Chris Cornell says he never set out for commercial success as a songwriter.
The Soundgarden frontman insists his hits have all been “accidents” and that he was always more interested in albums than singles.
Cornell tells Migs Cast (via Blabbermouth): “I always felt like if most of the people that came up with me and came out of the world that I came out of and my band came out of, if they seemed to try to write for commercial success, it probably had less commercial appeal somehow.
“And I always felt that way with me. I felt like I can write 10 songs, and if one of those somehow has a broader appeal, it’s an accident. But that accident will happen occasionally. And I’m not necessarily ever the best judge of it. I don’t feel particularly in touch with the commercial side of music as a fan, and I never was.”
He continues: “I was always someone that liked the deeper album tracks and I liked the songs that I didn’t hear on the radio – the songs that my friends hadn’t heard. And maybe what went into making that song is something that appealed to me, that is why I like music that’s different than, I suppose, what makes commercial music.
“I believe that, especially with commercial success, if that’s your aim as a songwriter, I think you have to get in that lane early and stay there because there’s a whole bunch of stuff you’ve got to work out. I never worked any of that out. I always felt like I’ll do my best as a songwriter and an album recorder if I don’t consider any of that, and I will have probably a better chance at having popular songs if I don’t do that.”
Cornell, who this month announced a 22-date European solo tour for early 2016, previously said he felt Soundgarden were underrated as a band.
