Alice in Chains: Was The Song "Your Decision" About Layne Staley & MIke Starr?

[@joshc4927]

Soon as I see anything Alice In Chains.... I'm clicking.. rip Layne, an Mike!

[@jessiejeanne9717]

Thank you for remembering both!!!

[@doodleartlover]

I miss them...it sucks getting old (me). I miss those days. Beautiful band! 🙂✌👍

[@guyfaux900]

And Wood.

[@christopheradam4025]

Sell your soul, and you will be down in a hole, Once your fears (demons) become your God , indeed it sucks to know you're........... Keep it or sell it It's your decision ...... You're free to make your own decision, but be warned. Not every choice is good for you.

[@diogocosta238]

Layne should have a biographical movie. I'm not just saying this because I'm a huge fan, his story is pretty interesting. I mean, a man with one of the best voices in rock history that loses his loved one to addiction and years later also loses his battle to the same monster ending up dying completely alone after years of complete isolation from everything

[@tuckerhiggins4336]

I think it would be extremely hard to capture that sort of emotion in his life. Would have to have some seriously talented writers and actors

[@PrisonKilljoy]

Biopic films rarely portray the true story correctly. It's too easy to take artistic license or add sensationalism to sell more tickets or boost ratings. Layne's story in particular would require a relatively large degree of speculation and guess work to cover what he thought/felt/did during his many long alone hours. I think it would be too easy for writers or directors to exploit that. I'd rather he just be left to rest in peace. It is a tragic and fascinating story but the likelihood of it turning out well is slim. No offence, my guy, just my humble opinion.

[@diogocosta238]

@Donovan Davis It's not about profit, you are wrong. It's about telling the story of one of the best voices in the history of rock and all the demons that haunted him during his life

[@christar9527]

It’s kind of trite really. Nothing unusual.

[@nadia562010]

Yes! It would have to be done right though...and the person who plays layne has spot on too

[@jackoakes1998]

Never click on vid so fast. Always here for Layne and AiC content

[@rnrtruestories]

Thx

[@menotyou4678]

Jack Oakes 💯💯

[@dragons_red]

Not his death, we all inevitably die. His life. His LIFE is a tragic cautionary tale.

[@jessee7334]

How he died dude.

[@dragons_red]

@@jessee7334 How he died had everything to do with the tragic life he led. The circumstances/events surrounding his death are sad, but not surprising or unique.

[@brianwalendy3735]

@8534964 or, when others tell you what value you add to their lives, listen. (calling back to river of deceit.)

[@lauramalizia9636]

Agreed.. 😢💔

[@ottogofast3882]

Dragon's Red nah he did great things in life, the rockstar lifestyle was the cautionary tale

[@josephtabar492]

Drugs kill. Don't start. Only Hell awaits....Been there done it. By the grace of God alone am I alive to talk about it. # Never again.

[@RResidentAlienNN]

@joseph proud of you bud. #neveragain.

[@yepper1165]

I'm happy for you! Keep on staying strong!

[@brettadkins4968]

Kicking fentanyl right fucking now, it's hell.

[@saschidachsie]

Yes cautionary. But Mike and Layne were so much more than their addictions. They were good men who made bad decisions and ultimately paid for it. But I celebrate laynes memory for the beautiful soul he had.

[@TheChugg11]

Sadly, it doesn’t seem to matter what someone was like/what they achieved before becoming an addict; the second it becomes known about they’re forever connected to their addiction.

[@TheChugg11]

@Tonya Harmon Tell me about it

[@ssherrierable]

If they could kick mike out for the petty shit he did and never allow him back not even if he got help than they aint friends. Layne seen that and layne stopped caring about the band after mike was dismissed...

[@iamcasihart]

@@TheChugg11 Scott Weiland put it almost exactly as you have. That once you become an actual “junkie,” that’s your fucking identity (to most of the outside world). It’s awful and unfair.

[@robert.m4676]

@@TheChugg11 I went down that dark road and barely survived. I had a couple setbacks and woke up just in The nick of time. I have some relatives who think less of me than I do. That is kinda the point. I made amends, helped people, been charitable and been productive and decent. But there’s still some who no matter what I do always see me in a negative light. But I am above that even when they make snide remarks. It was never between me and them. It’s always been between me and God. That’s what I always remember when someone tries to bring me down or make me sound worthless. It’s not always easy but practice and time help when confronted by anyone who tries to lump me into the you’re a useless junkie category. Today I love living with mind that’s not altered by chemicals. I have plenty of times on both sides of living addiction free and living messed up. That stuff permanently altered my mind. But today I’m a pretty easy going person who loves life and all it has to offer. Good and bad.

[@jondubb35]

Definitely think Staley was in Cantrell’s mind when he wrote this song. Mike Starr had not yet passed away at the time he wrote it.

[@paulosicne5803]

When Alice In Chain's "Black Gives Way To Blue" CD came out, it was the song "Your Decision" that stood out to me as the best song on that album. I'm surprised it didn't make it bigger. Very catchy, timeless tune.

[@bobthebear1246]

Absolutely. And it fits perfectly in their acoustic/electric tradition of classics like, "I Stay Away," "Got Me Wrong," "Nutshell," "No Excuses," "Heaven Beside You," "Over Now," and any others I might have missed mentioning just now. R.I.P. Layne and Mike. 🔥🔥

[@joelfernandes5638]

At that time I was about to make de biggest decision that would change the course of my life forever! I knew that and I couldn’t take “your Decision” off of my mind. Here I’m ten years after, older wiser and learning to accept the consequences of my naive self.

[@tyronescringeheaven1120]

RIP Layne

[@mikewright534]

Great song! Multiple meanings for me. "Your decision" means this was Layne's decision to continue living life the way he did knowing he was gonna die. And "your decision" refers to everyone listening. If you want to get out of whatever sucks in your life and live a better life then it's your decision. You can choose to live and fight regardless of your situation. No matter how messed up your life is and how you got there doesn't matter. No excuses, It's ultimately your decision to turn it around and choose to live and make your life better. We understand that messed up things happened in your life that got you here, some self inflicted, some where somebody took advantage of you or did you wrong. But here you are, still alive, and it's your decision where you go from this day forward. Layne choose to keep living the way he did. And it's over now. Can't make the decision anymore.

[@yukonstriker1703]

Well said!

[@rexking8892]

If you've been an addict for 20 years, even the lyrics to "Happy Birthday" are about drugs. Sheesh.

[@spaghettisploitation1029]

Nah... But, Rocketman is!!! 🤣

[@jimmaloney1121]

Keep up the good work about Layne. I'm always learning something new about him through your videos. By the way, Corinth was a very "liberal" city like Amsterdam or San Francisco where all kinds of vices took place. Paul wrote to the new Christians to tell them that, while everything was "permissable," not everything was beneficial, like eating meat sacrificed to idols.

[@rnrtruestories]

thanks.

[@rphipps37]

I would offer that Jerry Cantrell is the most underrated song writer of all time. Yeah, hes an awesome guitarist. Yeah, he performs live like a dynamo, and yeah, dude can sing. Fact is: Jerry wrote most , very most all the killer jams we hold close to our cold, dead hearts.

[@WC_Beer_Reviews]

Definitely an underrated song in their catalog. I'd include Lesson Learned from that same album. It's so Alice in Chainsey, lol. They stayed true to their sound, while still sounding fresh on that whole album. William's contribution was a wonderful addition to their sound. Great video! Everyone go back and listen to Black gives Way to Blue immediately!

[@phmiraclecleanse]

jeeping_foodie really nice to see a nod to Lesson Learned. I agree on that. Something about the solo in When the Sun Rose Again also that just still carries that sound. I was listening to Private Hell today. Same drum pattern as Down in a Hole. All around great album.

[@leighclaude]

Black gives way to blue = That’s LAYNE RIP

[@WC_Beer_Reviews]

@@phmiraclecleanse those songs could have been a part of another acoustic EP if they wanted to keep that tradition

[@STETTRACE]

I’m sure there’s a good bit about Layne. Jerry quotes in an interview that “ it’s hard to watch a friend and brother who has chosen to go out in that way” They all knew he was committed to his path of destruction.

[@THE_BEAR_JEW]

I lost my younger brother to heroin. Having experienced something like that on such a personal level, I can honestly tell people it's just beyond the addict's control. My brother was a much better person than I'll ever be. He was sweet, caring, always the life of the party, but he made the terrible decision to get involved with heroin and it took him. I found his journal after he passed and he wrote about how he knew he had to stop but that he wasn't able to do so. He wrote about knowing he was not going to live long and how he hated that all he could think about was heroin. I remember us having issues with each other, but near his death we were getting along again. We'd hit the gym together, play basketball, videogames, I even got him into playing guitar. But heroin is just too addictive. All it takes is one night of temptation and the availability and it's over. If my younger brother could get his hands on it, I can only imagine how bad it was for Layne who was surely surrounded by people who could get it for him. As soon as he tried it, it was a done deal, it was just a matter of how long. That's the thing about heroin, it never lets go. Just look at Philip Seymour Hoffman. The guy was sober for over 2 decades but he still relapsed and died shortly after that.

[@ajg8722]

To me this song was a newer version of “Nutshell”. I listened to this song a lot and felt this captured the divorce my mom was putting out family through. Especially the line, “no one plans to take the path that brings you lower, and here you stand before us all and say it’s over.” That line hit me hard. Because I felt we were trying to getting the peace. To be fair my dad didn’t help out the situation, but I just felt my mom was putting a lot on me and was the one to give up.

[@natashasavage8039]

RIP,... Layne Staley and Mike Starr❣️🎶🎶🎶

[@nataliesmith4575]

Despite people saying alice in chains encourages drug use, they have helped me get onto the path of sobriety and recovery. Just gotta really understand the meaning and pain behind their words.

[@troybaker3286]

Layne used to get pissed off when people would come up to him and say they were "high" Dirt is a cautionary tale of what can happen. It was never meant to be supportive of using.

[@TSPH1992]

@@troybaker3286 Too bad he couldn't conquer his inner demons and kick the stuff

[@kimberlyelliott7933]

Same ❤

[@wvu05]

It seems like a lot of people miss the warnings. Look at how many people think that Black Sabbath encourages the dark arts, when pretty much every reference is a warning to how they will mess you up.

[@NicoleOnFire]

🙏

[@brian_keith]

I think "Lesson Learned" off the same album could also be related to Layne and Mike. it sounds as if some of Layne's vocals are mixed in the song, if you listen closely, you can hear what sounds like Layne saying "Yeah" at the end of the chorus, "Just another lesson learned.........Yeah", especially on the last chorus of the song. we lost a great one in Layne. we still love you and miss you to this day, brother. Ring Them Bells.

[@ministerofdarkness]

Time for an All things Alice In Chains channel. 🎸🧤

[@aniki6873]

as a guy who OD’d before and had a near death experience, it really is just a black light when you face that path. just nothing.

[@mr.blonde7812]

Black light is an oxymoron

[@detectivekornfed]

If you don't mind me asking, did you have a positive or a negative NDE? Whichever you experienced, I hope it was ultimately healing and transformative. And I understand if you'd rather not discuss your experience on YT, considering the high number of combative people, and contemptuous, nasty people.

[@ottogofast3882]

Remember before you were born? Death is just like that

[@detectivekornfed]

@@ottogofast3882 it could be 🙂. I tend to doubt that, though, for various reasons, including a physically painful, terrifying paranormal experience that I shared with someone else. So, I'll wait to see if Aniki replies, and if he chooses not to discuss it further, that's indeed his prerogative.

[@emmabauer1906]

That's always interesting to hear experiences of those who flatlined & came back.

[@vonniedemers5683]

BGWTB is about the band and Layne. It's understanding the past and saying goodbye to Layne.

[@MynameisMikeee]

Not to get too much into detail but in 2004, I had clinically died for 2 minutes. No white light. Just black - just an absence of memory. Nothingness. I was brought back luckily. Make of that what you will in terms of your thoughts.

[@mmalan4982]

Mynameismike ❤️

[@MynameisMikeee]

Adam Clark yeah I mean I did say make of that what you will.

[@christar9527]

Same experience here when I OD’d . It’s all a blank. Almost died, wish I had.

[@kingeatking]

I think the masterpiece that is Rooster shows that this band was a lot deeper then just singing about drug use.

[@shytownmofo]

The first time I heard the song I knew it was about Layne. Definitely Jerry's final words to him about the hurt he caused.

[@jekku4688]

I still have a _really_ hard time listening to that one...and if I happen to be reading the lyrics along with it, forget it, just bury me in a box of Kleenex!

[@randybegley1964]

This is possibly your best video yet. IMO. Content and production quality were excellent. I want to give s shout out to William Duvall who is trying to fill the shoes of the greatest singer of all time and doing a great job. RIP Layne and long live Alice in Chains.

[@rnrtruestories]

Thanks I plan on doing more of these for Alice and possibly other bands

[@kathybreakwell847]

Miss you SO much dear, sweet Layne Rest in Peace

[@TrashHeapHedonist]

"your decision" is the best song on that album.

[@rancelflorida1645]

Black gives way to blue aswell

[@nealdamkjer192]

5:06 Kinney sounds like Buffalo Bill from "Silence of the Lambs"...wtf

[@nealdamkjer192]

@Ethan Tremblay Say, are you about a size 14?? *BAM* OHhhhh, Good!!

[@nealdamkjer192]

@Ethan Tremblay Say, are you about a size 14?? *BAM* OHhhhh, Good!!

[@nealdamkjer192]

@@sstaners1234 Yeshewill , Precious she'll getdahose!

[@jessiejeanne9717]

Fun fact: Mike Starr's birthday was the 4th. I feel like I'm always going to be a slave to opiates. I was on methadone for chronic pain then blossomed into me eventually becoming a junky. I've *NEVER* had a harder time detoxing than trying to get off methadone, I only made it 8 days till I cracked, that was back in '09-then I checked into rehab. Now I'm on Suboxone which is it's own special kind of hell. It was easier white knuckling a week long vike addiction. I haven't been high in YEARS! My body is so stuck that the dopesickness is unbearable. My dad died from a drug overdose when I was ten... My arrogance (won't happen to me, I'll be careful) was the "pride before the fall" & the life up till then was the recipe for addiction. *PLEASE DON'T GO ON MAINTENANCE MEDS IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO*

[@ryanduray1]

I've fought these same battles. Methadone withdrawals are the absolute worst. Have you tried kratom? I used it to get off suboxone and it worked quite well. I also lost my mom to a drug overdose when I was seventeen. Never give up. You're not alone.

[@jessiejeanne9717]

@@ryanduray1 I'm so sorry you had to live this life and my God I'm so sorry you lost your mom. Glad you have a good head on your shoulders-seems like children of addicts either carry on the torch or go so anti drug they get judgey and ridiculous about it. I want to try Kratom, I'm just gun shy about consuming anything I think my receptors would latch onto. I'm on such a low dose of sub, but it seems impossible to jump off. True, a sub detox is a cakewalk compared to methadone, but fuck! If you don't mind my asking, how was your Kratom experience? I've never gotten to talk to anyone who's utilized it before.

[@europianbob]

I'm in the same book. I'd rather be on Methadone than using needles ANYDAY! It's good and bad. The bad for me is I've gained a little weight and I was a supermodel on heroin now I can't book a job. Oh well! Fuck them! I'm happier!

[@ashlotus502]

God bless, I know about these struggles all too well. I was a hopeless heroin addict, and coke addict for 8 years. I'm on methadone now , been on it for the past 3 years. In my case it has saved my life and I can live like a normal person. Deep inside though I'm bothered by the fact that I can't live without it. I'm on 95 mgs daily Ive dropped my dose, I'm just scared that I'll never be able to live without it, dope sickness scares me more than anything. It's probably my biggest fear. I pray for every addict struggling and always will. 🙏❤️ God bless

[@jessiejeanne9717]

@@europianbob is assume being free of this shit is a way better feeling than any booking could make you feel. This is something you're doing for yourself. I'm not saying u will, but if you accidently have a relapse incident, don't beat yourself up!!! Get right back on that horse, even if you have to live hour by hour. Best of luck to you and you're more beautiful now than ever!!!

[@brooklyn8376]

I'm sober now but I did have a few really close calls with overdoses. I didn't see any light or blackness. Just peaceful nothingness. It was like falling asleep and waking up to pure chaos. The overdose was not scary it was waking up to EMTs and law enforcement that scares the shit out of you.

[@simonbackwash]

Please do more Alice in chains songs meaning videos ! This one was so well put and accurate about the lyrics imo. Great great work ! Thank you ! And yes, who bets Covid-19 is going to push some people already fragile and in great poverty into addictions or elevates their levels of drugs use if they were already using, same has hurricane Kat did ?

[@rnrtruestories]

Thanks plan on doing more videos like this

[@christar9527]

Yes it probably will. It will also push some people into suicide. I’m considering it.

[@bradmoberly6164]

I od'ed myself and everything went black . One second I was pushing the plunger on the needle . Warm blanket. I didn't even push half of the dope in......Then..... No time ....no pain....no feeling. Then I remember Emt's asking me my name.

[@ashlotus502]

Same here. That warm feeling took over then nothing. Then just like you, EMTs in my face, I'm 3 years clean now.. God bless, stay safe .

[@christar9527]

I OD’d on prescription pills and I had no pain, no memory of it at all. I woke up days later in the ICU with people surrounding me and I thought “What’s going on? Why are people around me?” It was not a bad experience compared to life.

[@tedkoppel4199]

I think it's cool that AIC went on without Layne, but for me it was over. I haven't bought an AIC album since and haven't gone to see them live.

[@christar9527]

Antplays DDO Yeah, I can’t listen anymore and I won’t go to concerts with Duvall there. I just can’t. He doesn’t cut it for me, that’s all. My decision.

[@puppetmaster8551]

You’re missing out, Cantrell has always been the primary songwriter and mastermind of the band. Black gives way to blue is an all time great comeback album and I’ve seen this lineup multiple times live and they were some of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Layne was amazing and the band was at their peak with him but they are still a great band and will continue to be as long as Cantrell is there writing the music like he always has because he’s one of the best songwriters ever.

[@aaronwhite3298]

Miss your Alice in Chains videos🤘

[@HellcatCustoms]

I read somewhere where Jerry was quoted saying "Your Decision" and the title track were both about Layne. Can't remember where it was tho.

[@Thatguy55595]

Next time remember

[@HellcatCustoms]

@@Thatguy55595 I searched around for it and couldn't find it..maybe I imagined it lol

[@HellcatCustoms]

@Josh Weaver good points. You're probably correct.

[@emmabauer1906]

@Josh Weaver they played this on their last tour.

[@shoshoncaligula5512]

Well thanks for nothing I guess

[@camgood3097]

I had the same interpretation. Many people see all black when they have a near death experience (and many say it is frightening, like a purgatory or something.. and some see evil faces and disturbing imagery in the darkness). I've heard a couple of accounts where people then broke out of the darkness and into light, which might indicate that it's a temporary purgatory that some people experience.

[@Me37368]

Would love to see a video about Def Leppard’s Steve Clark! Since his birthday is coming up soon

[@rnrtruestories]

yes definitely will be doing that.

[@wastedyears2764]

Another part of the song that u talked about was "watch your fear become your god" could be about Layne and his father, I heard his biggest fear was to become an addict like his biological father and it came true, and heroin became his god like the song "Godsmack" , not exactly sure on this but I thought I heard this was his biggest fear growing up from something I read or watched

[@rnrtruestories]

yes, that is a great observation I can't believe i missed that.

[@chrisbridston3438]

Cautionary tale is hard to follow when you yourself is actually in recovery from opiate addiction.. “mine perc 30s” for 23 years .. we know it’s terrible .. we want to stop .. we CANT.. it’s like a ethical money tree.. over and over again .. repeat .. repeat etc etc .. it’s a scary drug .. “ALL ARE” don’t get me wrong.. but something about the Euphoria of opiates .. we always want to chase that .. experience that “warm , safe place “ anyways .. I get it.. I’m just grateful that I have 3 years.. Should be like Mike and Layne

[@bowmanwright532]

Chris Bridston Congrats on 3 years! I totally agree, opiates are so damn seductive they are very hard to give up, especially when withdrawals are so horrendous if you go cold turkey. Contrast that with the warm safety of opiates and well, it’s a shitty cycle. Anyway good luck with it, the further you keep getting away from it the easier it gets.

[@_trendkill_1674]

Long live Layne-stay away from drugs

[@mike-st6vf]

Jerry Cantrell has a wonderful ability to write songs that have a strong sense of ambiguity yet after closer analysis almost always has layne Staley (and sometimes Mike Starr) at it's core. Black gives way is obviously a tribute and final goodbye to layne as well as an act of closure so they can continue forward with the current lineup. Of course only Jerry knows, and I bet he enjoys letting people keep on guessing, interpreting, and receiving inspiration from the songs to apply to their own lives, exactly what a great song should be.

[@evelyn_w]

Your decision is my favorite song off Black Gives Way To Blue. I feel like every song on that album was written for Layne or inspired by him in one way or another.

[@juliethomas6897]

In the "your decision" video they show a pic of Kurt on mantle and have Laynes hat on the rack.

[@Knightmare-gz9ls]

Voices video has Layne, Chris Cornell, and a photo of mother love bone.

[@SpreadingDisease]

This song I played on repeat. It came out during the time I was addicted to drugs. It would bring out emotions in me that were numb and buried by the drugs. Every word of the song was speaking directly to me. Like a voice from beyond trying to reach me through music. Overwhelmed you chose to run. I was overwhelmed by trauma and ran away from it with drugs. You feed the fire that burned us all. That was me destroying the relationship with my family. And here you stand before us all and says it’s over. That was me saying fuck it all. I’m going to die high. There’s no way out. Yes it hurts to know you’re bought. I felt my soul was already bought by the darkness. It’s your decision. I took it as it’s your decision. Live or die. I ended up choosing life. This song kept me alive.

[@ekquinn7059]

Thank you, love your channel! I don't think the whole song is about Layne or drugs...I am thinking it is about we all have the right to make decisions and sometimes they are bad, and it affects everyone around us. The opening lines.....kinda tell me that there was some anger that Layne just chose to walk away and sink into his addiction; meanwhile the fans, friends and band members are stunned and Layne was too sick to care by that point so it appeared as apathy on his part. Just MHO. ✌✌

[@rnrtruestories]

thanks

[@puppetmaster8551]

It’s pretty clearly also about Jerry and his own addiction struggles which everyone just over looks, he had serious drug/alcohol and depression etc issues when he was recording degradation trip. Luckily he was able to eventually clean himself up and he’s still around today’s because of it. Not every song is solely about Layne which many people act like that’s the case.

[@pinkfreud62]

1 Corinthians also contains the passage: 19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 YOU WERE BOUGHT AT A PRICE. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

[@bobthebear1246]

I think "Your Decision" is definitely about Layne. Although there is a little bit of anger at Layne over what he did, plus some frustration and feelings of helplessness at being unable to help him, I think the strongest feeling in the song and especially by the end is sadness.

[@davidmatheny1993]

It is sad that modern AIC songs are not getting the same recognition of some of their older material. Your Decision, A Looking in View, Stone, Hollow, and Voices are all songs that should have dominated rock radio.

[@jessiejeanne9717]

You will never not be tempted by your vice.

[@Vandalio_Saez]

I think the song is about both layne and mike all respect to Duvall and Inez but that original alice line up is the four horsemen of the apocalypse 🔥

[@Bird1964]

True and poetic words ✌️😊

[@Pinhead101]

I listened to Black gives to Blue album but didnt like it. I appreciate you dissecting the lyrics on this song but the melody just isnt there for me to care.

[@auntineci2648]

All Alice songs that we're written by Layne was about how NOT to take drugs if you really listen. But my favorite songs are Confusion/ Rain when I die/ Love hate Love all songs about Demi❤

[@serfindukdb1776]

Nice take. A little surprised that you didn't bring up the chord progression of the intro and verse parts of the song, since it very closely resembles "Nutshell", which loosely connects this as Jerry's response to Layne... but that's just my take...

[@sandygoddard7478]

None of the other members can say they weren't blessed by the grace of God to escape death. Fate just picked Layne and Mike, kind of the luck of the draw. They really cannot give themselves all the credit for surviving addiction

[@mike-st6vf]

....but another good one. You're videos never get old, keep them coming, very appreciated and entertaining. And yeah, it certainly is "your decision" to keep doing AIC stories......and it would indeed be a very, very good decision to do so! Lol. Thanks for making these videos bud.

[@heathwood8135]

Black is all I feel is this how it feels to be free? All the way back to Sap Layne had mentioned that subject.

[@thegypsyman9043]

Has often been said there's a fine thin "grey line" between genius & insanity, perhaps it's true.

[@spookshow6999]

His family failed Layne, and friends. We’ve had the same problem with other friends, and literally forced our way to them. No way in hell I’d let my daughter hole up, and die. Even if I had to kick the fucking door in. Don’t say I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve been in recovery for 8 years. It’s not like he just accidentally out of the blue overdosed. They let him hole up for 5 years. She waited too damn long to do anything. He had to many people that should have fought their way to get him help. I don’t care what I had to do. I’ve lost over 400 people to drug overdoses. No ones left here where I live, but a couple of us. Layne felt like no one loved him. Then when his dad came back, and used drugs with him, it broke him. I’d literally kill a man for coming back in my daughters life doing dope with her, and then leave her again. It would be bad. Both of the friends that we forced out way to, and also ones family stepped in. They are alive, and clean today. Even though she came back out, and relapsed some. She lived. It’s a fight, but sometimes you have to step in. It would have least helped his body heal. It’s very sad.

[@dennyjohnson8563]

As I suppose with all songwriters (good ones anyway) Their lyrics are contrived from life's experiences. Jerry penned a great one here, I would suspect pulling the lyrics from all the emotional sufferings he has endured. We are who we are, I think he gets that more than most.

[@ChadH2023]

I've always wondered in the lyrics from black gives way to blue are connected to the song am i inside from sap. Black is all I feel So this is how it feels to be free The man's beside himself Man's below himself Man's behind himself Am I inside myself Chaos and hate shadow me Pain it fills me up Only one thing makes me feel Missing better half of me Black is all lfeel So this is how it feels to be free

[@RResidentAlienNN]

Sure its a cautionary tale. No one should even think about starting drugs because there is no such thing as a successful addict. What I mean by that is aside from not taking that out of context, even people who became successful overnight that used hard drugs are not here anymore. There's only a few around and that's because they stopped. Thats rare because once you start its next to impossible to stop. Anyone that's clean that means you were in that very rare 7-8% of addicts that were amazingly able to quit and stayed quit. Quitting isnt hard. Its the rest of your life that is the real challenge. Dont start. Dont do drugs. Dont ever try them kids. Trust me, life is much much greener and better being absolutely of clean Sound mind. Drugs are just a fast or slow, depending on things, road to prison and or death and its a miserable ride to the end. Life is precious and it shouldn't be wasted on wasting away to a shell of your former self. Stay away from it. Stay healthy. You can either rule your own world and thrive or be A slave to substance and basically just try to survive until you don't anymore. That's my two cents and I hope you listen. Or else you will end up a statistic like layne Staley and not to sarcastic or speak ill of the dead but he literally ended up melting into his carpet from not being discovered for a couple weeks. Rule your own destiny and make life work for you. Not the other way.

[@blurustc8341]

I really hope some AIC fans give their new albums a chance. I have read numerous comments of people hating on their new albums and i saddens me, they are more mature now, sober and wiser, so of course their music is gonna be a little different and personally i like the direction they're going with regarding their music and the people they're approaching. William gets so much hate for no reason, if you actually listened closely, even without Layne they still kept that AIC feel to their songs. Yes, Layne will always be irreplaceable but they weren't trying to replace him anyways.

[@thegypsyman9043]

Well said. Some of the best music of the era, but that era's come & gone.

[@Ari-rp6pq]

Well said and I couldn’t agree more. I think musicians need to evolve and that’s what people don’t understand. The awesome thing about AIC is that they have a more mature sound but still got that old AIC going on. I personally love the profound lyrics to their new music, it’s beautiful. Until you begin to understand their writing, you’ll realize how under-appreciated Jerry and the rest of the band is. I always have loved them and always will!! 🖤

[@puppetmaster8551]

These people are fuckin idiots, you can find them in this thread saying Cantrell would’ve been nothing without Layne and only used him for money, saying he is only a “decent” songwriter when in reality he wrote almost all their most famous and well Received songs alone like would?/rooster/down in a hole just to list a couple but there are so many more, or Calling him an asshole with no evidence of that being the case especially when countless people have said he’s a really good dude over the years and one of the most highly respected by his peers. These people try to tear down Jerry and modern AIC to prop up Layne and act like he was the band and it’s pathetic. Layne was one of the best singers ever and the band was at their peak with him but Jerry is one of the best songwriters to ever live and the band is still great. Bunch of fuckin idiots, they way these haters talk you’d think the band was called Layne in chains and that he was actually the one writing the majority of the music which is not true at all.

[@jekku4688]

I have to compartmentalize the Layne & post-Layne versions of AIC, I can't help it. They're just...different. Still good, but different. AIC, for me, will ALWAYS be of the with-Layne variety. I just wish there were a hidden cache of unreleased stuff lurking somewhere, somehow, but we were just on the cusp of decent 'modern technology,' so what we have is what we got. :-(

[@robinpaydon7139]

The video is pretty good too especially how they portray the record execs

[@easythegreat8317]

Black Gives Way To Blue was written about Layne by Jerry.

[@AB-ce5fg]

Heaven beside you is about having a perfect relationhship "beside you" with an addiction "within"

[@OGStinkywizzleteats]

I think a lot of songs that Jerry wrote in his solo work were definitely about Layne. Bargain Basement Howard Hughes comes to mind. It's kind of funny that Layne found inspiration in his addiction. And then Jerry found inspiration in Staley's addiction as well.

[@BenWillyums]

It's the struggle with it and around it, more than the addiction itself . But yeah.

[@TheSaltySeaman]

And a lot of songs intertwine him and Staley. between seeing a best friend die like that and fighting your own alcoholism and depression.

[@yjjeeper1]

Wrong, he found money in Layne's talent and issues, nothing more

[@Klacnr1220]

Absolutely found money off it

[@OGStinkywizzleteats]

Y'all act like Layne carried the band. While he was a talented singer, it took all of them to make Alice what it was. Without Jerry's songwriting abilities Alice wouldn't have been near the band that it was.

[@pitpride1220]

I've done a lot of drugs and have written a lot of songs. A lot of times, the lyrics don't mean anything. They can start with one cool line that you build the song around. Or a central idea that you try to express. But often you get caught up in making things sound cohesive. The song will use words that don't describe the original intent. Sometimes the words just flow out of you. Sometimes they have great meaning, others they don't. Sometimes you like the cadence of it. Or it's the mood you like. Often it's your mind processing many disconnected events in your life. Occasionally the music tells the narrative better than the lyrics. The vocalist has to feel something from the lyrics so they can perform it with passion. Often it's different than what the lyricist intended. Crazily enough, that can happen when they're the same person. Words also take on new meanings over time. The audience gets different meanings too. This is why most artists rarely breakdown or explain the lyrics. Because usually what the audience comes up with is far superior to their idea. Almost to an embarrassing level. It's also very cool to see how art functions that way. You write a song about eating chicken nuggets and the audience interprets it as a take on the complexities of the human spirit.

[@lauramalizia9636]

All of AIC's songs can be about the destruction of addiction to drugs and/ or a personal relationship. That's the beauty of their music..

[@AAhshitsun]

So...dont do heroine. Got it.

[@brunaanselmobarbosa7342]

I see Alice in Chains I click. Love this channel!!

[@theriffwriter2194]

Of all the tragic rock and roll stories Layne's is the one I can relate to the most. I've been a home body most my life, love my video games, often obsessively pick at my guitar all day and am an opiate addict. I sometimes feel the only thing that keeps me from being found dead, 95 pounds with a needle (actually I snort it) in my arm is I can't afford that much at a time.

[@Vampiria000]

I wish you the best man

[@theriffwriter2194]

@@Vampiria000 thanks

[@ars_moriendi.official]

Here's a good topic for another Layne Staley and Alice video if you can find any information on it. I've always wondered what Layne thought of all the singers and bands that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s that were biting his Style of singing and Alice in Chains Style.. bands like Godsmack, Staind and other Nu metal bands and hard rock/metal bands. That were dominating the airwaves and MTV at the time. I wondered if he even was aware of it considering his isolation from the world. Or if he even cared or saw it as a compliment or cringy and annoying? I also wonder what the rest of the bandmates thought of this. I remember Sean made a comment about it.... I think Jerry did too, but I can't remember the details. I remember the band put out get born again on the best of record and died and other unreleased material on the box set. And he did The Faculty soundtrack covering Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall... but sadly those songs were overlooked and underrated or under appreciated. And Alice has never performed these two songs live. I was surprised that they played I stay away with William considering they never did play it live with Layne.

[@xlukesnipes]

"I made my bed, I'll lie in it. I made my bed, I'll die in it". Hole - 1994

[@nickcharles6530]

6 minutes in when Sean Kinney keeps looking back and forth at the interviewer, he looks just like Dino the naked drummer from GG Allin’s band. (The movie Hated by Todd Phillips is a good place to see him if you don’t get the reference) Hilarious!

[@ronsanderson6443]

Layne is one of the best singers ever hands down

[@naturallawman2965]

As soon as I heard Your Decision the day BGWTB came out... I wondered if it was about Layne. Mike hadn't died by then, but it could've been about him as well.

[@Dorisasaurus1133]

I always thought/or knew that Angry Chair was exactly about what it feels like to be an addict who’s sick or trying to kick looking at yourself from the outside in.

[@jamie9842]

Down in a hole is a song that gets me every time, I don’t know what it is, it’s why I covered it I think check it out guys

[@michaelangres4444]

I love your take on this!! Thank you for taking the time to put this out for us!! I am now sorting this time in my life. How it was and my thoughts of the time. Much better than thinking of the daily fear that is 2020. Thank you and keep them coming!! You have no idea how much this helps people. Not everyone but enough to make a difference. You can tell from the likes and the no so much!

[@rnrtruestories]

Thanks and stay strong man

[@earth14rocco36]

I think BGWTB is underappreciated in alotta ways, even wen it 1st came out

[@1neOfN0ne]

That's the beauty of good music/lyrics, they're open to interpretation. That's why good songs can impact people from all walks of life

[@popculturedad8128]

“Fading out by design”, it’s gotta be about Layne

[@Thatguy55595]

Make a video about Nutshell

[@rnrtruestories]

yes will definitely do one on that.

[@SounDiZLife]

For some reason I always thought they said time to change this common God , not the time to change has come and gone???

[@gregporchmusic]

Half of Jerry’s songs are about Layne

[@TombstoneBlues]

I saw Layne at the old Safeway on North East 45th Street in Wallingford not long before he died and I was stunned and how horrible he looked. He looked like an emaciated, very old woman. I knew it was him though because I had seen him around in various neighborhoods in Seattle. To this day I still remember how shocked I was at his appearance. Sad!

[@nadia562010]

So sad😞

[@jacindapeters2303]

It's such a shame he had a amazing voice 😔😓

[@guyfaux900]

Everytime I hear "would" it's like Laynes song. It's eerie Same with Chris Cornell and "pretty noose." F****** surreal.

[@powerofthetime]

original music - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5OzgqZmn55oosk

[@powerofthetime]

2 full albums coming soon

[@dilfbag]

🤘R.I.P. LAYNE🤘

[@SounDiZLife]

Isn't that funny how you can go so long in life thinking lyrics of Some song and then they're completely wrong years later you figure it out?

[@mafeuk]

Great analysis of the song and music video.

[@rnrtruestories]

thanks!

[@djkfrmdubuque4762]

your definently not a millennial

[@Tripl3Nippl3]

As we all know, Layne was an faithful user of heroin. For anyone who may NOT know "black is the most common term used when referring to heroin". At least on the West coast it is. I'm a hopeful struggling addict myself. That being said no one I've ever met calls it "H". It's always called "Black" or "B". Just thought that this extremely relevant, yet widely unknown factoid might possibly play a role in someone's potential perception of song meanings/ titles. Just adds another dimension to the already complex metaphors¡!!!!

[@ThePaintballernick]

watched this video with the song playing in the background. The thing about music is that perhaps a song was written about something but it can be interoperated based on how the listener feels or is going through in that moment. Great video. AIC is by far my favourite band!

[@DaveKrzeminski]

Yes your decision is about Layne IMO. He did say he was happy doing what he did so why try and stop him? He made his decision.

[@satanicpanic1313]

Layne would right his lyrics str8 from the heart and would fall out of him! Effortless!