told MTV News that students of Soundgarden's music can find the genesis of "Can't Change Me" in some of the band's hits, such as "Blow Up the Outside World" and "Fell on Black Days". About the meaning of the lyrics, Cornell told MTV's Making the Video:
It was written in the middle of a long songwriting period that I had for the record. Although it's the first song released as a single, it was probably one of the later songs that I wrote. The idea of the song... you kinda get the idea that it's a statement from the singer. It's kind of more of a sad discovery that this singer is involved with this person that has amazing powers to help people and change things positively, and he's realizing that none of it is really rubbing off on him.
Release and Reception
"Can't Change Me" was released in early 1999 and turned out to be the biggest hit from the album commercially and the song had strong chart positions. "Can't Change Me" was the first Cornell single to chart but in late 1998 "Sunshower" charted in the US on the Modern and Mainstream chart. "Can't Change Me's" peak on the Mainstream rock Tracks was No. 5 and on the Modern Rock Tracks its peak was No. 7. The song also charted in the UK where its peak was No. 62 and became a minor hit outside the US. Greg Tate of Rolling Stone said this about the song "Can't Change Me," is as rhapsodically gorgeous as pop gets, putting a spin on true love that any reprobate slacker can relate to: "She's going to change the world/But she can't change me/Suddenly I can see everything that's wrong with me/But what can I do?/I'm the only thing I really have at all." Cornell unveils a desire to be reckoned with as an openly wounded and unabashedly portentous rock balladeer."
Music video
A music video directed by Johan Renck was produced for the song and premiered on MTV on September 6, 1999. The video's concept was Cornell's idea. It also stars Portuguese model and actress Ana Cristina de Oliveira. The video was shot in Hollywood in four days, between July 31 and August 2, 1999, in locations such as at the Raji's, the Townhouse Motel, and in the tiny mountain town of Cornell, located in the Santa Monica Mountains. The fire shots were filmed in Stockholm, Sweden on August 19, 1999. Its filming was showcased in an episode of MTV's Making the Video followed by the world premiere of the music video.
French version
Cornell recorded a version of the song in French. This version is a bonus track on Euphoria Morning's deluxe version, and on the Japanese and European editions of the album released in November 1999. The song was translated to French by Alexis Lemoine.
