Flower Child

SONG: Don't Follow
ARTIST: Alice In Chains
ALBUM: Jar of Flies



Alice In Chains has been one of my favorite bands for a very long time so I have had plenty of time to listen to about everything they have put out. I have come to the conclusion that I like their hard metal songs (example: Facelift album) and their extremely soft acoustic songs (example: Unplugged album. I find this song to be a mixture of the two creating the ultimate AIC song.

Starts off with a really soft mellow acoustic guitar riff played by the very talented Jerry Cantrell followed by his mellow rich vocals. Then Layne Staley joins into the vocals for a little here and there. There is also a harmonica in this song which is way out of character for this band, really. It sounds great and adds wonderfully to the mellowness.

Then about halfway through the song, the tempo changes and things pick up a little. Layne Staley sings some very powerful and heartfelt lyrics in this part of the song. The lyrics are probably some of my favorite of any song I have heard. And Staley really pours emotion into it, he sings it like he means it in this part. I would say that this really reflects the life of Staley and Cantrell, for Cantrell wrote it.

Heres a little excerpt from the lyrics:

Forgot my woman, lost my
Friends
Things Id done and where
Ive been
Sleep in sweat the mirrors
Cold
See my face its growin
Old
Scared to death no reason
Why
Do whatever to get me by
Think about the things i
Said
Read the page its cold
And dead

and take me home