“Been Away Too Long” by Soundgarden

"Been Away Too Long" kicks off King Animal, Soundgarden's sixth album, and it was the record's first single in 2012. Chris Cornell wrote the words and shares the music with Ben Shepherd, and Joe Barresi mixed it. The title came to Cornell on a sleepless night with the radio on, just as the band was starting work on the album; he forgot it until another insomniac night near the end of production, then hung it on a piece of music the band had built but never given words.

Cornell said the song turned autobiographical once he started on the lyrics. He likened it to Eminem's "Without Me", a record about making a record and where its maker stood in pop culture, only his was a stranger, more atmospheric look back. It later turned up in Sons of Anarchy, NHL 14 and Guitar Hero Live.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.