"Brother" is a song by the American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

and the opening track on their 1992 acoustic EP ''

Sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

''. The song was written by guitarist and vocalist

Jerry Cantrell Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. The band rose to internation ...

for his younger brother, David. Cantrell sings lead vocals in the song, while

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

lead vocalist

Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

sings backing vocals.Liner notes, ''

'', 1992. An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains' ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' in 1996 was released in a live album and DVD. The song was included on the compilation albums ''

Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...

'' (1999) and ''

The Essential Alice in Chains ''The Essential Alice in Chains'' is a two-disc compilation album by the rock band Alice in Chains, and part of Sony BMG's ''The Essential'' series. Originally scheduled to be released on March 30, 2004, it was delayed until September 5, 2006. Th ...

'' (2006).

Origin

In the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of 1999's ''

'' box set collection,

said of the song:

Ours was a divorced family, I was the older brother and we had a sister Cheri in the middle. As you know, when you're a kid there's no way you wanna hang out with your four-year-younger brother. You'll take care of the guy if someone's trying to kick his ass, but other than that you don't wanna know. I think I was really hard on him, especially without my father around. David had nobody, he split to live with my Dad and we didn't see much of each other for a good 6 or 7 years. That song was about the time we were apart, and like "
Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
" was my dad, it was a way of trying to build a bridge.Liner notes, ''
Music Bank Music Bank may refer to: * ''Music Bank'' (TV program), a South Korean music program by KBS **''Music Bank World Tour The ''Music Bank'' World Tour is a worldwide live concert tour of South Korean music show '' Music Bank'' by the Korean Broa ...
'' box set. 1999.

Reception

''Dead End Follies'' detailed the song to be an "eerie

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

", while opining "its simplicity and spontaneity" to be "100%

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

Live performances

Alice in Chains performed "Brother" for the first time during a concert at the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on July 25, 1992. The band performed an acoustic version of "Brother" for its appearance on ''

'' in 1996, with

Layne Staley Layne Thomas Staley (born Layne Rutherford Staley; August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002) was an American musician, songwriter and the original lead singer of the rock band Alice in Chains, which rose to international fame in the early 1990s as part ...

singing backing vocals, and the song was included on the ''

Unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means *Unplugged (B.A.P song), "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 *Unplugged (Modern Family), "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums a ...

'' live album and home video release. This was the last time the band performed the song with Staley. During his solo concert at the Key Arena in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

on May 18, 2002,

said to the audience: "I'd like to do something for a good friend of ours who's no longer with us", and played Alice in Chains' song "

Down in a Hole "Down in a Hole" is a power ballad by Alice in Chains, and the fifth and last single from their album ''Dirt'' (1992). It is the twelfth song on most pressings of the album and fourth or eleventh on others. The song was written by guitarist and ...

". Cantrell later introduced

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

and Nancy Wilson from the band

, who joined him on guitar and vocals to perform "Brother", another song that Cantrell dedicated to Staley at the concert saying; "one more for Mr. Layne". Staley had died a month before the concert, on April 5, 2002.

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitar *

– backing vocals * Mike Starr – bass *

Sean Kinney Sean Howard Kinney (born May 27, 1966) is an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Alice in Chains. Kinney also founded the short-lived supergroup Spys4Darwin, and has collaborated with other artists such a ...

– drums

References

External links

* *
"Brother"
on Setlist.fm * {{authority control 1992 songs Alice in Chains songs Folk rock songs Rock ballads Songs written by Jerry Cantrell