Although widely associated with grunge music, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal elements. Since its formation, Alice in Chains has released five studio albums, three EPs, three live albums, four compilations, two DVDs, 31 music videos and 29 singles. The band is known for its distinctive vocal style, which often included the harmonized vocals between Staley and Cantrell (and later between Cantrell and William DuVall). Cantrell started to sing lead vocals on the 1992 acoustic EP Sap, and his role continued to grow in the following albums, making Alice in Chains a two-vocal band.
Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with other Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. The band was one of the most successful music acts of the 1990s, selling over 20 million records worldwide, and over 14 million records in the US alone, with two No. 1 albums and six Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. The band has had 16 Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, 5 No. 1 hits, and nine Grammy Award nominations. Their debut album, Facelift, featuring the hit single "Man In The Box", was released in 1990 and has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA, selling over two million copies. In 1992, the band's second album, Dirt, was released to critical acclaim and was certified quadruple platinum. Their second acoustic EP, Jar of Flies, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1994, becoming the first ever EP and first Alice in Chains release to top the charts, and it has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. The band's third album, Alice in Chains debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1995 and has been certified double platinum.
Although never officially disbanding, Alice in Chains was plagued by extended inactivity from 1996 onwards due to Staley's substance abuse, which resulted in his death in 2002. The band reunited in 2005 for a live benefit show, performing with a number of guest vocalists. They toured in 2006, with William DuVall taking over as lead vocalist full-time. The new line-up released the band's fourth studio album, Black Gives Way to Blue, in 2009, which received gold certification by the RIAA and two Grammy nominations. Their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, was released in 2013 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The band toured extensively and released several videos in support of these albums.
Their sixth studio album, Rainier Fog, would be released in 2018, through BMG records, making it their first big release on the new label. Rainier Fog would end up debuting at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, making it yet another powerful addition to the band's already impressive discography.
Although Alice in Chains has been labeled grunge by the mainstream media, Jerry Cantrell identifies the band as primarily heavy metal. He told Guitar World in 1996, "We're a lot of different things ... I don't quite know what the mixture is, but there's definitely metal, blues, rock and roll, maybe a touch of punk. The metal part will never leave, and I never want it to". The Edmonton Journal has stated, "Living and playing in Seattle might have got them the grunge tag, but they've always pretty much been a classic metal band to the core."
Over the course of their career, the band's sound has also been described as alternative metal, sludge metal, doom metal,drone rock, hard rock, and alternative rock. Regarding the band's constant categorization by the media, Cantrell stated "When we first came out we were metal. Then we started being called alternative metal. Then grunge came out and then we were hard rock. And now, since we've started doing this again I've seen us listed as: hard rock, alternative, alternative metal and just straight metal. I walked into an HMV the other day to check out the placement and see what's on and they've got us relegated back into the metal section. Right back where we started!". Drummer Sean Kinney rejects the grunge label, stating in a 2013 interview "I mean, before we first came out there was no grunge, they hadnโt invented that word. Before they invented the word grunge we were alternative rock and alternative metal and metal and rock, and we didnโt give a shit whatever, we were a rock and roll band!". According to Mike Inez, they were always the metal stepchildren of the Seattle scene.
Jerry Cantrell's guitar style combines "pummeling riffs and expansive guitar textures" to create "slow, brooding minor-key grinds". He is also recognized for his natural ability to blend acoustic and electric guitars. While down-tuned, distorted guitars mixed with Staley's distinctive "snarl-to-a-scream" vocals appealed to heavy metal fans, the band also had "a sense of melody that was undeniable", which introduced Alice in Chains to a much wider audience outside of the heavy metal underground.
According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, Alice in Chains' sound has a "Black Sabbath-style riffing and an unconventional vocal style". The band has been described by Erlewine as "hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands". Three of the band's releases feature acoustic music, and while the band initially kept these releases separate, Alice in Chains' self-titled album combined the styles to form "a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers".
Alice in Chains is also noted for the unique vocal harmonies of Staley (or DuVall) and Cantrell, which included overlapping passages, dual lead vocals, and trademark harmonies typically separated by a major third. Cantrell said it was Staley who gave him the self-assurance to sing his own songs. Alyssa Burrows said the band's distinctive sound "came from Staley's vocal style and his lyrics dealing with personal struggles and addiction". Staley's songs were often considered "dark", with themes such as drug abuse, depression, and suicide, while Cantrell's lyrics often dealt with personal relationships.
Again
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, you said you were my friend
Hey, turn me upside down, oh
Hey, feelin' so down
Hey, hey, hey, hey
You made a fool of me again
And again, and again, and again, and again
Hey, I know I made the same mistake, yeah
I, I won't do it again, no
Why, why you slap me in the face, ow
I, I didn't say it was ok, no
No, no
You violated a part of me again
And again, and again, and again, and again
And again, and again, and again, and again
Ah, ooh
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Hey, you had time to think it out, yeah
Hey, your weak will won't help her heal her heart
Hey, I'll bet it really eats you up, huh
Extending part of me again
And again, and again, and again, and again
Ooh
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot
The song "Again" by Alice in Chains is about being repeatedly hurt and betrayed by someone who was supposed to be a friend or ally. The lyrics express the frustration and pain of continually being let down and taken advantage of. The chorus repeats the phrase "And again, and again, and again" to emphasize the cyclical nature of this pattern of abuse.
In the first verse, the singer pleads with his friend to stop hurting him and turn things around. He feels upside down and down overall - this is likely hinting at a metaphorical sense of disorientation and confusion caused by the betrayal. The second verse has the singer admitting that he's also at fault for trusting this friend despite their past actions. However, he's angry about being slapped in the face and wants to make it clear that he never condoned the friend's deceitful behavior.
The bridge shifts to more introspective lines about the violator's own feelings. It suggests that they had time to think about what they were doing and yet continued to hurt the singer anyway. The final chorus has a more resigned tone, as the singer acknowledges that this extension of himself will likely continue to happen. The outro contains a repeating melody of "doot doot" that lends a somewhat ominous feeling to the song's ending.
Overall, "Again" is a song about feeling trapped in an abusive relationship and how difficult it can be to break out of that harmful pattern. The lyrics express a certain level of frustration and exhaustion at the constant cycle of betrayal, and how it can be hard to stop it from happening again and again.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, let 'em do it again, yeah
Allowing the same hurtful actions to occur repeatedly
Hey, you said you were my friend
Feeling betrayed and hurt by someone who claimed to be a friend
Hey, turn me upside down, oh
Feeling disoriented and out of control
Hey, feeling so down
Feeling sad and defeated
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Expressing frustration and anger
You made a fool of me again
Feeling humiliated and foolish due to someone's actions
And again, and again, and again, and again
Emphasizing the repetitive nature of the hurtful actions
Hey, I know I made the same mistake, yeah
Acknowledging one's own role in the situation
I, I won't do it again, no
Making a promise to not repeat past mistakes
Why, why you slap me in the face, ow
Feeling physically and emotionally hurt by someone's actions
I, I didn't say it was ok, no
Asserting that the actions of the other person were not acceptable
You violated a part of me again
Feeling like a core part of oneself has been damaged or disrespected
Hey, you had time to think it out, yeah
Questioning why someone would repeat hurtful actions after having time to consider their impact
Hey, your weak will won't help her heal her heart
Noticing that the person's actions are not only hurting the singer, but also someone else
Hey, I'll bet it really eats you up, huh
Suggesting that the other person may also be feeling the effects of their actions
Extending part of me again
Feeling like a piece of oneself is being given away or damaged by the situation
Ooh
Expressing pain or sadness
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Instrumental
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Instrumental
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Instrumental
Doot doot, yeah, doot doot, yeah
Instrumental
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Cantrell, Layne Staley, Sean Kinney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony Barres
This video was recorded in March 96, only 1 month before the MTV Unplugged show.
On this video, Layne's body is thin, his face emaciated, and he wears gloves (in order to hide the needle marks).
If you compare with the Grind video (recorded in November 95) or the Mad Season shows a few months earlier, where he still looked quite healthy, the change in Layne's appearance is unbelievable in such a short lapse of time...
I think Layne crossed the point of no return in early 96'
He never got back in shape since then.
Rest in Peace, Layne
R.P.T
If youโre reading this, congrats, you have amazing music taste.
Ken Aaron Babbit
This song tears shit up
Frozen Like Elsa
Thanks man!
lumina
Thanks
James M.
thanks mate
Mallory Arroy
๐
Tab Baber
I am a hardcore Grunge Fan and I have to say that in my opinion Alice In Chains stands out above all other Grunge Bands
R.P.T
Definitely
SgtBruNOPE
its alice in chains and then probably nirvana
cheri ware
Above all bands