Nothing Compares 2 U

Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell’s raspy voice is a great way to begin anything, including the new year. This song is all the more appropriate as it seems like an apt epitaph for the singer. Cornell, who died in May, sang this as a tribute to Prince, who wrote the song. Irish artist Sinead O’ Connor took the song to international fame when she sang it in 1990. “Prince’s music is the soundtrack to the soulful and beautiful universe he created, and we have all been privileged to be part of that amazing world,” Cornell wrote after the song’s release. He might as well have been writing about himself.

Cornell’s death was ruled a suicide – he suffered from depression and substance abuse earlier in his life. On what would have been Cornell’s 53rd birthday, his friend and Linkin Park co-founder Chester Bennington committed suicide. Both their deaths were massive blows to fans like me, who have grown up listening to Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog, and Linkin Park.