We Die Young is a song and single EP by Alice in Chains, engineered and co produced by Dave Jerden. It was released in July 1990 and is their first studio EP. This was a promo only EP released on vinyl and cassette, and is thus a sought-after collector’s item amongst Alice in Chains fans.
A CD version of the EP exists, however this only includes the title track and features artwork different from the vinyl/cassette version. We Die Young and It Ain’t Like That were released on the band’s debut album, Facelift, later that year (1990).
A demo version of We Die Young was released on Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), the only song released on the compilation which was not available on Music Bank. The studio version was included on the compilation albums Music Bank (1999) and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006).
The version of the song Killing Yourself is exclusive to this EP; a faster-tempo demo version was later released on Music Bank.
Tracklist:
- We Die Young
- It Ain’t Like That
- Killing Yourself
The music video was released in 1990 and was directed by Rocky Schenck, who would later direct the music videos for Them Bones, What the Hell Have I, and Grind. The video features the band performing while various people drown in pools of blood. It was filmed in Glendale California on the site of a house that was destroyed by the 1990 Glendale wildfires. The video is available on the home video releases Live Facelift and Music Bank: The Videos. An early music video for the song directed by The Art Institute of Seattle is also available on Music Bank: The Videos.
Alice in Chains Layne Staley lead vocals
Jerry Cantrell: guitar, backing vocals
Mike Starr: bass (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011)
Sean Kinney: drums
Layne Staley (August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002)
Mike Starr (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011)
