The final music video for rock legend Chris Cornell was released on Tuesday. The release of the music video for “The Promise” was specifically unveiled today, June 20, because it is World Refugee Day and the video puts a spotlight and raises awareness on the plight of refugees all over the world. A lyric music video was released in March of this year, but the actual music video was saved and released for World Refugee Day.
The five-minute video, which was recorded in Brooklyn, features Cornell playing an acoustic guitar while lyrics flash in the background. Recent footage of refugees fleeing their war-torn countries, such as Libya and Syria, are meshed together alongside historical atrocities and genocide. Cornell recorded the music video in March, two months before he committed suicide on May 17 at the age of 52. The music video was directed by Stefan Smith and Avis.
From Rolling Stone:
Avis would send rough cuts back and forth to Cornell for feedback, with the songwriter providing one main suggestion: Make it less depressing and more optimistic.
“It’s very hard to put the pieces together for me,” Avis tells Rolling Stone. “I’ve had many people break down when they watch the video. They either cry or are silent for 10 minutes.”
The music video is for the 2016 movie titled “The Promise,” starring Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, and Charlotte Le Bon about a love triangle that happens during the Armenian genocide. Proceeds from the song will support the humanitarian charity International Rescue Committee.