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.
Pretty Done
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let it go
Though it hurts your hand to hold it
Don't let it show
I'm pretty done
Once a favored son
I'm pretty done
Finding no pleasant changes
In old enemies
Not a lead a bit part playing
In my story
I'm pretty done
Once a favored son
I'm pretty done
Slap me 'round for fun
I don't care to further amuse you
Never had you how, could I lose you?
Paid in full, I owe no one at all
I'm supposed to smile and ignore it
Better than some
High roads are to fall from
Already hung
I'm pretty done
Once a favored son
I'm pretty done
Slap me 'round for fun
Pushing towards hopeless mission
Curiosity, omission
History colored since the fall
I'm pretty done
I'm pretty done
I'm pretty done
I'm pretty done
The lyrics in Alice in Chains's song "Pretty Done" convey a sense of resignation and weariness. The opening lines suggest that the singer has finally achieved something that they wanted, but there is a sense of bitterness there - it "hurts your hand to hold it," suggesting that perhaps what they've got isn't quite what they thought it would be. The repetition of the phrase "I'm pretty done" throughout the song reinforces this sense of exhaustion - the singer is unhappy with where they are, and feels as though they've hit a dead end.
There are a few different interpretations of what the specific meaning of the song might be, but one possibility is that it's about the music industry. The line "Not a lead a bit part playing / In my story" could be interpreted as expressing frustration with being relegated to the background, had a minor role, or not having creative control. The line "I don't care to further amuse you / Never had you how, could I lose you?" might suggest feeling undervalued by a wider audience or record labels.
Overall, "Pretty Done" is a song about feeling stuck and disillusioned, but without any clear way to move forward. The repeated refrain of "I'm pretty done" feels like a statement of resignation, as though the singer has reached the end of their rope.
Line by Line Meaning
So you got the thing you wanted
You finally got what you wanted
Don't let it go
Don't let go of it
Though it hurts your hand to hold it
Even if it's causing you pain to hold on to it
Don't let it show
Don't show anyone how it's affecting you
I'm pretty done
I'm exhausted and finished with this situation
Once a favored son
I used to be in a better position
Slap me 'round for fun
People are mistreating me for their enjoyment
Finding no pleasant changes
There's been no improvement
In old enemies
Even with people I used to be enemies with
Not a lead a bit part playing
I'm not playing a small role in my own story
I don't care to further amuse you
I don't care to entertain you anymore
Never had you how, could I lose you?
I never really had you, so how could I have lost you?
Paid in full, I owe no one at all
I've paid back everything I owe, so I don't owe anyone anymore
I'm supposed to smile and ignore it
I'm expected to pretend everything is okay and ignore the problems
Better than some
I'm doing better than some people
High roads are to fall from
Sometimes taking the high road is the hardest thing to do
Already hung
It's too late for me
Pushing towards hopeless mission
Going towards something that feels impossible to achieve
Curiosity, omission
Ignoring things out of curiosity
History colored since the fall
History has been affected since things fell apart
I'm pretty done
I'm completely done and finished
I'm pretty done
I'm completely done and finished
I'm pretty done
I'm completely done and finished
I'm pretty done
I'm completely done and finished
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY CANTRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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