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 hadnāt invented that word. Before they invented the word grunge we were alternative rock and alternative metal and metal and rock, and we didnāt 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.
Queen of the Rodeo
Alice in Chains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seeing how we're in Dallas
We got a special treat for you guys
This little country tune that we wrote
You'll dig it
My daddy was a trucker
Left home when I was three
Then it was mom and me
She always wanted a daughter
Well, look at what she got
He hit me, beat me, a faggot I ain't
But a real man they say that I'm not
I'm the queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
So, cowboy, if you're lookin for lovin'
I ain't no queer, go fuck a steer
I think there might be one over there
I drink too much, I smoke too much
And I'm a human waste
I buy a lot of cheap alcohol
But I'll tell ya honey, I really hate the taste
I dress in drag, they call me a fag
But boy, I really don't care
'Cause last night I met your mother, fucker
And I hope ya like to share, 'cause she did
I'm the queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
So, cowboy, if you're lookin to fight
I ain't no wimp, I scratch and bite
"And I'm gonna kick your ass too"
Queen, queen of the rodeo
Fuck You!
Queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
The lyrics of "Queen of the Rodeo" by Alice in Chains are a sarcastic and ironic commentary on gender and sexual stereotypes presented in the context of a country song. The main character of the song is a drag queen, who is also a victim of abuse and violence from her father, a trucker who left her and her mother to be with another man in Dallas. The drag queen challenges the notion of masculinity and femininity in the traditional cowboy culture by claiming the title of the "Queen of the Rodeo," which is usually reserved for the most masculine and rugged cowboys who compete in the rodeo. She also challenges the audience's expectations of her sexuality by calling out a cowboy for assuming she is "queer" and suggesting that he "fuck a steer" instead. The drag queen also talks about her struggles with addiction, self-loathing, and promiscuity, which further subvert the stereotypes of purity and virtue associated with female characters in country music.
The lyrics of "Queen of the Rodeo" can be interpreted as a critique of the narrow and rigid gender roles and expectations that are imposed on individuals based on their biological sex and sexual orientation. The drag queen in the song is reclaiming a sense of agency and power through her performance and identity, despite the discrimination and violence she has faced. The song also highlights the hypocrisy of the conservative and homophobic values that are often associated with country music, as the drag queen challenges and defies those values while still using the genre's musical tropes and style.
Line by Line Meaning
Alright, now seeing how
The band is playing a special country song for the crowd in Dallas
My daddy was a trucker
The singer's dad left when they were young and later fell in love with a man in Dallas
She always wanted a daughter
The singer's mother wanted a daughter instead of a son who dresses in drag
But a real man they say that I'm not
The singer doesn't conform to societal norms of masculinity
So, cowboy, if you're lookin for lovin'
The singer is not interested in men and suggests cowboys find another animal to love
I drink too much, I smoke too much
The singer has a self-destructive lifestyle
But boy, I really don't care
The singer is unbothered by others' opinions on their lifestyle
And I hope ya like to share, 'cause she did
The singer slept with someone's mother and suggests they're comfortable with their sexuality
So, cowboy, if you're lookin to fight
The singer is not afraid to fight back against perceived threats
Queen, queen of the rodeo
The singer identifies as the queen of the rodeo, regardless of others' perceptions
Fuck You!
The singer is unfazed by those who judge them and their lifestyle
Queen, queen of the rodeo
The singer reasserts their identity as the queen of the rodeo
Lyrics Ā© BMG Rights Management
Written by: Layne Staley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zack Sisk
"Queen Of The Rodeo"My daddy was a trucker
Left home when I was three
He fell for some dude in Austin
Then it was mom and me
She always wanted a daughter
Well look at what she got
A'hit me, beat me, a faggot I ain't
But a real man they say I'm notI'm the queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
So cowboy, if you're lookin for lovin'
I ain't no queer, go fuck a steer
"I think there's one over there..."I drink too much, I smoke too much
I'm a human waste
I buy a lot of cheap alcohol
But I'll tell ya honey, I really hate the taste
I dressed in drag, they call me a fag
But boy, I really don't care
Cause last night I met your girlfriend, sucker
And I hope ya like to share, cause she didI'm the queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
So cowboy, if you're lookin to fight
I ain't no wimp, I scratch and bite
"And I'm gonna kick your ass too..."Queen, queen of the rodeoFUCK YOU!Queen, queen of the rodeo
Queen, queen of the rodeo
Soundtallica in Chains
Why didn't they ever release this song? It's genius.
Emili0
https://youtu.be/_-y3DxrDFKU here it is the kind of studio version
jesse hutchings
Prob bc too offensive lol
Rex L.
there is a demo version. I think it's just one of those things where the song wasn't quite working for them and they cut it in favor of other songs
official vegthenx
To controversial for mtv
Valhalla Gaming
blunderland album they did...
merpandama101
when I was little I memorized the words to this song because my mom had it burned on to a CD and played it in the car. she used to let me sing along because she thought it was hilarious... mother of the year!! šš
Colton Goff456
Your mom is awesome.
V M
merpandama101 I thought this was SO cute lol your mom sounds awesome!!ā¤ļø
KillaCrossover318
One of their best songs. Itās funny and twisted at the same time. Layne is on beast mode.