10 Greatest Tribute Songs In Rock History

5. Goodbye - Slipknot

Slipknot are not a band known for their sentimentality.

They have a song called People = S***. Doesn't exactly scream "emotions", does it?

They're all fine musicians though and clearly just needed the right stimulus. Unfortunately, that was the death of bass player Paul Gray in 2010.

Gray was one of the band's founders and their main songwriter. Questions lingered over whether or not the group would be able to continue without him, but soldier on they did.

In 2014, Slipknot presented .5: The Gray Chapters, an obvious tribute to their departed member. You could argue that every single song and the entire project are in Gray's memory, but the one we've selected is the ominously-titled Goodbye.

Originally thought to be about singer Corey Taylor leaving the band, Goodbye was instead written by Taylor about the grief he felt after losing his close friend.

Whilst still embodying all the sombre traits of a tribute song, the track is undeniably Slipknot. It's full of dark, heavy sounds and the entire thing just feels off in that amazing way only Slipknot can produce.

The band stay true to themselves even in the face of overwhelming sadness. It's what Paul would have wanted.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.