The Day I Tried to Live

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"The Day I Tried to Live"
Single by Soundgarden
from the album Superunknown
B-side
  • "Like Suicide" (acoustic)
  • "Kickstand" (live)
ReleasedApril 18, 1994 (1994-04-18)
Bad Animals (Seattle, US)
GenreGrunge[2]
Length5:19
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Chris Cornell
Producer(s)
Soundgarden singles chronology
"Spoonman"
(1994) 		"The Day I Tried to Live"
(1994) 		"Black Hole Sun"
(1994)
Music video
"The Day I Tried to Live" on
YouTube

"The Day I Tried to Live" is a song by American

A-Sides
.

Composition

"The Day I Tried to Live" was written by frontman Chris Cornell. The guitar tuning, as with many Soundgarden songs, is unorthodox: E-E-B-B-B-E. The song has a dissonant atmosphere and is also notable for its changing time signatures. For much of the song, there is a cycle of one measure of 7/4, then two of 4/4.[3] Guitarist Kim Thayil has said that Soundgarden usually did not consider the time signature of a song until after the band had written it, and said that the use of odd meters was "a total accident."[4]

Lyrics

Cornell on "The Day I Tried to Live":

It's about trying to step out of being patterned and closed off and reclusive, which I've always had a problem with. It's about attempting to be normal and just go out and be around other people and hang out. I have a tendency to sometimes be pretty closed off and not see people for long periods of time and not call anyone. It's actually, in a way, a hopeful song. Especially the lines "One more time around/Might do it", which is basically saying, 'I tried today to understand and belong and get along with other people, and I failed, but I'll probably try again tomorrow.' A lot of people misinterpreted that song as a suicide-note song. Taking the word "live" too literally. "The Day I Tried to Live" means more like the day I actually tried to open up myself and experience everything that's going on around me as opposed to blowing it all off and hiding in a cave.[5]

Release and reception

"The Day I Tried to Live" was released as a single in 1994, but was rather underpromoted when compared to "

Modern Rock Tracks chart. Outside the United States, the single was released in Spain and the United Kingdom. In Canada
, "The Day I Tried to Live" charted on the Alternative Top 30 chart where it peaked at number 27 and stayed there for two weeks.

Music video

The music video for "The Day I Tried to Live" was directed by Matt Mahurin.[6] The video features a man apparently dressed as a hospital patient floating around a bedroom and appearing alone and dazed in various city scenes. It also features the band performing the song in a boiler room. After the first chorus, the band members are shown with their instruments ablaze. The video was released in April 1994.[6] The video is available on the CD-ROM Alive in the Superunknown.

Cover versions

"The Day I Tried to Live" was covered by Between the Buried and Me on the band's 2006 album The Anatomy Of, and was also covered in a studio release by Sevendust in June 2020[7] for their album Blood & Stone.

Track listing

All songs written by Chris Cornell, except where noted:

Promotional CD (US), CD (UK), and 12" Vinyl (UK)
  1. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:20
  2. "Like Suicide" (acoustic) – 6:12
  3. "Kickstand" (live) (Cornell, Kim Thayil) – 1:58
Promotional CD (Spain)
  1. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:20
  2. "Limo Wreck" (Matt Cameron, Cornell, Thayil) – 5:47
7" Vinyl (UK) and Cassette (UK)
  1. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:20
  2. "Like Suicide" (acoustic) – 6:12
Promotional 12" Vinyl (US)
  1. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:20
Promotional 12" Vinyl (UK)
  1. "The Day I Tried to Live" – 5:20
  2. "Like Suicide – Acoustic" – 6:12
  3. "Kickstand – Live" – 1:58

note: etched vinyl + Superunknown stencil

Chart positions

Chart (1994–1995) Peak
position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[8] 27
UK Singles (OCC)[9]
 42
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10] 13
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11] 25

References

  1. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. April 16, 1994. p. 27.
  2. ^ Iversen, Taylor D. (July 19, 2011). "REVIEW: Soundgarden at Red Rocks, July 18". Boulder Weekly. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "Top 5 Amazing 'Mainstream' Rock Songs With Weird Time Signatures". Ultimate Guitar. June 27, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Rotondi, James. "Alone in the Superunknown." Guitar Player. June 1994.
  5. ^ Foege, Alec (January 12, 1995). "The End of Innocence". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ a b "Soundgarden music videos". Music Video Database. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  7. ^ Shinn, Travis (June 26, 2020). "Sevendust Share Cover of Soundgarden's 'The Day I Tried to Live'". Spin. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9238." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Soundgarden: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Soundgarden Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2016.

12. https://www.guitarworld.com/features/kim-thayil-soundgarden-landmark-guitar-moments

External links

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