No Excuses
Encyclopedia
"No Excuses" is the lead single
off American
grunge
band Alice in Chains
's third EP
, Jar of Flies
(1994). The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
(1999), Music Bank
(1999), Greatest Hits
(2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains
(2006).
's subtle guitar riffs built around suspended chord
s (as well as drummer Sean Kinney
's soft, syncopated
drumming) help lend an unusually airy feel to the song.
.
radio and is considered by music fans and critics as a grunge
staple. "No Excuses" peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it the only Alice in Chains top 50 song. Although Alice in Chains fared well on mainstream rock radio, "No Excuses" was their only song to hit number one on the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart until "Check My Brain
" in 2009. "No Excuses" peaked at number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Ned Raggett of Allmusic said that the song "proved in spades that Alice in Chains were far more than oppressive doom-mongers" and added, "Topped off with a catchy chorus, it made for another high point for a band seemingly blessed with them."
for "No Excuses" was released in 1994 and was directed by Matt Mahurin
, who had previously directed the "Angry Chair
" music video for the band. The video features actor Max Perlich
. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos
.
in 1996 and the song was included on the Unplugged
live album and home video release.
& was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band
series.
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
off American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band Alice in Chains
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...
's third EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Jar of Flies
Jar of Flies
Jar of Flies is the third studio EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on January 25, 1994 through Columbia Records. It is the first EP in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 Chart and was well-received by critics.-Background and recording:Following Alice in...
(1994). 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), 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), Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Alice in Chains album)
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits collection by the grunge band Alice in Chains. It was released on July 24, 2001 on Columbia Records.-Overview:...
(2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains
The Essential Alice in Chains
The Essential Alice in Chains is a two-disc compilation album by the grunge band Alice in Chains, and part of Sony BMG's The Essential series...
(2006).
Composition
The song's sound (and that of the entire EP) is a departure from some of the band's better-known, heavier work. 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...
's subtle guitar riffs built around suspended chord
Suspended chord
A suspended chord is a chord in which the third is omitted, replaced usually with either a perfect fourth or a major second , although the fourth is far more common...
s (as well as drummer Sean Kinney
Sean Kinney
Sean Howard Kinney is an American musician best known for being the drummer of the influential grunge band Alice in Chains....
's soft, syncopated
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
drumming) help lend an unusually airy feel to the song.
Lyrics
It was written by Jerry Cantrell about his unstable relationship with band vocalist Layne StaleyLayne 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...
.
Release and reception
"No Excuses" was released as a single in 1994. "No Excuses" found moderate airplay on alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
radio and is considered by music fans and critics as a grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
staple. "No Excuses" peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it the only Alice in Chains top 50 song. Although Alice in Chains fared well on mainstream rock radio, "No Excuses" was their only song to hit number one on the Billboard
Billboard (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 until "Check My Brain
Check My Brain
"Check My Brain" is a song by Alice in Chains, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue . It was released as the second single from the album on August 17, 2009. The single topped the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Billboard Rock Songs charts in September 2009...
" in 2009. "No Excuses" peaked at number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
Ned Raggett of Allmusic said that the song "proved in spades that Alice in Chains were far more than oppressive doom-mongers" and added, "Topped off with a catchy chorus, it made for another high point for a band seemingly blessed with them."
Music video
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...
for "No Excuses" was released in 1994 and was directed by Matt Mahurin
Matt Mahurin
Matt Mahurin is an American illustrator, photographer and film director. Mahurin's illustrations appear in Time, Newsweek, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Forbes, and The New York Times.Mahurin's work as a photo essayist has dealt with subjects such as homelessness, people with AIDS, the...
, who had previously directed the "Angry Chair
Angry Chair
"Angry Chair" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It was the third single from their album Dirt . It is the twelfth or eleventh song on the album, depending on the edition...
" music video for the band. The video features actor Max Perlich
Max Perlich
-Biography:He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His mother was a teacher and his father, Martin Perlich, a writer and radio programming director and announcer, worked for a time with the Cleveland Orchestra. The Perlich family moved to Los Angeles, California when Max was four...
. 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...
.
Live performances
Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of "No Excuses" 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.
Media usage
No Excuses was chosen as a playable track on the popular video game Guitar Hero: MetallicaGuitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Metallica is a music video game developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision. The game was released in North America on the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 on March 29, 2009 and on PlayStation 2 on April 14, 2009, with a European release in May 2009...
& was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
series.
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...
– 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...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocals - Mike InezMike InezMike 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:...
– 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 ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Chart positions
| Chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 48 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 3 |
| US Top 40 Mainstream | 32 |
External links
- [ Review of "No Excuses"] at Allmusic