Them Bones

Last updated

"Them Bones"
Thembones.JPG
Artwork for standard international releases
Single by Alice in Chains
from the album Dirt
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1992 (1992-09-08)
Genre
Length2:30
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Jerry Cantrell
Producer(s)
Alice in Chains singles chronology
"Would?"
(1992)		"Them Bones"
(1992)		"Angry Chair"
(1992)
Music video
"Them Bones" on YouTube

"Them Bones" is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Dirt (1992). "Them Bones" peaked at No. 24 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and at No. 30 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was included on the band's compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), Greatest Hits (2001) and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). It was also included on the box set Music Bank (1999). A live performance of the song was included on their second live album, Live (2000).

Contents

Structure

The song was written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The chromatic riff is played in a time signature of 7
8—except for the chorus, which is in 4
4. [4] When discussing the use of odd time signatures in a 1998 interview with Guitar World , Cantrell said:

"I really don't know where that comes from; it just comes naturally to me. I could sit down and figure it out, but what's the use? Off-time stuff is just more exciting — it takes people by surprise when you shift gears like that before they even know what the hell hit 'em. It's also effective when you slow something down and then slam 'em into the dash. A lot of Alice stuff is written that way — 'Them Bones' is a great off-time song". [5]

Lyrics

Jerry Cantrell said of the song in a 1993 interview with RIP Magazine :

"We [Alice in Chains] definitely have a very sarcastic sense of humor even toward ourselves. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. The music is a way for us to let some serious things out because we're not really talkative people. It's hard for a lot of people to talk about emotions that are really deep pain and hurt and shit like that. 'Them Bones' is pretty cut and dried. It's a little sarcastic, but it's pretty much about dealing with your mortality and life. Everybody's going to die someday. Instead of being afraid of it, that's the way it is: so enjoy the time you've got. Live as much as you can, have as much fun as possible. Face your fear and live. I had family members die at a fairly early age; so I've always had kind of a phobia about it. Death freaks me out. I think it freaks a lot of people out. It's the end of life, depending on your views. It's a pretty scary thing. 'Them Bones' is trying to put that thought to rest. Use what you have left, and use it well". [6]

In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, Cantrell said of the song:

"I was just thinking about mortality, that one of these days we'll end up a pile of bones. It's a thought for every human being, whether you believe in an after-life or that when we die, that's it. The thought that all the beautiful things and knowledge and experiences you've been through just end when you end scares me, the thought that when you close your eyes for good, it's gone forever". [7]

Release and reception

"Them Bones" was released as a single on September 8, 1992. [8] It peaked at No. 24 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and at No. 30 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released on March 8, 1993. [9] [10] It reached the top 30 in the UK and Ireland.

It is one of the band's most well known songs. Ned Raggett of AllMusic called the song "a brief, tightly wound explosion of sheer, inescapable riff power, focused and relentless" and added that "having made its point in two and a half minutes it stops — not a note is wasted". [11] In 2014, Loudwire ranked the song at No. 6 on their list of "10 Best Alice in Chains Songs", [12] and in 2021, Kerrang! ranked the song at No. 2 on their list of "The 20 greatest Alice in Chains songs". [13]

Music video

The music video for "Them Bones" was released in 1992 and was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had previously directed the "We Die Young" music video for the band, and who would later direct the music videos for "What the Hell Have I" and "Grind". The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos . The video was also featured on an episode of Beavis and Butt-Head (the episode Sick in 1993) where Butt-head claims that "this is the coolest video I've ever seen."

The video shows the band playing in a cavern, apparently underground. In front of the band is a puddle, in which can be seen Layne Staley singing or various animals eating or fighting with each other and a child being born, which corresponds with the lyrics "Some say / We're born into the grave."

Cover versions

In 2006, Swedish death metal band Grave covered the song which appears on their seventh album, As Rapture Comes . In 2009, American deathcore band Suicide Silence covered the song which appears as a bonus track on the iTunes special edition of their second album, No Time to Bleed . An EP released in 2010 by the German black metal band Secrets of the Moon also features a cover version. Alex De Rosso did a cover on his 2013 album Lions & Lambs. In 2020, American sludge metal band Thou covered the song as part of the "Dirt Redux" covers compilation for Magnetic Eye Records. In 2023, American rapper Post Malone covered the song on The Howard Stern Show . [14]

"Them Bones" is featured on the soundtrack of the English version of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie . [15] It is also featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , [16] ATV Offroad Fury , [15] Madden NFL 10 , [15] Guitar Hero II , [17] and Guitar Hero Smash Hits . [18] "Them Bones" also appeared in the 2004 surfing documentary Riding Giants . [15]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Them Bones"2:30
2."Bleed the Freak"4:01
3."It Ain't Like That"4:37

Personnel

Alice in Chains

Production

Charts

Chart (1992–1993)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [19] 93
Australia Alternative (ARIA) [20] 14
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media) [21] 76
Ireland (IRMA) [22] 22
UK Singles (OCC) [23] 26
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [24] 24
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [25] 30

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [8] Platinum1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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<i>Rainier Fog</i> 2018 studio album by Alice in Chains

Rainier Fog is the sixth studio album by American rock band Alice in Chains, released on August 24, 2018, through BMG, the band's first release on the label. The title was inspired by Mount Rainier, a volcano that overlooks the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area, and the title track is a tribute to the Seattle music scene. This is the band's third album with William DuVall sharing lead vocals with Jerry Cantrell, and the first Alice in Chains album in 22 years to be recorded in their hometown of Seattle. The album was partially recorded at Seattle's Studio X, the same studio where the band recorded their 1995 self-titled album. Rainier Fog is also Alice in Chains' third collaboration with producer Nick Raskulinecz, marking their first time recording three full-length albums with the same producer.

"Rainier Fog" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains. It is the fourth single and the title track to the band's sixth studio album, Rainier Fog (2018). Written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, the song is a tribute to the Seattle music scene and the band's former members, Layne Staley and Mike Starr, and the title was inspired by Mount Rainier, a volcano that overlooks Seattle. The single peaked at No. 20 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. Excerpts from the lyrics are featured upside down on the album cover. The full lyrics to "Rainier Fog" are inscribed on the bottom plate of Jerry Cantrell's signature Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal, released in April 2019.

"Never Fade" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains and the third single from the band's sixth studio album, Rainier Fog, released on August 24, 2018. The song was written by vocalists/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, who also share lead vocals, with DuVall singing the verses and the pre-chorus, while Cantrell sings the chorus. "Never Fade" is a tribute to DuVall's grandmother, Soundgarden lead vocalist Chris Cornell, and Alice in Chains' original lead singer Layne Staley. The song was released as a single on August 10, 2018 via YouTube, streaming and digital download. "Never Fade" peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

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  14. ↑ Carter, Emily (October 23, 2023). "Post Malone covers Alice In Chains' Them Bones with a choir". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
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