When Linkin Park legend Chester Bennington sang “One More Light” for his late friend Chris Cornell, no one could have guessed he was singing about himself. Just two months after Cornell’s passing, we also lost Bennington, casting his tribute performance to Cornell in a different light. There’s no doubt that Bennington’s live rendition of “One More Light” on Jimmy Kimmel Live is his most personal performance.
You can really hear the heartache in Bennington’s voice as he sings for his friend just a day after his passing. We would wager that Bennington is the greatest rock singer of his generation, and he proved it here. The frontman bares his soul in the climactic scream at 3:47, and I’d be shocked if any LP fan can listen to that without tearing up and getting goosebumps all over. His voice breaks up with emotion as he sings the following section, giving the final chorus a raw emotional depth.
Watch the video down below and don’t forget to share this beautiful song with your friends and family…
It’s clear that this rendition of “One More Light” is one of Linkin Park’s most important performances, and this wasn’t lost on fans. Fans spoke in tribute to Bennington and Cornell below the video, adding comments such as “That scream for ‘I do’ is one of the most emotionally packed sounds I’ve heard in a long time. Almost haunting. I always come back to this and miss Chester more every time” and “The pain in his voice. Goosebumps every time I hear this live version. RIP Chester.”
Every time Bennington performed “One More Light,” it’s clear that the song took a lot out of him to sing. The rock icon gave another powerful performance of the ballad at the Belgian festival Rock Werchter in 2017. In this version, Bennington makes his way deep into the crowd, seemingly wanting to share his healing energy directly with fans.
Linkin Park released “One More Light” as the third single from their seventh studio album of the same name. The album was released on May 19, 2017, which was two months before Bennington’s death on July 20, 2017. Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda co-wrote the song with Eg White. Shinoda told Kerrang magazine that the lyrics were written in response to the loss of a friend, and that in those moments, “the most important thing to do is to connect with the people you love and remind them you care about them.” One More Light is Linkin Park’s first album to feature a title track. The band made the decision to name the album after “One More Light,” as they believed that the song was the heart of the album.
