God Smack (song)
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| "God Smack" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Alice in Chains | ||
| from the album Dirt | ||
| Released | September 29, 1992 | |
| Recorded | 1992 at One on One and Eldorado in Los Angeles, California | |
| Genre | Heavy metal, Grunge | |
| Length | 3:50 | |
| Label | Columbia | |
| Writer(s) | Jerry Cantrell & Layne Staley | |
| Producer(s) | Alice in Chains and Dave Jerden | |
| Dirt track listing | ||
| "Dirt" (Track 8) |
"God Smack" (Track 9) |
"Iron Gland" (Track 10) |
"God Smack" is a song by the Seattle Grunge group Alice in Chains, from their breakthrough album Dirt.
This is arguably the song that truly convinced fans that Layne Staley was addicted to heroin. Layne's lyrics, especially "So you'll be yearning all your life/Twisting turning like a knife" refer to withdrawal and how even when recovered, you are always addicted to a drug like it.
[edit] Relation to Godsmack (band)
It has been known for years that the song has been an influence on Godsmacks band name. Many things, including Godsmacks logo, title of their album Faceless (Alice in Chains released an album called Facelift); along with Sully Erna, Godsmacks vocalist, who on many occasions when referring to Layne Staley stated that he, "was single-handedly the guy that got me to start singing."[1].
Sully has, on many occasions, stated the bands name origin: "That's where we picked the name from. I was making fun of somebody who had a cold sore on his lip and the next day I had one myself and somebody said, 'It's a godsmack.' The name stuck. We were aware of the Alice In Chains song but didn't really think much about it. It's a cool song and the name had meaning for us."[2] Bassist Robbie Merril has also made this clear in the home video DVD entitled "Smack This" which, when asked, said "we stole it, from Alice in Chains".
[edit] Other releases
The song has been released on 3 different occasions, being its original release on Dirt, its release on the box set Music Bank, and most recently on disc one of The Essential Alice in Chains.
It is also good to note at live performances of the song, instead of singing high during the chorus like on the Dirt release, Layne Staley sings significantly lower. The song was last played with Layne while Alice in Chains was opening up for a reunited Kiss in early July of 1996.
[edit] Sources
- ^ He Got Me To Start Singing MTV.com;retrieved on October 27, 2006
- ^ http://www.nyrock.com/interviews/1999/godsmack_int.asp
| 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 |
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