Heaven Beside You is a song by Alice in Chains and the second single from their third studio album, Alice in Chains (1995). The single was released on January 29, 1996. It was written by Jerry Cantrell about his relationship with his then-girlfriend. Cantrell sings lead vocals, with Layne Staley doing harmonies during the chorus. An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains‘ MTV Unplugged in 1996 was released on a live album and DVD. Heaven Beside You was included on the compilation albums Music Bank (1999), Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). Heaven Beside You peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it Alice in Chains‘ second-highest charting single after No Excuses. Heaven Beside You peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and at number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Heaven Beside You reached the top 40 in the UK.
Heaven Beside You was written by Jerry Cantrell after the break up with his girlfriend of seven years, Courtney Clarke. Cantrell was unable to remain faithful to the woman who he described as “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life,” and added, “I still love her, but I’m too much of a fucking wolf—kill, attack, move on…It’s so tough when you’re so used to being hard. You can’t tell an oak tree to be a pine.”
Jerry Cantrell said of the song:
“Another attempt to reconcile the fact that my life and paths are tearing me apart from the person I love. All the things I write about her are a way for me to maybe speak to her, express things I could never express”.
Tracklist:
- Heaven Beside You
- Would? (live)
The music video for Heaven Beside You was released in 1996 and was directed by Frank W. Ockenfels III. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos.
Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of Heaven Beside You for its appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1996, and the song was included on the Unplugged live album and home video release.
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: lead vocals
Jerry Cantrell: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on Heaven Beside You
Mike Inez: bass
Sean Kinney: drums
Layne Staley ( August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002).
