Your Decision
Encyclopedia
"Your Decision" is a song by Alice in Chains
, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue
(2009). It was released as the third single from the album on November 16, 2009 in the UK
, and was released in the US
on December 1, 2009. The fourth track of the album, "Your Decision" features an acoustic
rhythm and breaks from the dark, aggressive leanings of the previous songs in exchange for an emotional tone that, while muted and perhaps tinged with sad resignation, can also be interpreted as calmer and more at peace. The single has, so far, reached number one on the Billboard
Rock Songs
chart, number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number four on the Alternative Songs chart. This makes Alice in Chains the first artist to have two songs top the US Rock Songs chart.
on December 1, 2009.
It pays homages to Stanley Kubrick
films, such as The Shining
and Eyes Wide Shut
. It also references 1 Corinthians 10:23
, the first verse of a passage giving guidelines about eating meat which has been offered in sacrifice to idols.
The introduction of the video features model Sarah Stage.
. On January 12, 2010, it was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band
video game series.
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...
, featured on their fourth studio album Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue
Black Gives Way to Blue is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released in September 2009. The first Alice in Chains album in nearly fourteen years, Black Gives Way to Blue is their first release with new vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, who took over from the late...
(2009). It was released as the third single from the album on November 16, 2009 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and was released in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 1, 2009. The fourth track of the album, "Your Decision" features an acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
rhythm and breaks from the dark, aggressive leanings of the previous songs in exchange for an emotional tone that, while muted and perhaps tinged with sad resignation, can also be interpreted as calmer and more at peace. The single has, so far, reached 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...
Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
chart, number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number four on the Alternative Songs chart. This makes Alice in Chains the first artist to have two songs top the US Rock Songs chart.
Music video
The music video was directed by Stephen Schuster. It was available on iTunesITunes
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....
on December 1, 2009.
It pays homages to Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
films, such as The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
and Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...
. It also references 1 Corinthians 10:23
First Epistle to the Corinthians
The first epistle of Paul the apostle to the Corinthians, often referred to as First Corinthians , is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible...
, the first verse of a passage giving guidelines about eating meat which has been offered in sacrifice to idols.
The introduction of the video features model Sarah Stage.
Lyrics
In an interview for the making of the video of "Your Decision", Duvall stated "This song is all about choices and their consequences". Many fans believe this song was written from Cantrell to the late Layne Staley who couldn't kick his addiction to drugs. Staley died in 2002.Commercial use
The song was used in a 2009 episode of CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. On January 12, 2010, it was 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...
video game series.
Chart positions
| Chart (2009–2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
57 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
9 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
1 |
| US Alternative Songs | 4 |
| US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
Personnel
- 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...
– lead vocals, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - William DuVallWilliam DuVallthumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
– vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - 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 ....