No Excuses is the lead single from Alice in Chains‘ third EP, Jar of Flies (1994). The single album was released on January 25, 1995. Written by guitarist and co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell, the song was well received by music critics and was a chart hit, becoming the first Alice in Chains song to reach #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart on Billboard, spending a total of 26 weeks. On the chart It has become one of the band’s most popular songs. 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). Alice In Chains performed an acoustic version of No Excuses for their appearance on Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged in 1996, which marked the last time they performed the song with Layne Staley, and that version was included on the band’s live album Unplugged and on home video release.
The lyrics, penned by Cantrell, are thought to be about his unstable relationship with band vocalist Layne Staley, highlighting both their difficulties as well as their friendship. The final verse seems to come to a resolve in stating that Cantrell will “defend” Staley and that, should they grow further apart, he will “love (Staley) anyway.”
No Excuses found moderate airplay on alternative rock radio and is considered by music fans and critics as a grunge staple. The song peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it the only Alice in Chains to reach the top 50. Although Alice in Chains fared well on mainstream rock radio, No Excuses was their only song to hit number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart until Check My Brain in 2009. It also peaked at number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 32 on the Pop Songs chart. In Canada, it rose to number 17 on the RPM Top Singles chart and was the 98th most successful hit of 1994.
Tracklist:
- No Excuses
- Brother (from Sap)
The music video for No Excuses was released in 1994 and was directed by Matt Mahurin, who had previously directed the Angry Chair music video for the band. Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell are the only band members to be featured on the video. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos.
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: co lead vocals
Jerry Cantrell: co lead vocals, guitars
Mike Inez: bass
Sean Kinney: drums, percussion
Layne Staley (August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002)
