" Brother " is a song by American rock band Alice in Chains , which opens the 1992 Sap acoustic mini-album. The song was written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his younger brother David [1] . The lead vocals in the song belong to Cantrell, and the back vocals belong to the lead singer of the band Heart Anne Wilson [2] . The acoustic version of the song, performed in the MTV Unplugged television program in 1996, was included in the live album and DVD. The song was included in the collections of Music Bank (1999) and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006).
| Brother | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Executor | Alice in chains | |||
| Album | Sap | |||
| Date of issue | February 4, 1992 | |||
| Date Recorded | November 1991 | |||
| Genre | grunge alternative rock | |||
| Song language | English | |||
| Duration | 4:27 | |||
| Label | Columbia records | |||
| Author | Jerry Cantrell | |||
| Producers | Alice in Chains, Rick Parasar | |||
| Sap Album Track List | ||||
| ||||
Origin
In an annotation for the 1999 Music Bank collector's edition, Jerry Cantrell said of the song:
My parents were divorced. I was an older brother, and we also had a sister Cherie. As you know, as a child you do not want to hang out with your four-year-old little brother. You stand up for him if someone is trying to kick his ass, but otherwise you don’t even want to know him. I think that it was very difficult for him, especially in the absence of my father next to me. David did not have anyone, because after the separation of his parents, he stayed with his father, and we did not see each other for six or seven years. This song is about the time when we were far apart. Just as in “ Rooster ” [another Alice in Chains song] I tried to turn to my father, this song was my attempt to “build a bridge” [to my brother] [3] .
Live performances
For the first time, Alice in Chains performed the song “Brother” during a concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on July 25, 1992 [4] .
The acoustic version of Brother was performed at the MTV Unplugged concert in 1996. Lane Staley acted as a backing vocalist, and the song entered the Unplugged concert album and the DVD of the same name [5] . This was the last performance of "Brother" with the participation of Lane Staley [6] .
During his solo concert at Key Arena in Seattle on May 18, 2002, Jerry Cantrell told the audience: “I would like to do something for our good friend who is no longer with us,” and played Alice in Chains “Down in a Hole ". Cantrell later introduced Anne and Nancy Wilson from the Heart band, who joined him on guitar and backing vocals for the performance of Brother. Cantrell also dedicated this song to Staley, who died a month before the concert. [7]
Record Members
- Jerry Cantrell - lead vocals, guitar
- Anne Wilson - backing vocals
- Mike Starr - Bass
- Sean Kinney - Drums
Notes
- ↑ Premtaj. Alice In Chains - Brother - Jerry Cantrell Builds A Bridge . U of Music (June 10, 2016). Date of treatment January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Sap album abstract, 1992.
- ↑ Annotation to the collector's edition of Music Bank . 1999.
- ↑ Alice in Chains Concert Setlist at Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles on July 25, 1992 . Setlist.fm Date of treatment January 11, 2019.
- ↑ MTV Unplugged - Alice in Chains . AllMusic . Date of treatment January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Brother by Alice in Chains . Setlist.fm Date of treatment January 11, 2019.
- ↑ Jerry Cantrell Delivers Bittersweet, AIC-Heavy Set at Seattle Nickelback Gig . MTV (May 20, 2002). Date of treatment January 11, 2019.