Down in a Hole is a song by Alice in Chains, and the fifth and last single from their album Dirt (1992). It was released as a single in August 30, 1993. The song was written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his then-girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. Jerry Cantrell was at first hesitant to present the song to the band, feeling that the song was too soft, but after a positive response from the band, they followed through and recorded it. The composition is written in A♭ minor, utilizing Dorian mode, and is centered mainly around Ab minor – Gb major – Db major chord progression, with Layne Staley‘s and Jerry Cantrell‘s vocal parts intricately harmonizing. In the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection, Cantrell said of the song:
Down in a Hole is in my top three, personally. It’s to my long-time love. It’s the reality of my life, the path I’ve chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It’s hard for us to both understand…that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.
The single spent 21 weeks on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks and peaked at No. 10. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999) and Music Bank (1999). An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged in 1996 was released in a live album and DVD.
Playlist:
- Down in a Hole (radio edit)
- Down in a Hole
- What the Hell Have I
- Rooster
Down in a Hole became one of the five video singles from the album Dirt. The music video was released in 1993 and was directed by Nigel Dick. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos. Bassist Mike Inez appears in the video although the original track was recorded with original member Mike Starr.
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: lead vocals
Jerry Cantrell: vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Mike Starr: bass
Sean Kinney: drums
Layne Staley: (August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002)
Mike Starr: (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011).
