Search - Chris Cornell :: Arms Around Your Love

Brilliant Pop Gem

Greg Garfield | 07/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Building (probably unconsciously) on the closing riff from Zep's Stairway to Heaven, Chris Cornell masterfully crafts and executes an infectious pop gem in "Arms Around Your Love". For the intro, Cornell inverts a motif from Jimmy Page's solo into an ascending melody that hovers mournfully over the descending chord progression. Hooks abound, with rich harmonies, most notably in the chorus. The stock-in-trade Cornell bridge follows the second chorus, mixing majesty with a yearning that is resolved in the guitar solo and closing refrain. The closing guitar melody adds an almost incongruous but welcome note of hope.



On the surface, the lyrics are a merciless whipping from a vicious Monday-morning quarterback of a conscience about a lover lost out of the subject's failure to appreciate her. But according to Cornell, the song is more a reflection on the loss or death of lovers, friends or family in general, and the regret of not having fully appreciated or expressed one's love for those lost. In this context, "she" could be interpreted as one's sense of regret ("she's gonna make you pay for it"), and the "he" with his "arms around your love" is death, rather than the lover for whom your lover left you. As with so many other Cornell classics, even the most seemingly straightforward lyrics reveal many new meanings after the initial reflection.



Highly recommended single from a stellar album!"