In an interview for the making of the video of “Your Decision”, singer William DuVall stated that “This song is all about choices and their consequences”.^[8] Many fans believe this song was written from Jerry Cantrell to the late Layne Staley, who couldn’t kick his addiction to drugs and died in 2002.

DuVall and drummer Sean Kinney stated that the song has a simple message: DuVall: “Consequences, you know. It’s your decision. You’ve got to sleep in the bed you make, you know. Things happen, and it’s just funny how one little left or right turn in your life can just totally take you off on a tangent that can be so bizarre and unanticipated, you know.”^[9]

Kinney: “I’ve taken a lot of lefts and a lot of rights. I’m sure we all have. You’ve got to deal with it when you get there.”^[9]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Your Decision, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles—where the members of Alice in Chains make a cameo appearance—and later appeared on the band’s second studio album Dirt, also released in 1992. “Would?” was released as a single and peaked at No. 31 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1992, at No. 19 in 1996, and in 2019 the song peaked at No. 15 on the Hot Rock Songs chart after it was featured in the trailer for the season 2 of the Netflix show The Punisher. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), Music Bank (1999), Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged in 1996 was released in a live album and DVD. In 2009, “Would?” was named the 88th Best Hard Rock Song of All Time by VH1.^[6]

The song, written by guitarist/co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell, concerns the late lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Dave Jerden.^[7]

In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

I was thinking a lot about Andrew Wood at the time. We always had a great time when we did hang out, much like Chris Cornell and I do. There was never really a serious moment or conversation, it was all fun. Andy was a hilarious guy, full of life and it was really sad to lose him. But I always hate people who judge the decisions others make. So it was also directed towards people who pass judgments.^[8]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Would?, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, Cantrell said of the song:

“I was just thinking about mortality, that one of these days we’ll end up a pile of bones. It’s a thought for every human being, whether you believe in an after-life or that when we die, that’s it. The thought that all the beautiful things and knowledge and experiences you’ve been through just end when you end scares me, the thought that when you close your eyes for good, it’s gone forever.”^[6]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Them Bones, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged concert was included on the live album Unplugged (1996). Both the studio and the demo version of the song were featured on the box set Music Bank (1999). The song was also included on the compilation albums Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). Metal Hammer ranked “Rooster” at No. 12 on its list of “The 100 Best Metal Songs of the 90s” in 2018, and at No. 2 on its list of “The Top 10 Best Alice in Chains Song” in 2020.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Rooster (song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

The lyrics, penned by Cantrell, are thought to be about his unstable relationship with band vocalist Layne Staley, highlighting both their difficulties as well as their friendship. The final verse seems to come to a resolve in stating that Cantrell will “defend” Staley and that, should they grow further apart, he will “love (Staley) anyway.”

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article No Excuses (Alice In Chains song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song; “That whole beat and grind of that is when we started to find ourselves; it helped Alice become what it was.”^[2]

The song makes use of a talk box to create the guitar effect. The idea of using a talk box came from producer Dave Jerden, who was driving to the studio one day when Bon Jovi‘s “Livin’ on a Prayer” started playing on the radio.^[3]

The original Facelift track listing credited only vocalist Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell with writing the song.^[4] All post-Facelift compilations credited the entire band. It is unclear as to why the songwriter credits were changed.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Man In The Box, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

“Heaven Beside You” was written by Jerry Cantrell after the break-up with his girlfriend of seven years,^[5] Courtney Clarke.^[3] Cantrell was unable to remain faithful to the woman who he described as “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life,” and added, “I still love her, but I’m too much of a fucking wolf—kill, attack, move on…It’s so tough when you’re so used to being hard. You can’t tell an oak tree to be a pine.”^[5]

In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

Another attempt to reconcile the fact that my life and paths are tearing me apart from the person I love. All the things I write about her are a way for me to maybe speak to her, express things I could never express.^[3]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Heaven Beside You, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Written by guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, “Grind” addresses the various rumors that surrounded the band at the time. The opening lines, “In the darkest hole, you’d be well advised/Not to plan my funeral before the body dies”, address the rumors that the band had broken up and the many rumors of vocalist Layne Staley‘s death that had occurred frequently around this time. In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

That was pretty much at the height of publicity about canceled tours, heroin, amputations, everything, thus it was another “FUCK YOU for saying something about my life” song. Any single rumor you can imagine, I’ve heard. I’ve been dead a few times, Layne’s been dead countless times and lost limbs. I get on the phone every time I hear a new one, “Hey Layne, radio in New York says you lost two more fingers.” “Oh really? Cool.” I’d spoof The Six Million Dollar Man; “Since technology’s moved on it only cost us 2 million to put Layne back together and we got better parts.”^[5]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Grind (song), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Dirt (Alice in Chains album), which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

The song was one of the few written entirely by vocalist Layne Staley for the band. In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

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.^[2]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Angry Chair, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.