"Sea of Sorrow" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains, featured on their debut full-length album Facelift (1990). The song was included on the compilation album The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). A demo version of the song was included on the box set Music Bank (1999).
| "Sea of Sorrow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 U.S. CD promotional single | ||||
| Promotional single by Alice in Chains | ||||
| from the album Facelift | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | December 1989 – April 1990 | |||
| Studio | London Bridge Studio, Seattle & Capitol Recording Studio, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal[1] | |||
| Length | 5:49 (album) 3:37 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Cantrell | |||
| Producer(s) | Dave Jerden | |||
| Alice in Chains singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Sea of Sorrow" on YouTube | ||||
Release and reception
edit"Sea of Sorrow" peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[2] "Sea of Sorrow" was a moderate success and is still occasionally played on alternative rock radio stations.
Ned Raggett of AllMusic said that the song "showed that even as a fairly young group Alice in Chains wanted to fool around with expectations at least a bit" and that "just about every member gets a little moment of flair on the track."[3]
Music video
editTwo music videos for the single were created. In both videos, about two minutes are cut from the song. The second part of guitarist Jerry Cantrell's solo is eliminated, as is the second verse.
Original video
editThe first version was directed by Paul Rachman, who had previously directed the "Man in the Box" music video for the band. The first (and ultimately discarded) version is in color and features the band playing in multicolored spotlights. Vocalist Layne Staley also has most of his dreadlocks cut off, but some intact, giving him an odd hairstyle. The video is available on the home video release Live Facelift.
Official video
editThe second version, directed by Martyn Atkins, was the one the band eventually decided to release and is shot mostly in black and white. Segments from the color video are used in the later black and white one, often glowing momentarily into color from monochrome. There was some editing involved to make the final video appear seamless, as Staley has the half-dreadlock hairstyle in the color video, but shorter and more even cut in the second. The video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos.
Live performances
editA performance of "Sea of Sorrow" is included on the home video release Live Facelift.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sea of Sorrow" (edit) | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Sea of Sorrow" | 5:49 |
Personnel
edit- Layne Staley – lead vocals
- Jerry Cantrell – guitar, backing vocals
- Mike Starr – bass
- Sean Kinney – drums, piano, backing vocals
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[4] | 27 |
References
edit- ^ Sea of Sorrow - Alice in Chains AllMusic "...though after that the band slips into another one of its grand, dramatic monster metal moves."
- ^ "Artist Chart History – Alice in Chains". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Sea of Sorrow". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
- ^ "Alice In Chains Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2021.