Saturday Morning Soundtrack: "I Am The Highway" -- Audioslave

3/16/2013

Right now, in our rock and roll writing class my students are finding rock music that inspires them and creating flash nonfiction pieces we are calling "Liner Notes" where they try to capture their elusive, sometimes visceral reactions to the music, using lyrical language, a critical eye, and vivid imagery. I'll be joining them in this project over the next few months, posting video links to a few of my favorites and my responses to them. Some of these songs will be recent, some I'll be revisiting from a far way off. I don't claim to be a music critic, just a diehard fan. Hope you enjoy!

"I Am The Highway" -- Audioslave (2002)

In “I Am The Highway,” Chris Cornell’s character has escaped from an oppressive relationship, one that’s gone on far too long (don’t most oppressive relationships?), and he’s offering an explanation to his ex by way of song. I am not your rolling wheels / I am the highway, our bard explains. I am not your carpet ride / I am the sky / I am not your blowing wind / I am the lightning / I am not your autumn moon / I am the night. This listing of misconceptions is a simple conceit but effective. He’s not angry or spiteful—these things happen, people fit together poorly sometimes, and it’s time for him to move on now.

What makes this song so rare is that its message is coming from a man. While plenty of men have, for sure, felt unappreciated and disrespected by their partners, we rarely hear those sentiments expressed in song. It’s usually the Aretha Franklins of the world who get to tell their lover, “So long, sucker; I’m just not taking it anymore.” It's the kind of move that could easily backfire, but coming from Cornell it works—he’s one of those fun-sized human beings who happen to be blessed with a startlingly powerful voice, and he knows how to work that in his favor. The lyrics to this anti-aubade may not mean much taken on their own, but when Cornell sings them, they hit us like a lightning strike (which makes sense, I guess, because he is the lightning). His voice is somber and majestic—the weight lifting from his shoulders with every note, every mile; his weariness peeling away in layers--and it pairs nicely with Tom Morello's understated guitar-work. By the time we reach Cornell's last soulful trip through the chorus at 4:14, it’s clear that he’s not coming back. He’s going to be okay on his own for a while.

It's a beautiful moment when that realization sinks in, isn't it?

Love the song? Hate it? Think I've got it all wrong? Please, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. And, if you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.

8 Comments

Steve

9/14/2016 12:33:22 am

I know it's been several years since this songs release, but I found myself listening to it tonight and pondering the true meaning of the song. Although a song always means whatever it means to the listener and that meaning is fluid I found myself at a realization. A lot of sites say that this song is about a woman or a relationship. I think the song is about something bigger. I think the song is about life. Life is not about the rolling wheels, it's about the highway. Life is not about the carpet ride. Life is not about the blowing wind. I think the song is about dwelling too much in the small things and forgetting to see the bigger picture. Life is not short... it's long. Long enough to live it to the fullest. While the song may be an ode to an ex, he is explaining that he never saw life's big picture until it was too late.

Kap link

9/17/2016 02:58:29 pm

Hi, Steve--thanks for reading and leaving a comment! I agree with you. I think the literal (or, maybe, less figurative) interpretation that it's a song about a woman/ex is probably true--but like most good art, it's about more than one thing. The design of the song--that he's talking to someone specific--is, I think, a vehicle for expressing all those big picture realizations you mention, including being too myopic/missing the forest for the trees. Thanks again for sharing! This remains a favorite song of mine, and it's been fun to ponder!

Luna

5/28/2017 03:26:47 pm

The first memory I have of hearing Chris Cornell's voice was during high school when Temple of the Dog's Hunger Strike came out. I also was familiar with and enjoyed Soundgarden's music when I was living in Texas and while I knew it was the same person, I just wasn't really a crazy fan. Later on, in my late twenties when my Army tour was up (and my first marriage was coming to an end) I came back home to California. One of the first things I did was buy this Audioslave CD so I could keep playing I Am The Highway over and over. Back then I could relate as I was walking away from a relationship but I always felt these lyrics and many others he wrote had a much more spiritual meaning underneath. For me, he was talking about God, our souls, our constant yearning to go back Home, and ultimately finding our freedom and leaving this physical world. It's a very powerful song thanks to his amazing voice. It starts out softly and each time he repeats the chorus, it builds up more and more until he hits that one note that makes your entire being feel as though it has caught on fire. It feels liberating yet painful at the same time.....especially now. Love and Light to your beautiful soul, Chris. Thank you for making the journey with us. You ARE the SSSSKKKKYYYYYYYY!

5/28/2017 03:48:30 pm

Hi, Luna--thanks for reading and leaving a comment! I couldn't agree more--there is something transcendent and bittersweet about the song and it's quest for freedom, and (with all due respect to the rest of the band) that does seem to begin and end with Cornell's powerful voice. It builds, as you say, until it hits that high note in the last chorus. I felt so sad to hear the news about Chris Cornell, but I'm really glad that he lives on through his music.

Paul Rooney

6/15/2017 09:32:26 am

I was lucky enough to see him perform live with Soundgarden at Lollapalooza in San Jose 1996. I am from Scotland and live there now but at the time I was living and working in the States.

I Am The Highway and Like A Stone were my favourite tracks from the Audioslave album albeit Gasoline is the best track for playing air guitar to :)

Chris Cornell was such an incredible talent. It was a shock to read of his untimely death. I was introduced to Soundgarden when the "grunge" scene took off in this country around '91 / '92. Not long after that I was introduced to Temple of the Dog which is an incredible piece of work and a fitting tribute to another who left before his time (Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone).

In terms of this song, I always thought he was singing to a partner because he sings I am not YOUR rolling wheels. It doesn't really matter though does it? As has already been pointed out, it means whatever you want it to mean.

Peace n love to all Chris Cornell fans.

6/15/2017 12:03:18 pm

Hi, Paul--thanks for reading and sharing your story! I wasn't lucky enough to see Chris Cornell in concert, but I've been a great admirer of his work for a long time, in particular some of his more recent Songbook recordings. Temple of the Dog and Mother Love Bone were two that I discovered after the fact, when I was older and more interested in digging deeper than what I'd heard on mainstream radio all the time growing up, and I still listen to both groups often. Cornell was an incredible talent, as you say, and I always thought his vocal skills were only getting better with age.

brad

10/12/2018 10:00:54 am

LIke all good poetry, different meanings can be found in it, but Chris struggled with a spiritual identity and belief system. As a person in Recovery, I know that battle myself. Chris came from an anesthetic background, when you enter Recovery that gets challenged immediately. For him to place a biblical reference at the beginning and use it correctly tells me he has been reading Scripture and understanding it. Morello's church organ set the tone, this is a spiritual song. Not some simple break up or been used piece, real soulful plea for a man struggling in his beliefs. The chorus is God responding to Chris' doubts, HE is more than what are limited minds can accept, He is greater than we believe. "I am", explains everything God related, its because of Him all of creation has happened. "I am" is a biblical verse, and reminds us that He is omni-present,always present. Each example where Chris is told by God " I am not just...., I am greater than that" . Chris is writing out his revelation of who God really is, much greater than we can comprehend or believe He is. Wonderful song than has deep meaning, not a song just about a failed or bad human relationship. Chris reveals himself and his spiritual conflict to us, recovery forces one to challenge and sometimes change the deepest of our core beliefs.

Donna

8/9/2019 03:31:56 pm

I agree that poetry means whatever it means to to the receiver at the time. I also agree that it is something deeper and something spiritual. I too have been in recovery and relapse and then back on recovery and in a 12-step program you're taught that you need a higher power to hold on to do when times get tough. So I think Chris was figuring out who or what his higher power was. He was such a spiritual soul and I don't think he realized how spiritual he was. We love you Chris!

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