Alice in Chains was part of the original, entirely unexpected boom of Seattle grunge bands. This was both a blessing and a curse. Songs like “Would?” were rock compositions for the ages. These songs were dark, mysterious, well-crafted and excellently performed.
“Would?” is one of the greatest alternative rock songs of the 90s. But songwriter Jerry Cantrell may have purposely kept things vague. What do the lyrics to “Would?” mean, and why is Layne Staley singing it with such tortured gusto? Where do Alice in Chains sit in the grand debate about alternative-rock bands, and what’s their legacy?
Journey to Making “Would?”
At first, being in Alice in Chains must’ve resembled hanging out with your best friends at camp. They were fun-loving guys who just wanted to play the kind of heavy metal that could easily work on the Sunset Strip of Los Angeles. Layne Staley adored Axl Rose and possessed the pipes to mimic his singing style.
But that’s a story that Cantrell and his bandmates would rather bury. By the time of their debut, 1990s “Facelift,” the hair metal angle was gone. Imported was a style heavily influenced by Soundgarden, the most successful Seattle band at the time.
It was a sound that favoured acrobatic vocals, dark lyrics and Tony Iommi-inspired detuned guitar riffs. Sure, it was a transition from their lighter earlier work. But, as fate would have it, the band members’ lives, Staley’s especially, would become a case of life imitating art.
By the time of the group’s 1992 sophomore album, “Dirt,” the band’s endless touring alongside established metal bands, the single “Man in the Box,” and the success of Seattle counterparts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, had all worked to make Alice in Chains’ music a hot commodity.
The band had also upped the ante. Musical growth was obvious, but so was an increase in dark, eerie-sounding material.
The mournful “Would?” was the album’s first single. It very quickly helped grow the group’s reputation. But what was it all about anyway?
The Meaning of the Lyrics to “Would?”
To say that the Seattle grunge scene was ravaged and, ultimately, destroyed by heavy drug use is not wholly true. Sure, there are artists from it who have thrived and stayed clean during the 90s. Still, one can’t run away from the fact that, from Kurt Cobain to Chris Cornell and, ultimately, Layne Staley, grunge produced plenty of casualties.
The first major loss was that of the flamboyant, ambitious and very talented singer Andrew Wood. A pioneer of Seattle’s burgeoning independent rock scene, Wood had been the singer for Mother Love Bone.
Mother Love Bone was, for a while, the most famous local band in Seattle. They’d signed to a major record label. Many predicted that the band would also be the first of its kind to achieve international success.
Highly respected in the small community, Wood was also a dear friend to many of these musicians. It’s the principal reason why, for a while, Chris Cornell and Wood became roommates.
But the fantasy of fame and glory was cut short. The well-natured, fun-loving Wood succumbed to a drug overdose in 1990 at the age of 24.
This was a shock not only for the numerous fans that he had acquired. This was, for many of the musicians among his circle of Wood’s circle of friends, the first death of a friend that they ever had to process.
Temple of the Dog and Alice in Chains’ Tributes to Andrew Wood
Wood’s passing had an immediate impact on the music of his friends. Ironically, the fame that the Mother Love Bone had sought was about to be bestowed on them in due time.
Temple of the Dog was a supergroup formed by Chris Cornell using members of Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament. The band recorded an album together, inspired mainly by Wood’s life. “Say Hello 2 Heaven,” the standout track, was a direct tribute.
Jerry Cantrell and his Alice in Chains bandmates were also part of that small scene that would soon rule the airwaves and MTV programming. He was also stuck with grief.
“Would?” started as a tribute to Andrew Wood, indeed. But with the Alice in Chains musicians already dealing with their own issues related to substance abuse, it became a song about addiction, rehab, and those who critique the choices of others.
Cantrell further elaborated in the liner notes for the retrospective “Music Bank.” The guitarist says: “But I always hate people who judge the decisions others make. So it was directed towards people who pass judgements.“
This is why the title of the song ends up being spelt differently and becomes a question. “Would?” is a philosophical discussion about the freedom of choice, even when those preferences involve doing harmful things to yourself. The irony about the similar sad fate of his bandmates, Layne Staley and Mike Starr, will likely be lost on no one.
The Music Video for Alice Chains’ “Would?”
Jerry Cantrell’s good-natured personality has endeared him to many. He’s acquired many famous friends and often features in their projects.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Alice in Chains was given a prominent role in Cameron Crowe’s movie “Singles,” or why Cantrell has remained friends with Crowe.
“Singles” was a romantic comedy whose plotline intersected with the Seattle music scene. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees and Alice in Chains all were featured on the soundtrack and/or made cameos in the music.
“Would?” was first released as part of the “Singles Soundtrack,” one of the noteworthy alternative rock albums of the early 1990s. The song cracked the Billboard Top 40.
Cameron Crowe shot the highly memorable music video alongside Josh Tatt. The striking performance videos interspersed with black-and-white shots of Seattle streets became a staple of 90s MTV.
The music video also cemented Alice in Chains’ image. During the 1990s, the cool-looking grunge rockers could be found on posters across bedrooms of teenagers in the U.S. and beyond.
The Legacy of “Would?” and Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains was a colossal musical force. The band’s discography deserves to be saluted, analysed, and consumed regularly.
“Would?” is, still, one of Jerry Cantrell’s finest songs, and Layne Staley’s best vocal performances. And, anyone who has tried to cover it will bow down to the talents of the rhythm section made up of drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr.
Due to its notoriety, numerous rock groups, including Metallica, Opeth, Korn, and Breaking Benjamin, have covered it. Frankly, all versions pale in comparison to the original.
Whatever happened to Alice in Chains? “Dirt” transformed it into a platinum-selling group. But drug-related issues created tension. At the height of its fame, the band had practically disbanded. Staley’s tragic passing in 2002 served simply as confirmation.
The group reconvened in 2006, aided by singer William DuVall. Surprinsgly, the new material lived up to the band’s lofty standards, and DuVall proved a great replacement by avoiding the pitfall of imitating Staley’s style too closely.
Alice in Chains is one of the most important alternative rock bands of all time, and “Would?” is one of the group’s finest songs.
