Grind (song)
| "Grind" | ||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Alice in Chains | ||||||||||||||||
| from the album Alice in Chains | ||||||||||||||||
| Released | 1995 | |||||||||||||||
| Format | CD, vinyl | |||||||||||||||
| Recorded | April - August 1995 at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, Washington | |||||||||||||||
| Genre | Alternative metal, grunge, heavy metal, sludge metal | |||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:45 | |||||||||||||||
| Label | Columbia | |||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Jerry Cantrell | |||||||||||||||
| Producer | Toby Wright, Alice in Chains | |||||||||||||||
| Alice in Chains singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"Grind" is a song by American grunge band Alice in Chains and the lead single from their album Alice in Chains (1995). It serves as the opening track to the album but, despite being its first single, did not experience the radio longevity of some of its contemporaries. 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). Jerry Cantrell sings lead vocals on the song with Layne Staley harmonizing with him.
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[edit] Lyrics
"Grind" seems to address the various rumors that surrounded the band at the time. The opening lines, "In the darkest hole/You'd be well advised not to plan my funeral before the body dies," seem to be addressing the rumors that the band had broken up and the many rumors of vocalist Layne Staley's death that had occurred frequently around this time. In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song:
That was pretty much at the height of publicity about canceled tours, heroin, amputations, everything, thus it was another "FUCK YOU for saying something about my life" song. Any single rumor you can imagine, I've heard. I've been dead a few times, Layne's been dead countless times and lost limbs. I get on the phone every time I hear a new one, "Hey Layne, radio in New York says you lost two more fingers." "Oh really? Cool." I'd spoof The Six Million Dollar Man; "Since technology's moved on it only cost us 2 million to put Layne back together and we got better parts."[1]
[edit] Release and reception
The song was leaked to radio prematurely so the band released it via satellite uplink a few days later to combat illegal versions being played in rotation.[2] "Grind" was released as a single in 1995. "Grind" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 18 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Grind" reached the top 30 in the UK. "Grind" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996.[3]
Editorial reviews frequently pointed out "Grind" for its dark, compelling lyrics. Jon Wiederhorn of Rolling Stone noted, "'Grind' shimmers and shudders beneath a web of trippy wah-wah guitar and half-distorted vocal harmonies, and features one of the album's many hook-filled choruses."[4] Allmusic's Steve Huey regarded the song "among the band's best work" but also noted that the less refined tracks on the album make the defiance of "Grind" sound "more like denial."[5] Regarding band rumors, Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that the song advises against believing "what you may have heard and what you think you know."[6]
[edit] Music video
The music video for "Grind" was released in 1995 and was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had previously directed the "We Die Young", "Them Bones", and "What the Hell Have I" music videos for the band. The video received heavy rotation on MTV in late 1995. The video is available on the home video releases The Nona Tapes and Music Bank: The Videos.
[edit] Appearances in other media
The song was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series on January 12, 2010.
[edit] Cover versions
It was later covered by metal band Hurt at the Layne Staley Tribute 2008.
[edit] Track listing
- "Grind" – 4:45
- "So Close" – 2:45
- "Nutshell" – 4:19
- "Love, Hate, Love" – 6:26
- Tracks 1 and 2 originally released on Alice in Chains.
- Track 3 originally released on Jar of Flies.
- Track 4 originally released on Facelift.
[edit] Personnel
- Layne Staley – vocals, guitar
- Jerry Cantrell – guitar, vocals
- Mike Inez – bass
- Sean Kinney – drums, percussion
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1995) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Top Singles Chart | 53 |
| Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative Chart | 3 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks[7] | 7 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks[7] | 18 |
| UK Singles Chart[8] | 23 |
[edit] References
- ^ Liner notes, Music Bank box set. 1999.
- ^ Alice In Chains
- ^ "38th Grammy Awards - 1996". Rockonthenet.com. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1996/grammys.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
- ^ WIEDERHORN, JON (1995-11-30). "Alice in Chains". Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/aliceinchains/albums/album/179804/review/5943047/alice_in_chains. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Alice in Chains". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r227636. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ PARELES, JON (1995-12-03). "RECORDINGS VIEW;Alice in Chains Finds Persecutors All Around". Arts (The New York Times). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFD71139F930A35751C1A963958260. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
- ^ a b "Artist Chart History – Alice in Chains". Billboard charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Singles&model.vnuArtistId=3943&model.vnuAlbumId=454488. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
- ^ Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
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