Synopsis

A woman moves through a stark, dreamlike landscape, setting objects and surroundings ablaze as Chris Cornell performs in a worn, wood-paneled room. Their paths remain connected but distant, with the imagery suggesting a volatile relationship and the limits of emotional transformation. As the fire spreads, Cornell is eventually engulfed himself. He walks toward a pond and extinguishes the flames, while the woman watches from afar. The video closes on an unresolved image of separation, reinforcing the song's portrait of someone who cannot be changed by another person's influence.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video's concept came from Chris Cornell himself, making it a particularly personal visual statement for his first solo album, Euphoria Morning.

• Portuguese model and actress Ana Cristina de Oliveira appears opposite Cornell.

• The Hollywood shoot lasted four days, from July 31 through August 2, 1999. Locations included Raji's Bar, the Townhouse Motel, and the small community of Cornell in the Santa Monica Mountains.

• The fire footage was filmed separately in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 19, 1999.

• MTV documented the production in an episode of "Making the Video," which was followed by the video's world premiere on September 6, 1999.

• "Can't Change Me" became Cornell's first solo single to chart in the United States and received a nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 2000 Grammy Awards.