Only Dying (non-existent re-recorded version of Stone Temple Pilots song; 1993)
Stone Temple Pilots are an American grunge/alt-rock band originating from San Diego, CA. Formed in 1985, the band was originally named Mighty Joe Young and had a significantly different style, with influences ranging from funk, to yodeling, to the brand of hard-rock-meets-stadium-rock that the band ultimately became known for. The band played several gigs around the San Diego area, including opening shows for the Henry Rollins-fronted hardcore punk band Black Flag, and gained a moderate fanbase, which allowed them to record a demo album in 1990.
The demo contained several songs that would end up being re-recorded for their debut album Core, as well as several songs that would never see release. Among those songs was one entitled "Only Dying", which is cited to be one of the band's best early works.[1] It features a darker sound than the band would wind up becoming famous for, dealing with issues of loneliness, helplessness, and death. However, the band decided not to re-record it for their official debut album two years later.
In 1993, the band was approached about submitting a song for the soundtrack to the Alex Proyas movie The Crow. The band decided to re-record "Only Dying" for the soundtrack, and presumably finished recording it when actor Brandon Lee died during the filming of the movie. Figuring it would be disrespectful to submit the song to the soundtrack due to it's title and themes, the band ultimately decided to instead submit a song that they had already finished for their next album, Purple, a song titled "Big Empty".[2][3]
The 1993 re-recorded version of "Only Dying" has yet to be released or leaked. The original Mighty Joe Young version, however, does exist in a sub-par quality rip from the demo album, which can be heard on YouTube, as embedded above.