Them Bones
Encyclopedia
"Them Bones" is a song by the American rock
band Alice in Chains
. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Dirt (1992). The song was also included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box
(1999), Music Bank
(1999), Greatest Hits
(2001), The Essential Alice in Chains
(2006). A live performance of the song is included on their release entitled Live
.
. The song is highly chromatic
and is played in a time signature
of 7/8—except for the chorus, which is in 4/4. When discussing the use of odd time signature
s in a 1998 interview with Guitar World
, Cantrell said:
of 1999's Music Bank
box set collection, Cantrell said of the song:
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released in March 1993. "Them Bones" reached the top 30 in the UK and Ireland
.
"Them Bones" 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."
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 Beavis and Butt-head
, 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 Staley singing or various animals eating or fighting with each other and a child being born, which corresponds with the lyrics "Some say were born into the grave".
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 edition of their second album, No Time to Bleed
.
Production
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
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...
. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Dirt (1992). The song was also 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), 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). A live performance of the song is included on their release entitled Live
Live (Alice in Chains album)
-Personnel:Alice in Chains*Layne Staley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar*Sean Kinney – drums*Jerry Cantrell – lead guitar, vocals*Mike Inez – bass *Mike Starr – bass Production*Compilation producer – Peter Fletcher...
.
Structure
The song was written by 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...
. The song is highly chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic
Diatonic and chromatic are terms in music theory that are most often used to characterize scales, and are also applied to intervals, chords, notes, musical styles, and kinds of harmony...
and is played in a time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of 7/8—except for the chorus, which is in 4/4. When discussing the use of odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s in a 1998 interview with Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
, 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."
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, 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."
Reception
"Them Bones" was released as a single in 1992 and peaked at number 24 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 and at number 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released in March 1993. "Them Bones" reached the top 30 in the UK and 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...
.
"Them Bones" 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."
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 "Them Bones" was released in 1992 and was directed by Rocky Schenck
Rocky Schenck
Rocky Schenck is an American music video director and photographer. He has worked with such artists as Adele, Nick Cave, Joni Mitchell, The Cramps, Alice in Chains, Redd Kross, Godsmack, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Rod Stewart, and Van Halen, among others...
, who had previously directed the "We Die Young
We Die Young
-Personnel:*Layne Staley – vocals*Jerry Cantrell – guitar, backing vocals*Mike Starr – bass*Sean Kinney – drums, percussion-External links:*[ Review of "We Die Young"] at Allmusic...
" music video for the band, and who would later direct the music videos for "What the Hell Have I
What 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...
" and "Grind
Grind (song)
"Grind" is a song by American grunge band Alice in Chains and the lead single from their album Alice in Chains . 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 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...
. The video was also featured on Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, 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 Staley singing or various animals eating or fighting with each other and a child being born, which corresponds with the lyrics "Some say were born into the grave".
Cover versions
In 2006, Swedish death metalDeath metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Grave
Grave (band)
Grave is a Swedish death metal band that formed in 1986 by vocalist and guitarist Ola Lindgren, who is their only constant member. The band had particular success in the early 1990s, and their first four albums, Into the Grave, You'll Never See..., Soulless and Hating Life, cemented their...
covered the song which appears on their seventh album, As Rapture Comes
As Rapture Comes
As Rapture Comes is the seventh by Swedish death metal band Grave, released in July 2006.- Track listing :# "Intro - Day of Reckoning" – 0:49# "Burn" – 6:24# "Through Eternity" – 3:45# "By Demons Bred" – 4:16...
. In 2009, American deathcore
Deathcore
Deathcore is an extreme metal music genre that combines elements of death metal with elements of metalcore or hardcore punk, or both. It is defined by an "excessive" use of death metal riffs, blast beats and use of hardcore punk breakdowns...
band Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence is an American extreme metal band from Riverside, California. The group consists of vocalist Mitch Lucker, guitarists Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun, drummer Alex Lopez and bassist Dan Kenny. Formed in 2002, the band has released three full-length studio albums, one EP and seven music...
covered the song which appears as a bonus track on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
special edition edition of their second album, No Time to Bleed
No Time to Bleed
No Time to Bleed is the second studio album by American deathcore band Suicide Silence. It was released on June 30, 2009 through Century Media Records. The album was released in five different editions; the standard version, the Exclusive Hot Topic Edition, the iTunes edition, the vinyl edition,...
.
In pop culture
- It is featured on the soundtrack of the english version of Street Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated MovieStreet Fighter II: The Animated Movie, known as in Japan and Australia, is a 1994 Japanese animated film adaptation of the Street Fighter II fighting games written by Kenichi Imai, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC. The film, originally released in Japan on August 8, 1994, has...
. - It is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
on the rock themed Radio X. - Cover version is featured in 2006 music video game Guitar Hero IIGuitar Hero IIGuitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero...
. - Master track is featured in 2009 music video game Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.
- Uncredited cover is featured in the 23rd level, "Barrels O' Fun", of Doom IIDoom IIDoom II: Hell on Earth is an award winning first-person shooter video game and second title of id Software's Doom franchise. Unlike Doom which was initially only available through shareware and mail order, Doom II was a commercial release sold in stores...
.
Personnel
Alice in Chains- 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 vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - 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, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - 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 ....
Production
- Produced and mixed by Dave Jerden
Chart positions
| Chart (1992) | Position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
22 |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 24 |
| 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 ... |
26 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks | 30 |
External links
- [ Review of "Them Bones"] at Allmusic