Chris Cornell was stuck. He had these lyrics, this heavy, looping bassline, and a feeling that something was missing from the song he was writing for his late friend Andrew Wood. It was 1990. The Seattle scene hadn't exploded yet. Nobody knew that Hunger Strike, the song that eventually defined the Temple of the Dog project, would become the catalyst for the global dominance of Pearl Jam.
It’s wild to think about now.
Most people assume this was a calculated "supergroup" move. It wasn't. It was a bunch of grieving guys in a basement. At the time, Eddie Vedder was just a shy surfer from San Diego who had flown up to audition for a new band consisting of Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. He was the "new guy." He sat in the corner of the rehearsal space while Cornell struggled with the vocal phrasing of the verses.
Then, Eddie walked up to the mic.
He just started singing the low parts. Cornell took the high soaring notes—"I'm goin' hungry!"—and Vedder countered with that deep, baritone growl. The room went silent. In that moment, Hunger Strike Pearl Jam history was essentially written before the band Pearl Jam even had a permanent name.
The Audition That Changed Rock History
We talk a lot about "chemistry" in music, but this was something else. It was tectonic. Before this session, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament were reeling from the death of Andrew Wood and the collapse of their band Mother Love Bone. They were looking for a spark. They found it in a cassette tape sent by Vedder, but seeing him interact with a titan like Chris Cornell was the ultimate litmus test.
Cornell wasn't an easy guy to impress. He was already a local god with Soundgarden. Yet, he immediately recognized that Vedder’s voice didn't just mimic the grit of the era; it provided a grounding wire for Cornell’s stratospheric range.
If you listen closely to the original recording, you can hear the raw, unpolished nature of the take. It’s not overproduced. It’s actually kinda sparse. That’s because it was recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle on a shoestring budget. Producer Rick Parashar basically just captured the lightning in the room. This wasn't about radio play; it was about mourning Andrew Wood.
The song itself is a protest. Cornell wrote it out of a sense of guilt. He was starting to see the music industry's greed up close. He felt like he was "stealing bread from the mouths of decadence." Ironically, the song became a massive commercial success, though not until nearly two years after it was recorded.
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Why the Hunger Strike Video Looks So Gritty
You know the one. They’re in a park. It’s sunset. Everyone looks like they haven't slept in three days.
That’s Discovery Park in Seattle.
The music video for Hunger Strike is the epitome of the 90s aesthetic, but it wasn't a choice—it was a necessity. They had almost no money for a "proper" shoot. Director Paul Rachman, who later did the American Hardcore documentary, shot it on 16mm film. The flickering, golden-hour light wasn't some high-end filter. They were literally losing the sun and had to finish before it got dark because they couldn't afford a lighting rig.
Eddie Vedder looks incredibly uncomfortable in the video. Honestly? He was. He was still the outsider. In some shots, he's standing in the tall grass, looking almost like he’s trying to hide. Compare that to the footage of him a year later, diving off balconies during Pearl Jam’s Ten tour. The transformation is staggering.
The Marketing Delay That Made It a Hit
Here is the weird part that most people forget. Temple of the Dog came out in April 1991.
It bombed.
Hardly anyone bought it. The label, A&M Records, didn't really know what to do with a tribute album for a singer most of the world hadn't heard of. It sat in bargain bins. Then, August 1991 happened. Pearl Jam released Ten. Nirvana released Nevermind. Soundgarden released Badmotorfinger.
Suddenly, the "Seattle Sound" was the only thing anyone cared about.
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The executives at A&M realized they were sitting on a gold mine. They had a record featuring the lead singer of Soundgarden and the entirety of the now-massive Pearl Jam. They re-released Hunger Strike as a single in 1992. It exploded on MTV. People saw Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell together and lost their minds. It’s one of the few times in music history where a "secondary" project became a foundational pillar of a genre’s mainstream peak.
Complexity in the Chords
Musically, the song is deceptive. It’s not a standard three-chord grunge sludger.
It’s built on a G - C - F - C progression, but the way Stone Gossard plays those arpeggiated riffs gives it a folk-like quality. It’s almost "Led Zeppelin III" in its DNA. The tension doesn't come from heavy distortion; it comes from the vocal interplay.
When Cornell hits that high G note on "Hungry," it’s one of the most athletic vocal moments in rock. But it would be exhausting if not for Vedder’s "I'm goin' hungry" response. They create a call-and-response dynamic that mimics a conversation between the ego and the soul.
The Legacy of the 2011 and 2014 Reunions
For years, fans begged to see them do it live again. Because Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were often touring at the same time, it happened more than you'd think, but it was always treated like a religious event.
The 2011 performance at the Alpine Valley "PJ20" festival is arguably the definitive live version. Cornell walked out unannounced. The crowd roar was so loud it almost drowned out the opening guitar line. Seeing those two men, then in their 40s, still able to summon that specific 1990 grief was heavy.
Then came 2017.
The death of Chris Cornell changed how we hear Hunger Strike forever. It’s no longer just a song about Andrew Wood. It’s a song about a lost era. When Pearl Jam plays it now—which they do sparingly—they often leave a spotlight empty or let the crowd sing Chris’s parts. It’s gut-wrenching.
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Surprising Facts About the Session
- The Drumming: Matt Cameron, who played on the track, eventually became the drummer for both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. He is the bridge between the two worlds.
- The Lyrics: Cornell wrote the lyrics in about 10 minutes. He said they just poured out of him after a period of writer's block.
- The Gear: Mike McCready used a 1959 Stratocaster for his leads, a guitar that has since become legendary in the gear-head community for its specific "bell-like" tone on this track.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the depth of this track beyond just the radio edit, there are a few things you should do to get the full "Seattle 1990" experience:
Listen to the 25th Anniversary Mix
In 2016, Josh Evans remixed the Temple of the Dog album. Unlike many "remasters" that just make things louder, this mix pulls the vocals apart. You can hear the subtle breaths and the slight cracks in Vedder’s voice that were buried in the original 1991 master. It’s much more intimate.
Watch the "PJ20" Documentary
Cameron Crowe’s film gives the best behind-the-scenes look at the birth of the song. It includes rare footage of the guys in the studio where you can see just how young and uncertain they were. It strips away the "rock god" mythos.
Explore the Mother Love Bone Catalog
To understand why the song has so much weight, you have to hear what Andrew Wood sounded like. Listen to "Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns." Once you hear Wood's flamboyant, glam-rock-meets-grunge style, the somber tone of Hunger Strike makes way more sense. It was the "sobering up" of a scene that had just lost its brightest star.
Study the Vocal Counterpoint
If you're a singer or a musician, try isolating the left and right channels. The way Cornell and Vedder overlap their phrasing is a masterclass in not stepping on your partner’s toes. They give each other "air," which is something modern rock bands often forget to do in the era of digital "wall of sound" production.
The story of the song is a reminder that the best art usually comes from a place of genuine vulnerability rather than a marketing plan. They weren't trying to change the world; they were just trying to get through a Tuesday in Seattle.
To get the most out of your listening experience, try playing the Temple of the Dog album back-to-back with Pearl Jam's Ten. You can hear the exact moment the torch was passed from the 80s underground to the 90s mainstream. Focus on the track "Say Hello 2 Heaven" right before "Hunger Strike" to see the full range of what that collaboration was capable of achieving.