Hear a new, previously unreleased Chris Cornell song

February 26, 2018

A new, previously unreleased Chris Cornell song—the late Soundgarden frontman's tribute to the words of country godfather Johnny Cash—has now been revealed. Hear Cornell's “You Never Knew My Mind” below.

Read more: 10 times Chris Cornell moved us

The previously unheard Cornell tune comes from a new tribute album to Cash, Johnny Cash: Forever Words, out April 6 via Legacy Recordings. Per a press release, the collaborative album “consisting of songs created from Johnny Cash's unknown poetry, lyrics and letters set to music by an astounding array of contemporary artists” features contributions from Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson and more, in addition to the new Cash tune from the Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple Of The Dog singer.

As noted by Stereogum, Cash previously covered Soundgarden's “Rusty Cage” (available on 2003's Unearthed box set), and Cornell returned the favor by creating “You Never Knew My Mind,” an original tune derived from unused Cash lyrics that appears on the forthcoming Forever Words.

Cornell unexpectedly died last May, while touring with Soundgarden, at the age of 52. Cash passed away in 2003, aged 71, following the death of his wife June Carter Cash earlier that year. Posthumous Cash albums such as 2006's American V: A Hundred Highways (the icon's fifth release in his Rick Rubin-produced “American series”) and 2014's Out Among The Stars (a “lost” album of 1980s recordings) have found critical and commercial success.

“You Never Knew My Mind” was one of the last songs Cornell recorded before his death, according to the NME—it was tracked at Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Speaking to Cash's impact on him at the time, Cornell said, “I met the man once or twice in my life, and he was so gracious and he was such an influence on me as a musician.”

Hear Cash's version of Soundgarden's “Rusty Cage” here, and see the Forever Words track listing after the new Cornell tune. You can pre-order Johnny Cash: Forever Words here and see a video trailer for the album right here.

Forever Words tracklist:
1. Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson – “Forever/I Still Miss Someone”
2. Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves – “To June This Morning”
3. Brad Paisley – “Gold All Over The Ground”
4. Chris Cornell – “You Never Knew My Mind”
5. Alison Krauss And Union Station – “The Captain's Daughter”
6. T. Bone Burnett – “Jellico Coal Man”
7. Rosanne Cash – “The Walking Wounded”
8. John Mellencamp – “Them Double Blues”
9. Jewel – “Body On Body”
10. Elvis Costello – “I'll Still Love You”
11. Carlene Carter – “June's Sundown”
12. Daily & Vincent – “He Bore It All”
13. I'm With Her – “Chinky Pin Hill”
14. Robert Glasper – “Goin', Goin', Gone” (feat. Ro James and Anu Sun)
15. The Jayhawks – “What Would I Dreamer Do?”
16. Jamey Johnson – “Spirit Rider”