"Down in a Hole" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

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 fifth and last single from their album ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

'' (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 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 then-girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. The single spent 21 weeks on ''Billboard'''s

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

and peaked at No. 10. The song was included on the compilation albums '' Nothing Safe: Best of the Box'' (1999) and ''

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). 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.

Origin and recording

Songwriter and guitarist

was at first hesitant to present the song to the band, feeling that the song was too soft, but after a positive response from the band, they followed through and recorded it. The composition is written in

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: : Changes ...

, utilizing

Dorian mode Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the medieval musical modes; or—mos ...

, and is centered mainly around Ab minor - Gb major - Db major chord progression, 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 ...

's and Jerry Cantrell's vocal parts intricately harmonizing.

Lyrics

Jerry Cantrell wrote the song for his then-girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. 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, Cantrell said of the song:

Down in a Hole"s in my top three, personally. It's to my long-time love. It's the reality of my life, the path I've chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It's hard for us to both understand...that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.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.

Release and reception

"Down in a Hole" was released as a single in 1993. "Down in a Hole" peaked at number ten on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

chart. The UK single was released in October 1993. "Down in a Hole" reached the top 40 in the UK and the top 30 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Ned Raggett of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said that "Staley's...half-strangled but still amazingly evocative performance...is heartfelt and almost yearning" and that "the end result feels like a ruined man looking for some sort of comfort." Stereogum said of the song; "Down in a Hole" is an anthem of loss, revulsion, and depression. But it really is an anthem first and foremost. The verses build slowly to a soaring chorus with an irrepressible melody. Staley's pained howl guides the song, but its power derives from Cantrell's terrific harmonies, which give the piece heft and also a sense of unease."

Music video

"Down in a Hole" became one of the five video-singles from the album ''Dirt''. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released in 1993 and was directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...

. The video is available on the home video release '' Music Bank: The Videos''. Bassist Mike Inez appears in the video although the original track was recorded with original member Mike Starr.

Live performances

Alice in Chains performed the song live for the first time on October 5, 1992 at the Coca-Cola Starplex in Dallas, Texas. Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of "Down in a Hole" for its appearance on ''

'' in 1996, 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. Another acoustic live version of "Down in a Hole" featuring new vocalist

William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead si ...

on lead vocals is included on the Japanese version of '' Black Gives Way to Blue'' (2009) as a bonus track.

Cover versions

The song was covered by professional baseball player

Bronson Arroyo Bronson Anthony Arroyo (born February 24, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and musician. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2000 and 2002, the Boston Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, th ...

on his 2005 album, '' Covering the Bases'', which lists the song as "Down in the Hole". On his low-key 2007 tour—in support of his album ''

Easy Tiger ''Easy Tiger'' is the ninth studio album by Ryan Adams, released on June 26, 2007, on the Lost Highway label. Although the album is attributed solely to Adams, ''Easy Tiger'' features The Cardinals as his backing band, with Adams stating: "The o ...

'',

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams left ...

covered the song live with his band,

The Cardinals The Cardinals were an American R&B group of the 1950s. Sharing a legacy with the Orioles, The Cardinals are remembered as one of the best R&B ballad acts to come out of Baltimore. Origins The Cardinals’ career began in 1946 (one year before ...

. A cover of the song is also featured on Adams' 2007 EP ''

Follow the Lights ''Follow the Lights'' (released in the UK as ''Everybody Knows'') is an EP by Ryan Adams and The Cardinals released on October 23, 2007. The EP contains three new songs and four live studio recordings, including a cover of the Alice in Chains' ...

''. The

Vitamin String Quartet Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) is an American musical group from Los Angeles known for its series of tribute albums to rock and pop acts. VSQ is a series of string quartet projects developed and produced by CMH Label Group, an independent record ...

recorded an instrumental version of the song for their 2009 album "''The String Quartet Tribute to Alice in Chains"''. The Christian metal band

Demon Hunter Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...

perform an acoustic version of the song on the deluxe edition of their 2011 album

The World Is a Thorn ''The World Is a Thorn'' (also stylized ''The World Is Λ Thorn'') is the fifth studio album by American Christian metal band Demon Hunter, which was released March 9, 2010. The album is described by the band as their "heaviest but most melodic" ...

. Swedish metal band

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

covered the song on their covers EP, ''"Down, Wicked & No Good"'', released in November 2017. American hardcore punk band Code Orange covered the song on their live album ''Under the Skin'' in 2020.

In popular culture

"Down in a Hole" was released as a

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

for the

music video game A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs. Music video games may take a ...

Rocksmith 2014 ''Rocksmith 2014'' is a music video game produced by Ubisoft. It is a followup to the 2011 game ''Rocksmith'', but has been described as a replacement to the original game rather than a sequel. Like its predecessor, the game allows players to plug ...

'' on December 12, 2017, as part of the Alice in Chains Song Pack II, which also includes the songs "

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 ...

", " No Excuses", "

Nutshell A nutshell is the outer shell of a nut. Most nutshells are inedible and are removed before eating the nut meat inside. It covers and protects the kernel which may be edible. Usage Most nutshells are useful to some extent, depending on the circums ...

" and "

Heaven Beside You "Heaven Beside You" is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains and the second single from their third studio album, ''Alice in Chains'' (1995). It was written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell about his relationship with his then-gi ...

". The song is also available as a DLC for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 game ''

Rock Band 4 ''Rock Band 4'' is a 2015 music video game developed and published by Harmonix. ''Rock Band 4'' allows players to simulate the playing of music across many different decades and genres using instrument controllers that mimic playing lead and bas ...

''.

Track listings

CD single (659751-2) # "Down in a Hole" (radio edit) – 3:53 # "Down in a Hole" – 5:40 # " What the Hell Have I" – 4:00 # "

" – 6:15 12-inch single (659751-6) Side 1 # "Down in a Hole" # "A Little Bitter" Side 2 # "

" # "Love, Hate, Love" 7-inch single (659751-7) Side 1 # "Down in a Hole" (radio edit) Side 2 # "

Personnel

– lead vocals *

– vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar * 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

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

"Down in a Hole"
on Setlist.fm {{Authority control 1990s ballads 1993 singles Alice in Chains songs Songs written by Jerry Cantrell Songs about heartache 1992 songs Columbia Records singles Alternative rock ballads