August 5, 1981.
In a rural Kansas, there's a 17-year-old VHS recorder geek who was fully focused on the flickering glow of the TV lit up the dark room. A teenage boy sat cross legged in front of his small color TV, a VHS tape already rolling.
Todd murmured, "Wait… who's this guy? That's not pop, this sounds like Led Zeppelin and something heavier had a baby."
He leaned closer, watching the concert clips. Chris Cornell was shirtless in one, drenched in sweat. In another, he's jumping off an amp.
Todd was in awe. "That voice… and this isn't even live? He sounds that good in the studio? Damn."
Somewhere in Detroit, Michigan.
In an early shift line cook at Greasy Spoon, a small TV behind the counter played MTV quietly. A tired cook glances up as the video begins.
The line cook was yawning, then stopped "...who the hell is this kid? That voice is like... primal."
The diner was quiet, but a waitress stopped pouring coffee to glance at the screen.
She said, "Looks like a documentary, but the way they edited it… it hits differently."
In Seattle, Washington's KCMU Local Radio.
At around 7 in the morning, DJ Alice went on air and said, "Seattle's own Chris Cornell made his national MTV debut this morning at the crack of dawn with 'Circle of Life.' The video? A series of live gig montages. The energy? Off the charts. No gimmicks. Just footage of a young man taking over every stage he steps on, dubbed with the album cut of his latest single."
DJ Alice paused "Raw concert footage. Studio polished vocals. But somehow… you feel like you're there in the crowd. It's visceral!"
In The Rocket, Seattle's Underground Weekly at around 10 in the morning.
A writer drafted a headline that said "Chris Cornell's Circle of Life Hits MTV, Concert Footage Turned Coming-of-Age Statement"
"The video doesn't rely on fantasy or surrealism — it's Chris Cornell, mid-song, mid-sweat, mid-stride. It's stitched together like a home movie from a madman's stage diary. 'Circle of Life' doesn't pretend. It performs, with its fists clenched."
At WMMS, Cleveland Rock Radio around 9:30 in the morning.
DJ Tommy Blaze went on air and said, "That was Chris Cornell's debut on MTV, folks, yeah, the song is called 'Circle of Life.' Not a cover, not Elton John. This is straight-up rock. They used real concert footage, dude's going berserk on stage, but the vocals? Studio clean, from the record."
DJ Tommy added, "It's like watching a trailer for a band you have to see live."
Chicago Tribune also commented on their noon print deadline at the music critic's column.
"Chris Cornell's 'Circle of Life' is the most honest debut video aired on MTV this week. No pretense, no costume drama, just the singer doing what he does best: command a stage. Even though the audio is from the studio, the visuals give you every reason to believe he sounds like that in person."
In the afternoon, Rolling Stone made an August 17 Preview Column.
"Keep your eyes on this name: Chris Cornell. MTV aired his debut music video, 'Circle of Life,' early this morning, a montage of real stage performances cut to a raging vocal track. The result? A genuine visual manifesto. The kid doesn't smile. He sings like the world is ending. And that makes for magnetic television."
Editor's Note Sidebar:
"First video that made us wish we were in the front row. Real footage. Real sweat. Real voice."
Then evening came and NBC Nightly News Segment reported.
The anchor said, "MTV, the new all-music cable channel, has already begun to shape the conversation around young artists. One of this morning's standouts? A Seattle singer named Chris Cornell. His music video for 'Circle of Life,' a compilation of gritty concert footage, caught early risers by surprise."
The news video cut to the B-roll of Chris Cornell's "Circle of Life" music video. The narrator voiced over the music video and said, "With a voice that echoes the depth of classic rock greats and a stage presence that feels both wild and sincere, Cornell might just be the next big voice out of the Pacific Northwest."
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New York.
MTV HEADQUARTERS – VIDEO REVIEW ROOM
August 5, 1981. 10:06 AM.
Stacks of coffee-stained clipboards can be seen inside the room. A new band poster for The Pretenders was half-pinned on the wall. A corkboard is already filled with polaroids from launch week.
Lisa walked briskly holding a call log and a red pen. Jerry was sipping burnt coffee. Tom's already seated, watching a paused frame of Chris Cornell, mid-scream, shirtless and backlit by stage lights.
Lisa, the video coordinator, said, "Okay, update from viewer feedback: we got 41 direct calls between 5 and 6:30 AM. That's... insane for that time block."
Jerry, the programming associate, replied, "Let me guess — moms complaining about shirtless boys and Satanic screaming?"
Lisa shook her head, "Wrong. Most of them were asking who he is, if he's touring, and if that was a real show. One guy from Jersey said he thought it was Jim Morrison's ghost."
Tom, the Head of Music Programming, smiled. He said, "No kidding. I watched it again. Twice. That wasn't just energy, that was theater. And the editing? Gritty, but cut to hit the beat every time."
He rewinded to a clip of Cornell on stage in Detroit, lights flashing red, hair soaked, eyes wide with expression as he lip-syncs the chorus.
Jerry said, "Thing is, it's clearly synced to a studio recording. But the video feels live. Audiences won't care. It comes off real."
Lisa replied, "Exactly. It's designed to look like chaos, but it's sharp underneath. I checked — Sub Pop credited a guy named Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau for directing."
She then flipped the log sheet over, showing scribbled notes.
"Two college radio reps called us. KCMU in Seattle wants to know if they can run the audio. And, get this, someone from Billboard called to confirm the video existed. They're sniffing around already."
Jerry asked, "What about ad sales? Any heat?"
Lisa answered, "Nothing formal. But internal sales just sent a memo: that time block got better retention than Pat Benatar's afternoon slot. Which is nuts."
Tom stood up and paced slowly.
"Alright. Move it to 11:30 PM. Tonight. One slot before the nightly recap loop. I want to see if the late-night crowd bites."
Jerry looked at Tom and said, "If they do?"
Tom smirked, "Then we rerun it after Duran Duran next week. Daylight."
Lisa smiled. "I'll contact Sub Pop. I doubt they even realize what just happened."
Tom hit the play button again.
On screen, Chris Cornell raised his hands onstage to a screaming crowd, his hair whipped back, lights blinding the lens, the overdubbed vocals belting:
"It's the circle of life, and it's tearin' through your soul!"