4 Must-Know Tracks From Alice In Chains’ Grunge Masterpiece ‘Dirt’

Alice In Chains released Facelift in 1990 as hair metal bands still dominated MTV. By January 1991, “Man In The Box” became part of what, in hindsight, looked like a cultural revolution. Then the band’s follow-up, Dirt, arrived in 1992 with grunge and alternative rock fully embedded in pop culture.

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While “grunge” became a catch-all term for unkempt Seattle rock bands, Alice In Chains appeared equally comfortable on hard rock and heavy metal bills as they were on the main stage at Lollapalooza. Dirt is their masterpiece, and if you are unfamiliar, here are four must-know tracks from a grunge classic.

“Them Bones”

The key to a great sophomore album is a great opening track. And “Them Bones” is exactly that. The down-tuned riff is driven by drummer Sean Kinney and punctuated by Layne Staley’s shrieks. It features Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell singing in familiar dark harmonies. Like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains built their songs atop gloomy heavy metal riffs, but while most bands use vocal harmonies to sweeten the hooks, Cantrell and Staley lean into parallel intervals and dissonant harmonies. A song about mortality, you can’t help but think of the overdose deaths of both Staley and original bassist Mike Starr.

“Down In A Hole”

When Johnny Cash covered Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”, it may have surprised some listeners. However, artists such as Neil Young, Meat Puppets, and Dinosaur Jr. helped create a blueprint for noisy country. Cantrell grew up listening to Hank Williams and Willie Nelson, and the dusty sounds of his youth echo in “Down In A Hole”. It describes how Cantrell’s path in rock and roll remained at odds with long-term relationships. Written to his then-girlfriend, a taste of stardom seals the doomed fate of his personal life.

“Rooster”

Cantrell was staying in a guest room at Chris Cornell’s house when he wrote “Rooster”. After his mother passed away, Cantrell wanted to repair his strained relationship with his father. The song is written from the perspective of Cantrell Sr., who served multiple tours in Vietnam. It became a hit for Alice In Chains, an anthem for U.S. service members, and brought the guitarist closer to his father.  

“Would?”

Written for Cameron Crowe’s 1992 grunge rom-com Singles, “Would?” also closes Dirt. Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood inspired the song. Wood died from a drug overdose in 1990. He was only 24, but his death spelled the end of Mother Love Bone and the beginning of a new band, later called Pearl Jam. However, it foreshadowed a very dark future for many in Seattle’s grunge scene, including Staley, Cornell, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, and Hole’s Kristen Pfaff.

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