RockLists.com
Cover of Temple of the Dog by Temple of the Dog
Cover: Temple of the Dog

Song · Temple of the Dog

“Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog

From the album Temple of the Dog (1991)

“Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog appears on 104 radio countdowns from 39 stations between 1992 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Temple of the Dog. Its best result is #7 on the WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #22 alternative song of 1992, #157 alternative song of all time and #225 of the '90s.

104countdowns
39stations
#7best position
0#1 finishes
2top 10 finishes
1992–2026years charted

Watch

Temple Of The Dog - Hunger Strike

Video from YouTube (TempleOfTheDogVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Hunger Strike" comes from Temple of the Dog's self-titled album, released on A&M in 1991, the only studio record the band ever made. Chris Cornell wrote it alone, words and music, and then did something generous: he let Eddie Vedder take the lead vocal alongside his own.

That trade-off is the whole magic of it. The song rolls along on a slow, patient guitar figure, and the two singers pass the lines back and forth, Vedder low and grave, Cornell climbing until his voice cracks open into a howl. It sounds spare and unhurried, with nothing wasted. Rick Parashar produced it with the band, and Brendan O'Brien mixed it, leaving plenty of air around the two voices.

It went out as the album's first single and became the band's most successful song, reaching number four on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1992 14 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 11 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91
1992 14 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101
1992 14 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992 100

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 33 CRNC 90.1 CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of the '90s 91
1994 145 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 245 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 94 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 128 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 240 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 60 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 189 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 164 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 207 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 128 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 249 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 292 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 155 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 250 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 1252 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 394 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
1999 68 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 173 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1252 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2000 68 The Edge KEDJ Countdown 2000 (106 songs) 106
2001 175 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 1258 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 10 KISW KISW Top 99 Rock Songs (2001) 99
2001 194 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 7 WFNX WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002) 50
2002 141 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 1257 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 122 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 115 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 133 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 1242 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 152 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 1242 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 152 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2004 12 WBCN WBCN Grunge Top 104 (2004) 104
2005 1244 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 142 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 41 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Songs of the '90s (December 2006) 107
2006 156 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2007 168 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 187 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 325 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 161 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 194 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 122 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 166 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 105 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 182 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 276 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 190 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 189 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 635 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 188 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 169 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2014 340 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2014 658 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 639 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 171 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2016 322 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 524 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2017 412 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 492 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2019 256 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 184 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 150 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2019 884 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 211 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 311 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 78 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 425 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 251 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 47 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 215 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 278 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 17 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 65 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 20 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 476 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 298 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 563 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2023 126 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 76 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 18 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2023 137 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 147 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 378 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 253 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 382 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 204 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2024 165 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 108 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2025 545 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 96 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 170 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 145 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2026 399 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500
2026 482 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 300 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 168 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →
  1. 1Friday I'm in LoveThe Cure
  2. 2Under the BridgeRed Hot Chili Peppers
  3. 3DriveR.E.M.
  4. 4OneU2
  5. 5JeremyPearl Jam
  6. 6TomorrowMorrissey

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.