Alice in Chains’ 10 Best Songs
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The post Alice in Chains’ 10 Best Songs appeared first on Consequence.
As one of the “Big Four” bands of Seattle grunge, Alice in Chains’ distinctive specialties (such as sludgy instrumentation and vocal harmonies) set them apart. In fact, they created some of the most meaningful and enduring rock music of the last 30-plus years, so it’s no wonder why they remain so revered.
Fascinatingly, the group formed after the disbandment of Alice N’ Chains, a glam metal band fronted by vocalist Layne Staley whose moniker was a mischievous mixture of Alice in Wonderland and female bondage. Luckily, Staley didn’t have to wait long before fate would put him, guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr together. Although they initially played around with other names (including Diamond Lie and F**k), they soon settled on the marginally altered “Alice in Chains.”
From there, they came out swinging with two of the most celebrated grunge LPs of all time — 1990’s Facelift and 1992’s Dirt — alongside a few notable EPs. Along the way, Starr was replaced by Mike Inez, and the band earned its first No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 with 1995’s Alice in Chains. Despite the success, with Staley’s personal struggles becoming truly detrimental, Alice in Chains went on hiatus (with each member pursuing other ventures). Tragically, Staley succumbed to his drug addiction on April 5th, 2002, but a few years later the band’s surviving members would regroup with a revamped lineup.
With Cantrell, Kinney, and Inez bringing in the talented singer-guitarist William DuVall, Alice in Chains have had one hell of a second chapter. Together, they’ve put out three acclaimed studio records — 2009’s Black Gives Way to Blue, 2013’s The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, and 2018’s Rainer Fog.
Perhaps even more than the other three “Big 4” Seattle grunge bands (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden), Alice in Chains’ influence was largely felt on the next generation of rock and metal acts who followed them. Bands like Mastodon, Godsmack, Queens of the Stone Age, Stone Sour, and more owe a great debt to Alice in Chains, with Corey Taylor recently calling them his favorite of the aforementioned Seattle acts.
“Alice in Chains, to me, is one of the greatest rock bands that ever was,” Taylor declared in 2021. “And I don’t just mean that from a grunge standpoint or metal or anything like that. They revolutionized so much musically and they inspired me to change the way I write music.”
Alice in Chains definitely have a one-of-a-kind legacy, and in honor the 20th anniversary of Staley’s passing and the 30th anniversary of Dirt — as well as the group’s expansive 2022 co-headlining summer tour with Breaking Benjamin (tickets available here) — we’ve dug up dirt on the band’s 10 best tunes.
— Jordan Blum,
Contributing Writer
10. “Got Me Wrong”
Originally released on 1992’s Sap EP, “Got Me Wrong” charted unexpectedly two years later, when a different version was included in Kevin Smith’s debut film, Clerks. It certainly deserved the attention, however delayed, because it’s a superb example of Alice in Chains’ knack for romance-tinged acoustic ballads and shared singing (courtesy of Staley and Cantrell). In typically genre fashion, the juxtaposition between its soft verses and ardent choruses is consistently engaging, and the complementary electric guitar licks peppered throughout are unassuming yet enticingly sleek. — Jordan Blum
09. “Hollow”
“Hollow” was a stellar pick for both the opening piece and first single from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, as it established the prevailing sound of the LP amidst building hype for it. Indeed, the song’s hypnotic rhythms and djent-like gruffness are downright irresistible, evoking classic Alice in Chains while also incorporating some modern alternative/doom tinges. The same synthesis essentially applies to the vocals, too, which meld vintage warmth with layers of industrial coldness. It’s among the most exhilarating tracks of the DuVall era, for sure. — Jordan Blum
08. “We Die Young”
The singles for Alice In Chains’ 1990 debut album Facelift signaled a cultural shift away from hard rock and glam metal to a more realistic, honest form of rock music. Few bands have burst out of the gates with a better string of songs, essentially launching the alternative movement in earnest with the overwhelming success of “Man in the Box” and its widely seen music video — a year before Nirvana blew the doors off with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Alice then dropped “We Die Young” — another introspective riffer. If “Man in the Box” was Layne Staley’s rumination on death, then “We Die Young” was Jerry Cantrell’s take on mortality. The duality of the songs also illustrates the twin songcraft of Staley and Cantrell. Each has their own style — one can usually pick out a Staley tune from a Cantrell-penned track based on the guitar parts, tempo, and lyrics — yet they balance perfectly in a conceptual sense. A bit of the ’80s hard rock production that colored early Alice in Chains can be heard on “We Die Young,” but the energy and sentiment transcends anything remotely commercial. The transition to a more authentic artistic expression in heavy music was well underway. — Jon Hadusek
07. “Heaven Beside You”
A highlight from Alice’s self-titled 1995 album, “Heaven Beside You” captures that golden Jerry Cantrell sound. The song’s twangy central riff is played on an acoustic guitar, preluding the sound design of the Unplugged recordings and further reminding us how damned good this band works in a stripped-down format. Oblique lyrics are set against a feel-good mid-tempo pace and bright, chiming tones as Cantrell takes lead vocals with backup from Staley during the choruses. Both the studio and Unplugged renditions are flawless, and no matter how many times you listen to both, the song never really grows old or overplayed. This is timeless stuff.
— Jon Hadusek
06. “Your Decision”
Arguably the crowning achievement of Alice in Chains’ latter era is the 2009 single “Your Decision.” It anchored the release of comeback album Black Gives Way to Blue with a song that conjures nostalgia, longing, and reflection — much like the band’s classic material. One could gather that Jerry Cantrell’s lyrics are sung to a friend who is long gone, rendering it even more poignant considering Alice in Chains’ unlikely return following the death of Layne Staley earlier in the decade and the band’s subsequent hiatus. The song’s arrangement and familiar use of acoustic guitars are enough to bring you right back to the halcyon days of the mid-’90s. — Jon Hadusek
05. “Them Bones”
Penned as a slightly “sarcastic” examination of “dealing with your mortality and life” — according to Cantrell — it’s one of the greatest grunge tunes ever. It wastes no time sucking listeners in, either, via its combination of intoxicating chants and cyclical guitar riffs played in 7/8 time. In contrast, the chorus is markedly more soothing and basic, yet that’s what makes it so inescapably catchy. In general, it’s precisely this dynamic and economic duality that grants “Them Bones” (and Dirt as a whole) such long-lasting distinction. — Jordan Blum
04. “Nutshell”
Some of Alice in Chains’ most openhearted songs are contained on the primarily acoustic Jar of Flies EP. The Staley-penned “Nutshell” is particularly affecting, laying bare the singer’s emotional state with intensely personal lyrics and an imitable vocal performance. In the plaintive key of E minor, Cantrell’s chords accent the song’s somber tone, which verges on depressive rock. Except for a majestic guitar solo, the band ride out the melancholic chord progression with meditative repetition. For anyone who’s been in a state of loneliness or isolation, “Nutshell” is an emotional blanket of a song. It might just be Layne Staley’s masterpiece as a singer and songwriter. — Jon Hadusek
03. “Rooster”
Cantrell wrote it in honor of his Vietnam veteran father (whose childhood nickname was “Rooster”); in fact, he said that the track started “the healing process” between them, and it’s easy to hear why considering its compassionately detailed narrative about the struggles the elder Cantrell faced. Musically, it’s just as enchanting, with the instrumentation and singing capturing the griminess, tedium, and aggression of war. Staley’s wide-ranging performance is a clear career highlight, and the dense arrangement fluctuates brilliantly between moody lethargy to heightened agitation. It’s amazing. — Jordan Blum
02. “Man in the Box”
“Man in the Box” is the biggest song from their debut album, which makes sense since it single-handedly boosted Facelift’s sales, got Alice in Chains to tour with Van Halen, and helped the band “become what it was.” It’s a fascinating bridge between 1980s heavy metal and 1990s grunge/alternative rock, with Staley singing melodically but gruffly about censorship and citizen control through the media. Meanwhile, Starr and Kinney shine as the appropriately straightforward rhythm section, and Cantrell’s twangy talkbox and fiery solo give the whole thing an idiosyncratic spiciness. — Jordan Blum
01. “Would”
“Would” is one of those rare songs that exists in the ether of an imperceivable fourth dimension. It not only captures a time and place, but a cultural consciousness and shared feeling among a whole generation of artists and listeners. Written by Jerry Cantrell following the death of Mother Love Bone’s Andrew Wood (hence the song title), the closing track to 1992’s Dirt melds a deceptively complex arrangement to the most poetic and chilling lyrics Cantrell ever penned. Considering how Wood’s fate (an overdose) would soon befall more Seattle musicians in the years to come, including Staley, “Would” became an ominous anthem of the times.
Mike Starr’s bass line leads us to a beguiling Cantrell riff that builds tension — an almost jazz-like restraint that pulls the listener closer. The notes float with mysterious urgency before the song explodes into a massive chorus, as Cantrell’s vocals give way to those of Staley — exemplary use of Alice in Chains’ dual-singer approach. An unexpected major coda brings the song home with an earworm vocal hook (“Have I run too far to get home?”), completing the band’s ultimate composition with surging triumph. — Jon Hadusek
Alice in Chains’ 2022 US tour kicks off on August 10th in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Get tickets via Ticketmaster.
Alice in Chains’ 10 Best Songs
Jon Hadusek and Jordan Blum
Popular Posts
