No Excuses

"No Excuses"
Single by Alice in Chains
from the album Jar of Flies
Released	1994
Format	CD
Recorded	September 7–14, 1993 at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington
Genre	Grunge, alternative rock
Length	4:15
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Jerry Cantrell
Producer	Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains singles chronology
"Down in a Hole" (1993) "No Excuses" (1994) "I Stay Away" (1994)
Jar of Flies track listing "I Stay Away" (Track 3) "No Excuses" (Track 4) "Whale & Wasp" (Track 5) Music video "No Excuses" on YouTube

"No Excuses" is the lead single off American grunge band Alice in Chains's third EP, Jar of Flies (1994). 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).

Composition

The song's sound (and that of the entire EP) is a departure from some of the band's better-known, heavier work. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell's subtle guitar riffs built around suspended chords (as well as drummer Sean Kinney's soft, syncopated drumming) help lend an unusually airy feel to the song.

Lyrics

It was written by Jerry Cantrell about his unstable relationship with band vocalist Layne Staley.

Release and reception

"No Excuses" was released as a single in 1994. "No Excuses" found moderate airplay on alternative rock radio and is considered by music fans and critics as a grunge staple. "No Excuses" peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, making it the only Alice in Chains top 50 song. 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. "No Excuses" peaked at number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Ned Raggett of Allmusic said that the song "proved in spades that Alice in Chains were far more than oppressive doom-mongers" and added, "Topped off with a catchy chorus, it made for another high point for a band seemingly blessed with them."^[1]

Music video

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. The video features actor Max Perlich. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos.

Live performances

Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of "No Excuses" for its appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1996 and the song was included on the Unplugged live album and home video release.

Track listing

1. "No Excuses" – 4:15
2. "Brother" – 4:27 (from Sap)

Media usage

No Excuses was chosen as a playable track on the popular video game Guitar Hero: Metallica & was also released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.

Personnel

• Layne Staley – vocals
• Jerry Cantrell – guitars, vocals
• Mike Inez – bass
• Sean Kinney – drums, percussion

Chart positions

Chart (1994)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[2]	48
US Mainstream Rock Tracks[3]	1
US Modern Rock Tracks[3]	3
US Top 40 Mainstream[3]	32

Preceded by "Deuces Are Wild" by Aerosmith

Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single March 26 – April 8, 1994

Succeeded by "Keep Talking" by Pink Floyd

References

1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "No Excuses". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/song/t857439. Retrieved 2009-02-27. 
2. ^ "Hot 100 Airplay - Alice in Chains". Billboard charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?exp=y&Ntt=Alice+in+Chains&Ntk=Keyword&an=bbcom&nor=10&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&N=37+4294122920. Retrieved 2008-05-13. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Artist Chart History – Alice in Chains". Billboard charts. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Singles&model.vnuArtistId=3943&model.vnuAlbumId=454488. Retrieved 2008-02-14. 

External links

• Review of "No Excuses" at Allmusic
• "No Excuses" Official music video on YouTube