Listen to Alice in Chains’ isolated vocals on ‘Down in a Hole’
Whilst Nirvana are hailed as the ultimate grunge band, and for obvious reasons, there’s a strong argument that the music of Alice in Chains had the most emotional impact. At their peak, their sound was much darker than that of their Seattle peers, despite the intense ruminations of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell. Frontman Layne Staley and co-vocalist and guitarist Jerry Cantrell explored a variety of themes in a much more in-your-face way than their friends from the scene, ranging from censorship to religious hypocrisy.
Heroin would be a topic that cropped up semi-regularly, with Staley using his music as a means of making sense of his addiction. In one of the most incisive revelations of his career, in ‘Hate to Feel’ from 1992’s Dirt, Staley says simply: “Used to be curious / Now the shit’s sustenance”. Tragically, the drug hindered the band when they were at their peak after the release of the 1992 masterpiece and even led to Staley’s death in 2002, despite his attempts to get clean.
Elsewhere, ‘Angry Chair’ from the same record deals with Staley’s estranged father’s heroin addiction in a glaring fashion. As is reported, when the frontman was a child, his father would put him on a chair in front of a mirror as punishment, with the line “angry chair” used as a metaphor for adulthood.
One of the only songs that Staley wrote on his own for the quartet, Cantrell would later say: “Such a brilliant song. I’m very proud of Layne for writing it. When I’ve stepped up vocally in the past he’s been so supportive, and here was a fine example of him stepping up with the guitar and writing a masterpiece.”
It wasn’t all so heroin heavy, though. The band were so in touch with their emotions that they were experts at more tender flourishes. Perhaps the most affecting of these is the power ballad ‘Down in a Hole’ from Dirt, which remains one of their finest compositions. On it, the deep musical understanding between Staley and the song’s writer, Jerry Cantrell, is clear for all to behold. Their vocals dovetail perfectly with each other, floating on top of the romantic but bleak spirit of the latter’s guitar work. The opening line, sung by both men, “Bury me softly in this womb”, will always be piercing.
Cantrell said that he wrote the track for his then-girlfriend Courtney Clarke in the 1999 Music Bank liner notes, “[‘Down in a Hole’]’s in my top three, personally. It’s to my long-time love. It’s the reality of my life, the path I’ve chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It’s hard for us to both understand…that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.”
Luckily for us, the isolated vocals of ‘Down in a Hole’ have been unearthed. From the tender opening to the defiant twist, “I’d like to fly, but my wings have been so denied”, we hear the natural genius of Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell in all their glory. Their partnership was undoubtedly one of the finest of their generation.
Listen to ‘Down in a Hole’ isolated vocal tracks below.
