Fell on Black Days: Analyzing the Song Lyrics of Chris Cornell for Insight into Depression and Suicide

Abstract

Chris Cornell was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and pioneer of grunge music. Cornell struggled with mental illness and addiction and incorporated these themes into his song lyrics. At age 52, Cornell died by suicide in his hotel bathroom following a live performance. This mixed-methods study examines Cornell’s song lyrics for references to negative words and themes related to depression and suicide. Two coders independently reviewed lyrical transcripts to identify the primary theme, secondary theme(s), and valence (positive or negative). Sentiment analysis, a natural language processing technique, was used to examine word frequency and valence. Songs (N = 215) were predominantly (79%) negative and contained more negative (N = 3244, 56.1%) than positive (N = 2537, 43.9%) words. Thematic analysis by stage of career shows a narrowing focus on depression, failed relationships, and morbid thoughts. Themes of depressed mood, death, and suicide were common and increased by stage of career. By applying qualitative and quantitative techniques to song lyrics, this study revealed that Cornell’s songs reflect a narrative of negativity consistent with someone experiencing depression and thoughts of death and suicide. Like personal notes and poems, song lyrics may reflect symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts warranting clinical attention.