| - | **"Man in the Box"** is a song from |
|---|---|
| + | **"Man in the Box"** is a song from Alice in Chains' debut studio album "Facelift," released in 1990. |
| ## Story behind the song | |
| - | Lead vocalist |
| + | Lead vocalist Layne Staley recalled the story of the song in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1992. |
| > I started writing about censorship. Around the same time, we went out for dinner with some Columbia Records people who were vegetarians. They told me how veal was made from calves raised in these small boxes, and that image stuck in my head. So I went home and wrote about government censorship and eating meat as seen through the eyes of a doomed calf. <ref name="rs1">{{cite RollingStone.com|url="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/alice-in-chains-through-the-looking-glass-19921126"|title="Alice in Chains: Through the Looking Glass"}}</ref> | |
| - | In another interview, Staley also added that he was stoned when he wrote it, so he meant something else at the time. He also ensured that the song was |
| + | In another interview, Staley also added that he was stoned when he wrote it, so he meant something else at the time. He also ensured that the song was not about veal. <ref name="genius1">{{cite Genius.com|url="https://genius.com/Alice-in-chains-man-in-the-box-lyrics"|title="'Man in the Box' by Alice in Chains"}}</ref> |
| - | Guitarist |
| + | Guitarist Jerry Cantrell explained his vision: "It's about how government and media control the public's perception of events in the world or whatever, and they build you into a box by feeding it to you in your home. And it's about breaking out of that box and looking outside of that box that has been built for you." |
| Jerry Cantrell admitted the importance of the song for the band in the liner notes of a box set compilation album "Music Bank," released in 1999. | |
| > That whole beat and grind of that is when we started to find ourselves; it helped Alice become what it was. | |
| Paul Rachman directed the official video for the song. <ref name="imdb1">{{cite IMDB.com|url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4665332/"|title="Alice in Chains: Man in the Box (1991)"}}</ref> | |
| The video was shot on a farm in the Santa Monica Mountains. Laney Staley and Paul Rachman developed the concept of the video. Staley's initial idea was to show a baby with his eyes sewn shut, but finally, they decided to change it to the blind hooded caretaker. <ref name="songfacts1">{{cite SongFacts.com|url="http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2855"|title="'Man in the Box' by Alice in Chains"}}</ref> | |
| - | The music video was shot on 16mm film and transferred to tape using an FDL 60 telecine, which was the only device that could synchronize sound to picture at six frames per second. This solution provided the surreal |
| + | The music video was shot on 16mm film and transferred to tape using an FDL 60 telecine, which was the only device that could synchronize sound to picture at six frames per second. This solution provided the surreal motion for the video. The sepia look was done by Claudius Neal using a DaVinci color corrector. |
| This style became a standard for the genre, visualizing the music as rough, dark and organic. It was the first grunge video that got significant airplay on MTV. <ref name="songfacts1"/> | |
| The music video was nominated for the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards but lost to "The Other Side" by Aerosmith. <ref name="genius1"/> | |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAqZb52sgpU | |
| - | Layne Staley |
| + | Layne Staley tattooed on his back the character from the video. <ref>{{cite InkedMag.com|url="https://web.archive.org/web/20091010140031/http://www.inkedmag.com/article/q-jerry-cantrell/"|title="Q & A With Jerry Cantrell"}}</ref> |
|  | |
| ### Live version | |
| - | "Man in the Box" became one of the signature songs by Alice in Chains, so it was often performed live. |
| - | |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eipuJPgHFZk | |
| *Live performance at ABC in concert in 1991.* | |
| - | Alice in Chains continued performing this song after Layne Staley's death. |
| - | |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM4mVGJkp6A | |
| - | *Live performance with William DuVall on vocals at Main Square Festival 2014.* |
| + | *Alice in Chains continued performing this song after Layne Staley's death. Live performance with William DuVall on vocals at Main Square Festival 2014.* |
| ### Notable covers | |
| Richard Cheese covered this song in a lounge style for his album "Aperitif for Destruction" in 2005. | |
| ApologetiX made a parody of this song titled "Man on a Cross" in 2013. | |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFnjHoTSFjA | |
| - | Duo de Twang |
| + | Duo de Twang made a bluegrass cover of the song on their debut album "Four Foot Shack" in 2014. |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh2giMlcqls | |
| ## Gear and settings | |
| ### Guitars | |
| #### Jerry Cantrell | |
| - | |
| + | Jerry Cantrell used his **1984 G&L Rampage "Blue Dress"** for the recording. This guitar was also used in the official video of the song. |
| - | He explained his choice, "From the very first time I picked it up and played it, it just felt right to me. It was designed to blend the playability and high-end sound of a Strat with the darkness and full-bodied sound of a Les Paul." Its shape is similar to the Fender Stratocaster but features a more narrow waist and more indent contours on the back of the body. This guitar |
| - | <ref name="gg1">{{cite GroundGuitar.com|url="https://www.groundguitar.com/jerry-cantrell-gear/"|title="Jerry Cantrell |
| + | He explained his choice, "From the very first time I picked it up and played it, it just felt right to me. It was designed to blend the playability and high-end sound of a Strat with the darkness and full-bodied sound of a Les Paul." Its shape is similar to the Fender Stratocaster but features a more narrow waist and more indent contours on the back of the body. This guitar was all-maple one. It had Kahler tremolo system, one Seymour Duncan JB humbucker with one volume knob. Cantrell admitted that he had never needed a lot of knobs or switches, so this design had suited his needs perfectly. <ref name="gw1">{{cite GuitarWorld.com|url="https://www.guitarworld.com/features/jerry-cantrell-facelift"|title="'Jerry Cantrell: Facelift' by Andy Aledort"}}</ref> |
| + | <ref name="gg1">{{cite GroundGuitar.com|url="https://www.groundguitar.com/jerry-cantrell-gear/"|title="Jerry Cantrell’s Guitars and Gear"}}</ref> |
|  | |
| *Jerry Cantrell's G&L Rampage.* | |
| #### Mike Starr | |
| - | |
| + | Mike Starr used the white **Spector NS-2** for the recording and live sessions. <ref name="lefty1">{{cite leftybassist.com|url="http://www.leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3167"|title="Mike Starr/alice in chains tone?????"}}</ref> |
|  | |
| ### Amps and effects | |
| Guitars: [[half step down tuning]] (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb). | |
| Bass: half step down tuning (Eb Ab Db Gb). | |
| + | ## Song key |
| + | |
| + | The song is written in the key of E flat minor. |
| + | |
| ## Techniques | |
| - | The most notable feature of the song is the usage of a talk box for riffs throughout the song. If you don't have a talk box, you can imitate this effect using a [[wah]] pedal. <ref name="gl365">{{cite GuitarLessons365.com|url="https://guitarlessons365.com/man-in-the-box-guitar-lesson-alice-in-chains/"|title="Man In The Box Guitar Lesson - Alice in Chains"}}</ref> |
| - | |
| - | Also, note that the song has a lot of guitar overdubs. |
| + | The most notable feature of the song is the usage of a talk box, which is used for riffs throughout the song. If you don't have a talk box, you can imitate this effect using a wah pedal. <ref name="gl365">{{cite GuitarLessons365.com|url="https://guitarlessons365.com/man-in-the-box-guitar-lesson-alice-in-chains/"|title="Man In The Box Guitar Lesson - Alice in Chains"}}</ref> |
| ### Song breakdown | |
| The song has the following [[Song structure|structure]]: | |
| **[[Intro]] - [[Verse]] 1 - [[Pre-chorus]] 1 - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 1 - [[Interlude]] 1 - [[Verse]] 2 - [[Pre-chorus]] 2 - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 2 - [[Solo]] - [[Chorus (song part)|Chorus]] 3 - [[Outro]]** | |
| - | The opening riff presents a nice mix of [[palm-muted]] [[double stops]] and single notes with [[dead notes]]. Also, this riff has a [[hammer-on]] at the end. This riff is played in the [[intro]], [[interlude|interludes]], and [[verse|verses]]. |
| - | The intro is continued with a wordless melody, where Layne Staley's peculiar, tensed-throat vocals are matched in unison with an effects-laden guitar, where each note is played with [[vibrato]]. This melody repeats in the interludes and the [[outro]]. |
| - | The [[pre-chorus|pre-choruses]] start with a double stops riff, which requires good hand stretching. Then it goes back to the main riff and ends with a short single-note run (the first pre-chorus) or double stops with [[bends]] and [[releases]] (the second one). |
| - | The choruses are mainly based on [[chord]] playing, though there are several single notes with bends. |
| - | |
| - | The [[solo]] has a lot of intricate licks, so it much more challenging to play than the rest of the song. It starts with a long [[trill]] then jumps up the fretboard into several fast blues licks with a lot of bending and legato techniques. <ref name="gl365"/> Also, note a gradual release in the middle of the solo. |
| - | |
| - | The solo also has several rhythm guitar lines. One of them reproduces the main riff, while the other one consists of repeating double stops, introduced in the pre-choruses. |
| - | |
| - | One of the crucial points in playing the solo is the usage of the wah pedal to support the guitar lines. <ref name="gl365"/> |
| ## Recommended lessons | |
| ### Guitar lesson by Jerry Cantrell | |