Down in a Hole was released as a single in August 30, 1993. It peaked at number ten on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The UK single was released in October 1993. It reached the top 40 in the UK and the top 30 in Ireland. The song 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 vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his then-girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. The single spent 21 weeks on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks and peaked at No. 10. The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999) and Music Bank (1999). An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged in 1996 was released in a live album and DVD.
Playlist:
- Down in a Hole (radio edit)
- Down in a Hole
- What the Hell Have I
- Rooster
Down in a Hole became one of the five video singles from the album Dirt. The music video was released in 1993 and was directed by Nigel Dick. 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.
Alice in Chains
Layne Staley: lead vocals
Jerry Cantrell: vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Mike Starr: bass
Sean Kinney: drums
Layne Staley: (August 22, 1967 – April 5, 2002)
Mike Starr: (April 4, 1966 – March 8, 2011).
