personal demons.
It is fairly difficult to write individual track reviews, let alone try to arrange the tracks in the order of track preference, with the songs I like most at the top of the list. I did the best I could in this endeavor and tried hard to document the feelings each song elicits.
I like to consider what I call the “sing-along factor,” as I believe it is important when choosing your favorite tracks.
My Track Preferences:
Rank |
Track # |
Title |
1. |
05 |
When I’m Down |
2. |
03 |
Preaching the End of the World |
3. |
10 |
Disappearing One |
4. |
07 |
Wave Goodbye |
5. |
04 |
Follow My Way |
6. |
09 |
Sweet Euphoria |
7. |
12 |
Steel Rain |
8. |
08 |
Moonchild |
9. |
01 |
Can’t Change Me |
10. |
11 |
Pillow of Your Bones |
11. |
02 |
Flutter Girl |
12. |
06 |
Mission |
It’s also hard to believe that it has been 20 years since this album was first released, although I am sure I did not discover it until well into the 2010s. I am better for having discovered it. I close this paragraph with how sad it makes me feel knowing that Chis Cornell, who had blossomed into one of the world’s greatest rock star musicians and also my favorite male vocalist, has passed away prematurely from suicide, a victim of his ultimate struggle with mental illness and depression, back in 2017.
Foundation
During my research and in preparation for this review, I found out Chris and his wife had set up a foundation for “at-risk youth” called the “Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation.” I’ll drop the link here in case you would like to donate.
https://chrisandvickycornellfoundation.org/The Japanese bonus tracks are not included in my track reviews since they were not released in the US. I encourage the reader to play the CD while reading my track-by-track reviews.
Track 1
| Can’t Change Me | Chris Cornell | 3:23 |
Link to official Music video This is the song that sets the pace for the rest of the CD. Although It was released as the first track, it was actually the last song written for the CD. It’s not too depressing, but sadly, it’s about a girl who can change the world but cannot change “me.” I really like the background music that plays on this track. It has a fairly low sing-along factor; it’s more of an easy song to listen to.
Quote from Chris regarding this song:
It’s kind of a sad discovery that this singer is involved with this person that has amazing powers to help people and change things positively, and he’s realizing that none of it is really rubbing off on him.
When speaking of the character of the song, he told MTV News that this could be interpreted as either defiance or discovery.
“Maybe there are things he’d like to change about himself”
Track 2
| Flutter Girl | Cornell, Alain Johannes, Natasha Shneider | 4:25 |
In this song, he compares a girl to a butterfly that flutters away. Seemingly a warning to stay away because:
“you do not want to take what I give
and you don’t want to know what I live.”
It’s a weird song that’s only slightly depressing. The background music sets the tone, continuing the theme from the first track. It does have a sort of fluttering background musical tune playing. I really like the lyrics:
“I am drinking dust with eyes of rust”
Although I have no idea what it means. Having said that, I prefer track one to this one, as I find myself often skipping this one.
“heart-aching song about a delicate girl he is setting free, as she is better off without him.”
Track 3
| Preaching the End of the World | Cornell | 4:41 |
This is the first song on the CD where I actually prefer the music over the lyrics, but they complement them completely. For some reason, it sort of reminds me of a washing machine sound, if you were singing in one. I was trying to understand the meaning of the song, but it seems like he was just looking for a friend to be with at the end of the world.
I did not get the impression that this friend would necessarily be female. The song did not strike me as a love song; it was just a friend for the end of the world. The music evokes feelings that are hard to describe but lean toward the depressing or sad side of things, which is just fine with me because although the song might be sad, it makes me happy.
Sing-along factor:
It’s a nice song to sing along with, at least partially, but especially the powerful ending, which is best experienced when singing along. Only then do you feel the full range of emotions and how much he is really putting into the song. It’s a nice song that makes you reflect. You do not want to end up lonely in life; you want to have that friend with you for the end of the world, powerful and breathtaking.
Track 4
| Follow My Way | Cornell, Johannes, Shneider | 5:10 |
A good follow-up to the previous track. Its music is mesmerizing and sad, so well done. The song seems to continue the theme, begging someone to just
“follow my way […] through oblivion I charge;
when I am unsure, he is only pure when he is lost.
When all you know is that I don’t know.”
It just seems like a song in which he is in a bad place in his head and maybe swirling down like, as he puts it, “in a swan dive.”
Another depressing song, but at the same time, you can’t help but feel compassion for someone in that sad state. It hits you emotionally and continues the theme. It’s not a song that I sing along with; I just listen and try to imagine this strange, euphoric place he is taking us to.
Track 5
| When I’m Down | Cornell | 4:20 |
This is the climax of the CD and definitely the best track. You just have to listen to the chorus and feel what he is trying to convey.
“I only love you when I’m down […]
and “I’m down, ALL the time”.
So powerful and sad at the same time. He’s saying he’s sad all the time, and that’s the only time he loves you, hence all the time. It’s especially sad, putting it into perspective, that he has passed away. This is yet another song that is best experienced when singing along. It’s the only way to feel the full range of emotions evoked.
This song would have been a great way to end the CD since it cannot be topped. Amazing!
Track 6
| Mission | Cornell, Johannes, Shneider | 4:05 |
Almost all CDs have songs that are not your favorites. This is that song for me. I just don’t care for this song, which is therefore the low point of the CD. It’s fitting that this song occurs at about the midpoint of the CD, meaning it only gets better from here. The music doesn’t do it for me either. Reading the lyrics does not help much to decipher them. I suppose it’s about a man who is on a mission to win a woman’s heart. The song had good intentions but fell short.
Track 7
| Wave Goodbye | Cornell | 3:43 |
This track weaves its way back with euphoric music and depressive undertones. This song was reportedly written as a tribute to Jeff Buckley, who drowned in 1997. It’s about missing somebody, letting them go, and waving goodbye, knowing that you may never see them again. But it’s not just anybody you are waving goodbye to; it’s somebody you deeply care about and don’t want to be parted from. It’s also about reflecting on the things you said and did to this person and how they “bring a tear to your eyes.”
I enjoy the song; it’s not my favorite, but I appreciate how skillfully it is sung and the masterful effort put into it, especially how it ends. It’s fun to sing along.
Track 8
| Moonchild | Cornell | 4:02 |
Finally, the CD starts its upswing, dragging itself out of the downslide. I really like this song, although it is difficult to decipher. There are a lot of metaphors in this one. I will say what grabs me most is the chorus with the music. I think this song has a different meaning to different people depending on what they are going through, and therein lies its beauty.
Notes:
- Chris Cornell told Spin magazine in November 1999 that the song is about his then-wife, Susan Silver. The song finds him thinking of her from far away.
- On “Moonchild,” Cornell affectionately describes how his wife (and former Soundgarden manager), Susan Silver, “gets really freaked out during the full moon.” Cornell and Silver were married from 1990 to 2004.
Track 9
| Sweet Euphoria | Cornell | 3:08 |
This song is particularly sad, perhaps the lowest point of the CD. It is really hard for me to determine the exact meaning of the lyrics, but it is a testament to the singing and arrangement that I can tell this is a sad song. I admit I like to sing along to at least the part when he sings the song’s title. Amazingly beautiful.
Track 10
| Disappearing One | Cornell, Johannes, Shneider | 3:48 |
Another terrific song. It almost seems to imply a relationship with someone, like a groupie, who can only see him when he is on stage, and by the time the show is over, she is asleep, and he does not want to wake her, so he disappears, but not for long. Again, I can’t say enough about the music; the feelings evoked are hard to describe. Yes, it is depressing but powerful.
Track 11
| Pillow of Your Bones | Cornell, Johannes, Shneider | 4:29 |
This is another great song that has multiple meanings. Could it be about drug addiction or following a high? It is not as depressing for me; more uplifting for some reason. It sort of brings us out of the depressing track just prior to this one. Not one that I would sing along with.
Track 12
| Steel Rain | Cornell | 5:41 |
song rounds out the CD, finishing with a sad song that somehow evokes feelings that make you reflect on your life and how you got to this point.
“I train my moods to bloom like flowers unfolding”
It seems to imply he is trying to control his mood to bloom at the right time and not let it swerve all over the place.
This is not one of my favorites, even though I do love it. I find it too depressing, and I wish the CD had ended on more of an uplifting note, but if it couldn’t, then at least end it with track five. I believe this song could be about depression, and I certainly believe that Chris suffered from this illness.
Overall, what a wonderful CD to launch your solo career after the split-up of Soundgarden and before joining Audioslave.
Rest in peace, Chris Cornell. Up next is his 2007 solo follow-up, “Carry On.”
Highly Recommended
*****
Japanese Bonus Tracks
| “Sunshower” | Cornell | 5:52 |
| “Can’t Change Me” (French version) | Cornell | 3:47 |
Catch up with my second Track-By-Track CD review – Chris Cornell’s “Carry On”
Or third: Chris Cornell – Higher Truth Track-By-Track-CD-Review
