Down in a Hole
Encyclopedia
"Down in a Hole" is a single from Alice in Chains
' album Dirt (1992). It is the fourth song on most pressings of the album and twelfth on others. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
(1999) and Music Bank
(1999).
was at first hesitant to present the song to the band, feeling that the song was too soft, but after a positive response from the band, they followed through and recorded it. The composition is written in A minor
, utilizing Dorian mode, and is centered mainly around A minor - G major - D major chord progression, with Layne Staley
's and Jerry Cantrell's vocal parts intricately harmonizing.
of 1999's Music Bank
box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released in October 1993. "Down in a Hole" reached the top 40 in the UK and the top 30 in Ireland
.
Ned Raggett of Allmusic said that "Staley's...half-strangled but still amazingly evocative performance...is heartfelt and almost yearning" and that "the end result feels like a ruined man looking for some sort of comfort."
was released in 1993 and was directed by Nigel Dick
. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos
. "Down in a Hole" being from Dirt was the first video featuring Mike Inez
.
in 1996 and the song was included on the Unplugged
live album and home video release.
Also, an electric version of "Down in a Hole" featuring new vocalist William DuVall
on lead vocals is included on Japanense version of Black Gives Way to Blue
as a bonus track.
on his 2005 album, Covering the Bases
, which lists the song as "Down in the Hole". Fuel
acoustically covered the song in 2007 on AM Radio. On his low-key 2007 tour—in support of his album Easy Tiger
—Ryan Adams
covered the song live with his band, The Cardinals. A cover of the song is also featured on Adams' 2007 EP Follow the Lights
.
The song was parodied on Opie and Anthony
and spoofed the film Silence of the Lambs. It is sung by Buffalo Bill to a trapped fat woman in the hole.
12" Single (659751-6)
Side 1
Side 2
7" Single (659751-7)
Side 1
Side 2
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
' album Dirt (1992). It is the fourth song on most pressings of the album and twelfth on others. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
-Personnel:*Jerry Cantrell - Guitar, backing vocals and lead vocals on "Grind"*Layne Staley - Lead vocals and guitar on "Angry Chair" and "Grind"*Mike Starr - Bass *Mike Inez - Bass *Sean Kinney - Drums*Alice in Chains - Producer...
(1999) and Music Bank
Music Bank
- Disc two :-Disc three :-Personnel:*Mark Arm - Assistant vocals on "Right Turn"*Jeff Beck - Graphic Design*Jerry Cantrell - guitar, vocals*Chris Cornell - Assistant guitar, lyrics, vocals on "Right Turn"*Peter Cronin - Photography...
(1999).
Origin and recording
Songwriter and guitarist Jerry CantrellJerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
was at first hesitant to present the song to the band, feeling that the song was too soft, but after a positive response from the band, they followed through and recorded it. The composition is written in A minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
, utilizing Dorian mode, and is centered mainly around A minor - G major - D major chord progression, with Layne Staley
Layne Staley
Layne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
's and Jerry Cantrell's vocal parts intricately harmonizing.
Lyrics
In the liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
of 1999's Music Bank
Music Bank
- Disc two :-Disc three :-Personnel:*Mark Arm - Assistant vocals on "Right Turn"*Jeff Beck - Graphic Design*Jerry Cantrell - guitar, vocals*Chris Cornell - Assistant guitar, lyrics, vocals on "Right Turn"*Peter Cronin - Photography...
box set collection, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:
["Down in a Hole"]'s in my top three, personally. It's to my long-time love. It's the reality of my life, the path I've chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It's hard for us to both understand...that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.
Release and reception
"Down in a Hole" was released as a single in 1993. "Down in a Hole" peaked at number ten on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released in October 1993. "Down in a Hole" reached the top 40 in the UK and the top 30 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Ned Raggett of Allmusic said that "Staley's...half-strangled but still amazingly evocative performance...is heartfelt and almost yearning" and that "the end result feels like a ruined man looking for some sort of comfort."
Music video
"Down in a Hole" became one of the five video-singles from the album. The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was released in 1993 and was directed by Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick
Nigel Dick is an English music video and film director, writer and musician based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Band Aid video "Do They Know It's Christmas?", as well as over 300 other music videos.Nigel Dick should not be confused with the Australian Dr...
. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos
Music Bank: The Videos
Music Bank: The Videos is a video release by grunge band Alice in Chains containing all of the band's music videos. It was originally released on VHS in 1999 and was re-released in 2001 on DVD...
. "Down in a Hole" being from Dirt was the first video featuring Mike Inez
Mike Inez
Mike Inez is a rock musician best known for his role as the bassist of Alice in Chains. Inez has also worked with other popular musical acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society, and Heart. Inez is of Filipino ancestry.-Career:...
.
Live performances
Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of "Down in a Hole" for its appearance on MTV UnpluggedMTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
in 1996 and the song was included on the Unplugged
Unplugged (Alice in Chains album)
*The DVD release shows another take of "Sludge Factory", in which Layne Staley mixes up the lyrics at the beginning of the song which is ended shortly after...
live album and home video release.
Also, an electric version of "Down in a Hole" featuring new vocalist William DuVall
William DuVall
thumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
on lead vocals is included on Japanense version of Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, who took over from the late...
as a bonus track.
Cover versions
The song was covered by professional baseball player Bronson ArroyoBronson Arroyo
Bronson Anthony Arroyo , is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and an aspiring musician. He has previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002 and Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005...
on his 2005 album, Covering the Bases
Covering the Bases
Covering the Bases is the debut album by Major League Baseball pitcher Bronson Arroyo. It was released in 2005 following the Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series Championship, which Arroyo was a part of; he currently plays for the Cincinnati Reds...
, which lists the song as "Down in the Hole". Fuel
Fuel (band)
Fuel is an American rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994...
acoustically covered the song in 2007 on AM Radio. On his low-key 2007 tour—in support of his album Easy Tiger
Easy Tiger
Easy Tiger is the ninth studio album by Ryan Adams released on June 26, 2007 on the Lost Highway label. Although the album is attributed solely to Adams, Easy Tiger features The Cardinals as his backing band, with Adams stating: "The only real concept of this record was complete and utter...
—Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
covered the song live with his band, The Cardinals. A cover of the song is also featured on Adams' 2007 EP Follow the Lights
Follow the Lights
Follow the Lights is an EP by Ryan Adams and The Cardinals released October 23, 2007. The EP contains three new songs and four live studio recordings, including a cover of "Down in a Hole" by Alice in Chains...
.
The song was parodied on Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
and spoofed the film Silence of the Lambs. It is sung by Buffalo Bill to a trapped fat woman in the hole.
Track listing
CD Single (659751-2)- "Down in a Hole" (radio edit) - 3:53
- "Down in a Hole" - 5:40
- "What the Hell Have IWhat the Hell Have I"What the Hell Have I" is a track by grunge band Alice in Chains. It was first featured on the soundtrack to the 1993 John McTiernan film Last Action Hero starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The song was included on the compilation album Nothing Safe: Best of the Box...
" - 4:00 - "RoosterRooster (song)"Rooster" is a grunge song by the band Alice in Chains. The song was released as a single in 1993 and is featured on the band's second studio album, Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Unplugged , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
" – 6:15
12" Single (659751-6)
Side 1
- "Down in a Hole"
- "A Little Bitter"
Side 2
- "RoosterRooster (song)"Rooster" is a grunge song by the band Alice in Chains. The song was released as a single in 1993 and is featured on the band's second studio album, Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Unplugged , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
" - "Love, Hate, Love"
7" Single (659751-7)
Side 1
- "Down in a Hole" (radio edit)
Side 2
- "RoosterRooster (song)"Rooster" is a grunge song by the band Alice in Chains. The song was released as a single in 1993 and is featured on the band's second studio album, Dirt . The song was included on the compilation albums Unplugged , Music Bank , Greatest Hits , and The Essential Alice in Chains...
"
Personnel
- Layne StaleyLayne StaleyLayne Thomas Staley was an American musician who served as the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains, which was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1987 by Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell. Alice in Chains rose to international fame as part of the grunge movement of the...
– lead vocals - Jerry CantrellJerry CantrellJerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
– vocals, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Mike StarrMike Starr (musician)Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr was an American musician, best known as the original bassist in Alice in Chains, with whom he played from the band's formation in 1987 until 1993.- Career :...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Sean KinneySean KinneySean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart positions
| Chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
29 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
36 |
External links
- [ Review of "Down in a Hole"] at Allmusic