Chris Cornell Covers Pearl Jam’s ‘Footsteps,’ Explains Song’s History On Fallon [VIDEO]

Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell dropped by 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' with The Avett Brothers to cover 'Footsteps' as part of Pearl Jam week. See the video and find out the somewhat confusing history Cornell has with that particular song here.

Chris Cornell covering this song is kind of odd, as that song has a particularly complicated back story which involves Cornell and Pearl Jam -- here it goes:

Along with Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, and Soundgarden drummer (now, also Pearl Jam's drummer) Matt Cameron, Cornell formed Temple of the Dog album in 1991. Cornell wrote and recorded a song to one of Stone's demos that became 'Times of Trouble.' Eddie Vedder had also recorded his own lyrics on an acoustic demo of the same track for his Pearl Jam audition tape called 'Footsteps.' 'Times of Trouble' was released on the TOTD album in 1991, while a version of Vedder's 'Footsteps' would be released as a B-Side on the 'Jeremy' single in '92. So within one year fans had two very different songs with the same musical arrangement.

Chris gives a more in-depth explanation of how there came to be two completely different versions of the same song in the interview below. You can also hear 'Times of Trouble' and Pearl Jam's version of 'Footsteps' in the videos we've placed below the interview. Pearl Jam week continues tonight (10/22) on LNJF with Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold covering 'Corduroy.'