Chris Cornell Revisits Rock With New "Long Gone" Remix

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Chris Cornell has dipped his toes back into recording guitar-rock with a complete makeover of his single "Long Gone." Completely re-recorded and re-launched by producer Howard Benson (Hoobastank, My Chemical Romance, Papa Roach), "Long Gone" has turned from a synthy Timbaland tearjerker into a sensitive modern rock ballad with a jacked-up tempo. The stream and video are available today, with a digital single following on iTunes tomorrow.

According to Cornell, Howard Benson was a fan of his recent Scream album and approached the singer about creating a new version. With drummer-to-the stars Josh Freese in tow, the team did some quick sessions in a pair of L.A. studios. "I just went in and redid it," says Cornell. "I spent more time hanging out with him talking about music than actually working."

Tracks from Scream have been tweaked and remixed by slew of superstar DJs — including Steve Aoki, Kleerup and DJ AM — but this is the first time that one of its notoriously guitar-deficient tracks has been given a traditional rock song reimagining. "It's just a different suit of clothes," says Cornell about the switch. "To me it's very much the same song, it makes me feel the same way. You can approach something from such a different way, and the song itself lives so strong through it."

Cornell is expected to play "Long Gone" for his appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman this Friday, but is unsure of which version he will perform as of now.

Related Stories:

• Chris Cornell on Soundgarden Reunion: "You Never Know"
• Chris Cornell on Timbaland-Produced Scream: "I Think Fans Will Come Around to the Concept"

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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