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 hadn’t invented that word. Before they invented the word grunge we were alternative rock and alternative metal and metal and rock, and we didn’t 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.
Fat Girls
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Fat girls) ooo, can be so much fun
Their mouths are motors (What a girl)
So let their motors run!
After they have eaten you
Out of house and home
And let them halves explode
Can't to back in their cake too much
With only goes out for an
Occasional where to put!
Can't to back in their cake too much
Oh, they're never gonna stop!
(What a girl) fat girls
(Yum, What a girl) Woo
Fat girls can be so much fun!
When you're done and satisfied
You must throw them out
Never have to say, for sure
(Gross?) them out
Feeding my special ladies
Have but one thing to gain
They want to have your babies
They want you ball and chain
They clean to back and they clean too much
With only goes out for an
Occasional where to put!
They clean to back and they clean too much
Oh, they're never gonna stop!
(What a girl) fat girls (yum)
(What a girl) Woo fat girls, oh
Oh!
The lyrics of Alice in Chains's song "Fat Girls" present a satirical and somewhat sarcastic view of relationships with overweight women. The song opens with a commanding request to take out the garbage, setting the tone for a humorous and irreverent exploration of the subject matter.
The chorus of the song, "Fat girls can be so much fun, their mouths are motors, so let their motors run," plays with the idea of overweight women being voracious eaters and suggests a pleasure in indulging in excess with them. The imagery of letting their motors run implies a sense of abandon and enjoyment in the experience.
The lyrics further delve into the concept of overindulgence and excess, with references to being eaten out of house and home and stripping down to one's birthday suit before letting them "halves explode." This can be interpreted as a metaphor for surrendering to temptation and giving in to pleasure without reservations.
The verses touch on themes of commitment and responsibility, with mentions of cleaning up after the "special ladies" and the expectation of having their babies and being tied down in a relationship. The repetition of the line "They clean to back and they clean too much" hints at the idea of the overwhelming nature of these relationships and the inability to escape their influence.
Overall, the lyrics of "Fat Girls" by Alice in Chains use satire and exaggeration to explore the dynamics of indulgence, pleasure, and responsibility in relationships with overweight women. The song combines dark humor and biting commentary to create a provocative and thought-provoking narrative on the complexities of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
(Fat girls) ooo, can be so much fun Their mouths are motors (What a girl) So let their motors run!
Overweight women can bring a lot of enjoyment. They are talkative and energetic, so let them express themselves freely.
After they have eaten you Out of house and home Strip down to your birthday suit And let them halves explode
After they have devoured all your food, get undressed and let them be satisfied.
Can't to back in their cake too much With only goes out for an Occasional where to put! Can't to back in their cake too much Oh, they're never gonna stop!
You can't indulge them too much with food, they only go out occasionally, but once they start, they won't stop.
When you're done and satisfied You must throw them out Never have to say, for sure (Gross?) them out
Once you're satisfied, you must get rid of them. There's no need to be rude, just gently let them go.
Feeding my special ladies Have but one thing to gain They want to have your babies They want you ball and chain
Taking care of overweight women has its rewards. They want a serious commitment from you.
They clean to back and they clean too much With only goes out for an Occasional where to put! They clean to back and they clean too much Oh, they're never gonna stop!
They may overeat and want more food, but they will keep coming back for more. They have insatiable appetites.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
afroninja515
This isn't Alice in Chains, it's Alice N' Chains, the glam band that Layne was in before Alice in Chains.
rock2bach
no, Sleze was before Alice N Chains
grantiscornholio15
Sleze right?
Riot Polizei
Holy shit, Layne's Glam Rock voice is incredibly different from his Hard Rock/Metal voice!
Be it Sleze/Alice N' Chains or Alice in Chains, he was a damn fine vocalist
Jon Wilder
Not fucking bad! Layne has always been one of my top favorite vocalists. Hearing unreleased tunes such as Fairy Tale Love Story, Chemical Addiction, Social Parasite...I always knew there was a hair metal phase to Layne's musical career. Great to finally hear what I knew had to exist somewhere.
He could easily run circles around hair metal vocalists of the day.
BenRoj
Aren't you all glad Layne met Jerry? This was Alice 'N Chains... pre-Cantrell.
Darth Darth Binks
Of course it was pre-Cantrell, because he was never in this band
Kelly McCarthy
I don't care what the band is fucking called, it's still Layne Fucking Staley and he was GREAT! PERIOD!!
Rosie Marie
Layne's voice!! He was so gorgeous i miss him :'(
Alexander Gonzalez
What a voice