Them Bones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the novel of the same name, see Them Bones (novel).
| ""Them Bones"" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Alice in Chains | ||
| from the album 'Dirt' | ||
| Released | 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1992 | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 2:30 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | Alice in Chains, Dave Jerden |
|
"Them Bones" is the first song from the Alice in Chains album Dirt. Singer Layne Staley brought guitarist/songwriter Jerry Cantrell's disturbing lyrics to life with his eerie, alternately droning and howling vocals. This song also features a very dirty, loud guitar riff that shows their influence from the Grunge genre. The song is somewhat unusual in that Cantrell's guitar riff is actually ascending, rather than descending, giving the song a strange positive undertone which contrasts with the depressing lyrics and frightening vocals. Brutal, dark and bleak, it sets the tone for the album which is considered by many to be Alice in Chains' magnum opus.
Jerry Cantrell on the song, from the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection: "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."
In 2006, Grave covered this song on their As Rapture Comes album. Additionally, the song was used in the English version of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and the mavericks section of the surf film Riding Giants (2004), as well as the video games ATV Offroad Fury, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Doom 2 and Guitar Hero II.
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Them Bones | Mainstream Rock tracks (US) | No. 24 |
| 1992 | Them Bones | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 26 |
[edit] External link
 |
This rock song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Alice in Chains |
| Jerry Cantrell | Mike Inez | Sean Kinney | William DuVall |
| Layne Staley | Mike Starr |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: Facelift | Dirt | Alice in Chains |
| EPs: We Die Young | Sap | Jar of Flies |
| Live Albums: MTV Unplugged | Live |
| Compilations: Nothing Safe: Best of the Box | Music Bank | Greatest Hits | The Essential Alice in Chains |
| Singles: "Bleed The Freak" | "'We Die Young" | "Man in the Box" | "Sea of Sorrow" | "Would?" | "Them Bones" "Angry Chair" | "Rooster" | "Down in a Hole" | "What the Hell Have I" | "Got Me Wrong" | "No Excuses" "I Stay Away" | "Grind" | "Heaven Beside You" | "Again" | "Over Now" | "Get Born Again" | "Fear the Voices" |
| Videos |
| Live Facelift | The Nona Tapes | MTV Unplugged | Music Bank: The Videos |
| Related content |
| Articles: Grunge music | Singles | Mad Season | MTV Unplugged |
| Categories: Alice in Chains | Alice in Chains Albums | Alice in Chains songs |
