Chris Cornell Charts A New Posthumous Top 10 Hit

Forbes

21-04-2025

Audioslave's 'Like a Stone' climbs to No. 10 on Billboard's Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, marking ... More the band's first top 10 on the tally. American rock band Audioslave performs on stage, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 11, 2003. Pictured is singer Chris Cornell. (Photo by)
Audioslave may no longer be an active band since the tragic loss of frontman Chris Cornell years ago, but that doesn't mean people aren't still listening to the music that the group left behind. More than 20 years after it first introduced the supergroup to the world, 'Like a Stone' is still racking up enough plays to make an appearance on the Billboard rankings. This week, the single reaches a new high on one genre-specific tally, giving Audioslave a rare chart win.
'Like a Stone' moves up just one space on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, but that single rung makes a big difference. The tune rises from No. 11 to No. 10, officially breaking into the top 10 on that list for the first time. The tally, which ranks the most-streamed hard rock tracks in the U.S. across platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, has never seen Audioslave rock this high before.
Despite being one of the most respected rock bands of the early 2000s, Audioslave has only ever reached the Hard Rock Streaming Songs ranking with 'Like a Stone.' That means this frame's new peak is also the band's first trip into the top 10 on that list.
While 'Like a Stone' originally arrived more than two decades ago, it only found space on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart for the first time in August 2024. Since then, it's racked up 15 nonconsecutive frames, falling off of the list, only to return again – and in this instance, climb higher than ever.
Audioslave isn't the only Cornell-backed act charting this week. Soundgarden, the band that first made the late singer a rock icon, is also present on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs tally. This frame, the group's classic 'Black Hole Sun' keeps at No. 17. That single has proven to be one of Soundgarden's most celebrated smashes, as it has now spent 60 weeks on the roster, and previously peaked at No. 5.
Audioslave was formed by combining members of two powerhouse rock outfits: Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden. The band released its self-titled debut album in 2002, and 'Like a Stone' quickly emerged as its breakout hit. The track became an early rock 2000s staple, thanks in part to Cornell's unmistakable vocals and a slow-burning melody that fans are clearly still enjoying to this day, decades later.