Alright, let’s talk about a band that made pain sound poetic, and harmony sound dangerous: Alice in Chains. These guys weren’t just part of the grunge movement, they were its dark heart, the shadow behind the flannel. While Nirvana screamed and Pearl Jam soared, Alice in Chains haunted.
Their music hits that perfect middle ground between metal and melancholy. Every song feels like it’s being sung from the bottom of a well filled with beauty, guilt and distortion. So, in the spirit of celebrating that delicious darkness, here are our picks for the five best Alice in Chains songs of all time.
Best Alice in Chains Songs
1. “Would?”
If you ever needed proof that Alice in Chains could write something timeless, “Would?” is it. Released in 1992 on the album “Dirt,” this song is both a tribute and a confession, written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his late friend Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, who tragically died of a heroin overdose.
“Would?” captures everything the band did best: a slithering bassline, eerie harmonies, and lyrics that feel like they’re whispered straight from the afterlife. The verses are subtle and controlled, sung by Cantrell, and then Layne Staley takes the chorus to the heavens, or maybe somewhere below.
That haunting refrain, “If I would, could you?” isn’t just rhetorical, it’s hauntingly self-aware. It’s a song about judgment, regret, and empathy, the eternal struggle of trying to understand someone’s pain while drowning in your own. It’s heavy in spirit, not just sound.
“Would?” isn’t just a grunge anthem, it’s a eulogy that somehow grooves.
2. “Rooster”
Now this one hits deep. “Rooster” is Alice in Chains at their most emotional, their most cinematic, and their most human. Written by Cantrell about his father, a Vietnam veteran nicknamed “Rooster,” this song is an absolute masterpiece of storytelling.
“Rooster” isn’t just a song written about someone, it’s written for someone, with love and fear intertwined. It’s cathartic, haunting, and triumphant all at once.
And that guitar tone? Pure honey-coated doom.
3. “Down in a Hole”
If you’ve ever had your heart broken, felt trapped by your own emotions, or stared too long into the mirror wondering who you’ve become, “Down in a Hole” will find you. And it’ll destroy you, beautifully.
Also from “Dirt,” this one showcases Alice in Chains’ ability to balance vulnerability with sheer power. It’s a love song, sure, but it’s not the pretty kind. It’s the kind where love is the cage and the key. Layne’s voice sounds like it’s barely holding itself together, trembling between agony and acceptance.
The melody is painfully gorgeous, and the harmonies between Layne and Jerry might be their best ever, it’s like listening to two sides of the same broken soul.
There’s no scream, no anger, just that slow burn of resignation. It’s the sound of being human. And that’s what makes it one of the greatest songs they ever recorded.
4. “No Excuses”
Now let’s lighten things up, or at least as light as Alice in Chains gets. “No Excuses,” from the 1994 acoustic EP “Jar of Flies,” proves that this band could write a song that feels like sunlight breaking through Seattle clouds.
It’s got this killer drum groove from Sean Kinney, a jangly guitar riff that sounds almost playful, and vocal harmonies that make your chest vibrate. But beneath that shimmer, the lyrics tell a different story, one about isolation, self-awareness, and that awkward dance between wanting connection and needing space.
What’s cool about “No Excuses” is how effortless it feels. It’s melodic without losing the band’s signature melancholy. It’s catchy enough for radio, but thoughtful enough to stop you mid-sip of your coffee and go, “Wait, did he just say that?”
If most Alice in Chains songs are thunderstorms, “No Excuses” is a cloudy afternoon where the rain finally lets up, and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing.
5. “Check My Brain”
Now, some fans might clutch their flannel over this one, but hear me out, “Check My Brain,” from their 2009 comeback album “Black Gives Way to Blue,” deserves its place on this list.
By the time this track dropped, Layne Staley had been gone for years, and everyone assumed Alice in Chains was done. Enter William DuVall, sharing vocals with Cantrell, and the band came roaring back, still dark, still twisted, but refined by age and recovery.
“Check My Brain” is Jerry Cantrell at his sardonic best. The lyrics are all about moving from Seattle to Los Angeles and adjusting to sobriety, summed up in the perfectly snarky line, “California’s all right, somebody check my brain.”
The riffs are thick, greasy, and unmistakably Cantrell. The harmonies are layered and eerie, giving the song that signature AIC feel. It’s a modern Alice in Chains anthem, proof that the band didn’t just survive their own tragedies, they learned how to wield them.
It’s a song about being alive when you didn’t expect to be, and that’s heavy in a completely different way.
Bonus Shoutout: “Nutshell”
I can’t make a list like this without mentioning “Nutshell.” From “Jar of Flies,” this song might be the purest expression of Layne Staley’s soul ever recorded. It’s fragile, it’s raw, and it’s utterly devastating.
“When I’m lost in the darkness and time,” he sings, “be my eyes, be my eyes.” There’s no irony, no snarl, just truth. It’s the kind of song that reminds you why music exists in the first place, to put words to the pain we can’t say out loud.
Alice in Chains: The Big Picture
What ties all these songs together is honesty. Alice in Chains never dressed their pain up in pretty metaphors or punk posturing. They looked straight into the abyss, harmonized over it, and somehow made it sound beautiful.
From the roaring defiance of “Rooster” to the ghostly acceptance of “Nutshell,” they wrote about addiction, love, grief, and recovery without ever pretending it was easy. Their songs aren’t just part of the grunge era, they define it.
And that’s what makes Alice in Chains timeless. Every track feels like it was written for anyone who’s ever felt lost but refused to disappear.
So, if you want to understand what makes Alice in Chains one of the most important and emotionally potent bands of the last few decades, start with these five. Listen to them loud, in order, preferably with the lights low and your heart a little heavy.
You’ll hear the darkness, yes, but also the beauty hiding inside it. You’ll hear the ache of Layne’s voice, the ache that made millions of people feel a little less alone.
Alice in Chains didn’t just write songs, they wrote soundtracks for survival.
Now, go listen to “Would?” again. You’ll get it.
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