Voices is a song by Alice in Chains and the third single from their fifth studio album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013). Jerry Cantrell takes lead vocals on the song. The single premiered exclusively on USA Today website on July 26, 2013, and was released to radio stations on July 29, 2013. “Voices” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks, and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. It also peaked at No. 18 on the Rock Airplay chart.
The song was the first to be written for the album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. It was penned by Jerry Cantrell in 2011 before he went into hospital for a procedure to repair a damaged shoulder cartilage. He told Grammy.com in 2013:
Before I had the surgery I think I demoed ‘Voices’ really quick, that was a kind of quick song and came together within a couple of days of just me messing around here at the house. It was right after tour and it was a good, strong song and so I sent it around to everybody and everybody liked it and I thought, ‘F–k, that’s good.’ That was the first thing that came together on the record, so I knew there was a good song there.
Cantrell takes lead vocals on the song. He told USA Today about expanding his role as a lead vocalist in the band:
It’s been a natural progression. Alice has always been a band that requires two of us, two guys to make one. It’s a continuation of what we are and who we continue to be.
Tracklist:
- Voices (radio edit)
The lyric video for Voices was released on the YouTube on July 25, 2013, with the official video following on September 5. Both videos were directed by Robert Schober, also known as Roboshobo. The video was filmed in Seattle, with neon signs of the song’s lyrics placed throughout the city in some of the places that are special to the band, such as The Crocodile club, The Comet Tavern and The Central Saloon. The video also features pictures of the band’s former lead singer, Layne Staley, and of Nirvana‘s frontman, Kurt Cobain, at the 2:20 mark.
Alice in Chains
Jerry Cantrell: lead vocals, lead guitar
William DuVall: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Sean Kinney: drums
Mike Inez: bass guitar
