Grind is a song by Alice in Chains, released on October 6, 1995 and is the opening track and lead single from their third studio album, Alice in Chains (1995). The song was written by Jerry Cantrell who also sings lead vocals with Layne Staley harmonizing with him.
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).
An early cut of the song leaked to radio prematurely, so the band released it via satellite link a few days later on October 6, 1995, to combat illegal versions being played in rotation. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, number 18 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, and reached the top 30 in the UK.
Grind was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1996.
Tracklist:
- Grind (originally released on Alice in Chains Album)
- So Close (originally released on Alice in Chains Album)
- Nutshell (originally released on Jar of Flies Album)
- Love, Hate, Love (originally released on Facelift Album)
The music video for Grind was released in November 1995. It was directed by Rocky Schenck, who had previously directed the We Die Young, Them Bones, and What the Hell Have I music videos for the band.
The video was shot at Hollywood National Studios from October 8 to 21, 1995. It is a live-action video with animated sequences featuring the band underground of an old building where a three-legged dog is. The dog in the video is not the same dog on the cover of Alice in Chains‘ self-titled album, and contrary to false information spread on the internet, it did not belong to Jerry Cantrell either.
It was a different dog named Sunshine that was hired just for the video, according to Cantrell. The old man in the video was played by actor Richard Stretchberry. The video received heavy rotation on MTV in late 1995 and early 1996, and it is available on the home video releases The Nona Tapes (1995) and Music Bank: The Videos (1999).
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: lead vocals, rhythm guitar on Head Creeps, guitar parts on Brush Away
Jerry Cantrell: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on Grind, Heaven Beside You and Over Now
Mike Inez: bass
Sean Kinney: drums
Layne Staley (August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002)
