If I recall, guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote this song about his father's experience serving in the Vietnam War. One of my favourite songs of all time.

Love Hate Love live at the Moore shows Laynes raw power for vocals don’t think that one will disappoint

The grunge era had some incredible vocalists

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell wrote ROOSTER about his father's experiences in Vietnam and when Jerry saw his dad in the audience at one of their shows when AIC opened for Iggy Pop, and Jerry asked Layne (and the guys) to play ROOSTER and they did. It was the first time Jerry's dad heard Jerry's music and knew that his son understood him through that song. It brought Jerry and his dad closer together. And Layne had a vital part in that reunion. (Meanwhile Layne's own biological father was an opportunist). Jerry's dad was nicknamed Rooster when he was a kid and his hairstyle resembled that of a rooster comb. Although, maybe he used rooster as a call sign during his military career. But he didn't earn the nickname in the military, he had the nickname back when he was a kid. Jerry Cantrell, Sr had multiple tours in Vietnam and like most Vietnam vets, he didn't talk about it. The most he ever said about it was at the beginning of the official video for ROOSTER which he agreed to be a part of after hearing the song. Like all kids who hate their parents, Jerry Cantrell was no different. He was staying in a small guest room in Chris Cornell's house (Cornell was married to AIC manager Susan Silver) and the guest room had a tiny window. He was staying there and thought about what his dad may have experienced and wrote the lyrics. They demoed ROOSTER and WOULD? when they spent two days working on the acoustic songs for the SAP EP. The songs on SAP and those two songs were demoed using the money Cameron Crowe gave them for recording WOULD? for the SINGLES movie. Layne sang the hell out of WOULD? and ROOSTER. The harmony in the beginning and end on the album is Ann Wilson of Heart, but Layne does the harmonies on the official video and live versions perfectly. The Unplugged show in 1996 is so heartbreaking to watch because he was deep in his heroin addiction (and yes, I know he was doing other drugs on top of Heroin). His liver was damaged from the years of drug use. He was just high enough to do the show so he didn't get dope sick and chase away withdrawal symptoms. He was such a ghost of himself during Unplugged. (Of course, Jerry had food poisoning) All Jerry saw when he looked over at Layne was his best friend was going to die soon due to the path Layne had taken with his life. That show was filmed in April, 1996, premiered in May 1996. They did four shows with KISS in June-July 1996, after which Layne survived an overdose and became a recluse. After that, it was a six-year-long slow suicide. With Unplugged... Sean Kinney (drummer) and Mike Inez (bass player) argued with Jerry about whether Layne could even pull off the high notes in some of the songs in his condition, which is why Jerry gave them that “I told you so” smirk after Layne hit that long, high note in DOWN IN A HOLE. He did the same thing again when Layne hit a high note in ROOSTER. Layne was one of the few singers who was always better live than studio version. The fact that Sean and Mike didn’t have any confidence that Layne could do the show and Jerry being the only one that knew deep in his heart that Layne could do it because Layne had done so many things against the odds over the years no matter how high he was at the time. When Jerry needed him to be there where it counted, Layne always pulled through. Knowing how he sang ROOSTER in Tilburg, The Netherlands, in 1993 when his “yeahs” and screams were so loud and high I’m surprised the rafters didn’t come crashing down around him and then watch him sing the same song so low-key on Unplugged knowing he could do to the song what he did in Tilburg is heartbreaking. Knowing he initially sang the hell out of WOULD? on the official video and album and seeing the end of WOULD? on Unplugged . . . and knowing how deep into his addiction he had gotten by that point is heartbreaking. The entire show was a success because Layne DID have a powerful performance despite his condition. He proved to his cynical bandmates that he could still sing the high notes and he pulled it all off beautifully while the same four guys (Metallica) who had mocked him for his addiction sidelining Alice In Chains from ever doing extended tours back in 1994 sat in the front row. The mistakes he made screwing up SLUDGE FACTORY (and I think he screwed up GOT ME WRONG once or twice, but Toby Wright didn’t keep that in editing) were endearing, at least to me. They didn’t take away from the performance, it added something to the performance that, had it been removed after everyone had seen it, wouldn’t have made the show what it was. That line "they spit on me in my homeland." TV News anchor Walter Kronkite basically told the American public that we lost the war and between that and the college kids (who went to college to escape being drafted into the military) would protest the soldiers coming home. They would do protest rallies at the airports and protest the returning soldiers by spitting at them, throwing urine and other stuff on them. An uncle of mine drove a supply truck in Vietnam (to this day he won't talk about his experience). A family friend of ours said that he and his buddies came home, saw the protesters at the airport, and re-enlisted because it was safer in Vietnam than in the US with the protesters. At least in Vietnam, they knew who the enemy was. I'm NOT saying Vietnam was anything the US should have ever been in. I'm just relating stories of people I know who served there. Layne's story is more tragic and haunting because you can actually watch and hear him deteriorate over the 12-year span: from the mild use of drugs in 1990 all the way through 1996 when he was deep into a heroin addiction to dropping to 90 pounds by 1998 to 86 pounds when he died in 2002. Layne kept his humor and wit even to the end of his life. Layne was so much more than his drug addiction. He stacked his own vocals with melodies and harmonies underneath. He was able to come up with lyrics and harmonies off the top of his head. He knew that Jerry Cantrell was playing with the wrong people and gave him contact info for Sean Kinney and found out Sean Kinney was dating original bass player Mike Starr's sister. He wrote the lyrics for the original songs he sang on Mad Season's Above album and drew the cover art for that album. Layne was a genius in his own right. He was able to figure things out in a snap off the top of his head. Layne just had his demons. At the age of 34, he looked more like an 80 year old man. He knew he screwed up, between the drugs and his own depression and then his former fiancee dying, Layne just couldn't find a way to dig himself out of his own mess and at the end with his teeth problems and organs failing on him, he gave up trying. He lost sight of who his true friends were and who was using him. He was never going to give up the drugs. Instead, he tried to attain the same high he felt the first time he did drugs and could never achieve it. Layne encouraged Jerry to sing more, after all, they were Jerry's lyrics he should sing them. Vice-versa, Jerry encouraged Layne to play the guitar which is how you get Layne playing guitar on HATE TO FEEL and ANGRY CHAIR as well as I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING on the Mad Season above album. Jerry encouraged him on the guitar and was proud that Layne grew as a guitarist. Though, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine taught Layne more chords than ANGRY CHAIR and HATE TO FEEL. The friendship between Jerry and Layne was unbreakable. Jerry NEVER once thought of replacing Layne as the singer while Layne was still alive. He always wanted Layne to sing whenever he had AIC do something. If there were ever cosmic soulmates ... Layne and Jerry would be it. (And by that I mean, they were Sympatico with each other. The way they sang together was a perfect pitch where two voices make one. What you hear and see between Jerry and Layne was a genuine friendship. They looked after each other. When one had problems with a song, the other picked up the slack. They were a team. Jerry was doing a solo concert in Charlotte, NC when he heard that Layne was found two weeks after he died and Jerry was trying to get through the concert and crying. He did shows between the time he found out about Layne until Layne's funeral because if he had taken a break then, he didn't think he'd want to continue anything later after the mourning period. Layne had done so much for Jerry, giving him a place to live, money, clothes, food, guitars and gear, a band. But getting a front-row seat to watch what had happened to Layne over the years, Jerry had to watch his best friend deteriorate in a span of 12 years (1990-2002), and Jerry couldn't do anything about it. Jerry had talked himself blue in the face but Layne didn't want help. Alice In Chains was a band, but they were also a family. They had internal issues just like any family. When Layne died, it was like losing a loved one, a family member, you don't think of the fights you had with the person who died. You defend their memory. There is a reason Jerry wrote NO EXCUSES about Layne and the line "You, my friend, I will defend / And if we change, well, I'll love you anyway." "My grandmother and mother were such huge losses, but I got Layne, the guys, and I got this.” - Jerry Cantrell, Kerrang! (December 1, 2018) “Jerry really loved Layne [Staley]. They had a bond I haven't seen before,” Jerry’s former manager Bill Siddons, April 19, 2002 (the day Layne was found two weeks after he died).

Around 2:40 that smile on Jerry's face. It's like he knew they were capturing lighting in a bottle one last time.

Even on his death bed Layne's voice was magical , This whole Mtv live album is fire

The beautiful thing about Layne's voice is that it's so visceral and cutting. A raw and emotional tractor beam. He was truly a gift to the world.

Great reaction. 'Rooster' is the nickname of Jerry's father, who was a Vietnam veteran. This song is incredibly powerful in electronic format, but to me it works just as well here. Thanks!

This is such a good song, I love that Jerry wrote it so well, for his dad. It really captures the whole Viet Nam experience for those veterans. Bless them all. Alice In Chains are Grunge, a genre of metal.

The crazy part about this is that at this point in his life Laynes voice was probably at it's weakest. This was unfortunately very deep into his herion addiction. Live at the Moore is prime Layne.

Alice in Chains has a video of a live performance of their song "Love Hate Love" that is fantastic. I think it would show you way more of the emotion and grunge style of their sound.

Mosquito death is talking about malaria. They gave chloroquine to soldiers to prevent it during the Vietnam war assuming that everyone would be exposed eventually.

If ever there was one voice to bring back to life, it would be his, Layne Staley

It's unique because Layne likes to bend his vowels, sometimes intentionally dragging and growling them out. So it's not just "The bullet screams to me from somewhere", but "The bullet screeeAAAAms". or "They've come to snuff the roost-urrrr" instead of rooster. You combine that with his particular voice, perfect breath control, and god given talent, you get something that you simply can't imitate.

Layne with a ton of missing teeth,drug sick,high off heroin,and a shell of what he used to be still showed up and showed off. Blows away today's singers by miles.

My favorite band of all time! Layne’s vocals were so unique, distinct and haunting! Rooster was a nickname given to Jerry’s (long-haired singer and writer of this song) father while he was a tunnel rat in the Vietnam War. If you really want to experience Layne’s amazing vocals and range whilst he was in his prime, check out Love Hate Love live at The Moore. Also, Bleed the Freak from that same show is awesome as well!

Love Hate Love, Live at The Moore is peak Layne. Best live performance I’ve ever seen from Alice In Chains

Layne Staley was one of the best singers and lyricists ever. Rip brother.

Best unplugged of all time and Jerry is one of the best songwriters to ever live, this is just one of the many masterpieces he has written. Anything from this show or AIC in general is pure gold

All the songs I’m going to list are from the MTV Unplugged show: Sludge Factory Angry Chair Got Me Wrong (beautiful tune!) Brother Over Now (another beauty!) No Excuses The whole thing really is great

Describing Staley's voice as the sound of tumbleweeds is so beautifully spot-on. It's like a force of raw nature that just developed from a hard land and goes whever it goes, bringing a kind of harsh beauty behind it.

I love this live version, but you must hear the original studio version. ^^

This is just an incredible performance of such a great song. Its laid back and so soulful and almost becomes country at points.... The song is about his dad, who was called 'Rooster' in the Vietnam war (they spit on me in my homeland). Soundgarden, Black Hole Sun is another one I think would really resonate.

I totally appreciate it when someone gets how unique Layne’s voice was. People may like it or dislike it, but it was anything but generic. An intensely personal song for Jerry, written about his army veteran father’s wartime experiences. Jerry said the lyrics were him projecting onto what his father went through, because his dad would never speak about it.

These guys were so good. Im glad I was a part of this era!

Roosters. First up. First out. And you can never come back to the life you once knew.

Best way to describe Laynes voice: Powerful!

I saw Layne in a three piece suit at the start of their set on Lollapolooza in 93 and it was like 95 degrees that day! Needless to say he took the jacket tie vest and shirt off after playing Would the first song to start the show! Very charismatic singer and great stage presence! His voice very unique and an unbelievable range! RIP Layne!

My dad was a Vietnam Vet and Army Green was indeed no safe bet! RIP DAD ❤

When you can just close your eyes and aimlessly sway to a song... man, such a vibe.

This brings back soooo many memories from when I was in my early 20’s. I was in a band and we got quite a bit of radio play in Northwest Indiana. We did covers of Alice In Chains and whenever we did that I was the vocalist for those songs. Just hits hard. I miss Layne and Bradley( Sublime ). I always sang when we did their songs.

He honestly looks so broken here. It’s really sad knowing what happened. Rest in piece to a true vocal legend

Closest you'll ever see to a man singing at his own funeral. RIP Lane

They way Jerry picks at the guitar almost blugrassy throughout the entire show is beautiful

please more Alice In Chains reactions 🦇

Greatest love letter ever written from a son to his father.

The song is about Jerry Cantrells father's experience of fighting in the Vietnam war....

Never heard a voice like his before. Filled with pain and empathy. Wow!

That guitar says “Friends don’t let friends get friends haircuts.” That was a jab at Metallica. Layne had recently cut his hair short. After which, the band Metallica did the same. So, before the show started, the band heard Metallica would be sitting in the front row. To which Layne said “Somebody give me a Sharpie!“

When I was growing up in the 90s Alice In Chains was my least favorite "grudge/alternative" band. I lived for the harder/faster. Now as I've gotten older, worn down by life just a bit more, things seem to hurt for no reason as I start to lose focus on the plot; Alice In Chains has become so much more soul crushingly relevant to this living experience.

Lanes voice reaches beyond the grave

Jerry Cantrell (guitar & vocals) wrote 'Rooster' about his dad, Jerry Cantrell Sr. who was nicknamed 'Rooster' in the US Army and was a Vietnam war veteran... He returned home w/ PTSD and his family split up as a result; Cantrell's mom died and he settled in Seattle to become a musician... Jerry Cantrell said that his dad never talked about the war, so he based the lyrics on the experiences of combat vets in Vietnam... his dad told him after hearing the song that it was "too close" to his experiences. The music video for 'Rooster' was shot by Mark Pellington, who did an amazing job w/ Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' music video... They interviewed Jerry Sr. for the video and filmed sequences of him hunting at home ... alternating w/ scenes of a soldier fighting in the war.

How about Layne's side gig with Mad Season? 'Wake up' or 'Artificial Red' both show off his tumbleweeds :)

This song is one of my favorite songs. Glad you reacted to this ❤

Alice In Chains, with its brooding melody and introspective lyrics, captured the discontent and quest for authenticity of the grunge generation. Layne Staley's distinctive voice, combined with Jerry Cantrell's dense guitars, created a unique atmosphere that deeply resonated with the youth. Their themes of alienation, addiction, and introspection gave voice to the often unspoken feelings of the generation, becoming a hallmark of '90s rock.

More alice! Facelift is incredible and so is everything else

You really need to check out "Love Hate Love" (Live at The Moore). It was when he was much physically healthier, and the extra power is stunning. If you love his sound here this is where you want to go next!

The unplugged version is good but the studio version is where it's at, should even check out the official video.

great reaction, i recommend the unplugged live performance of "no excuses"

Over the course of my life I have found that I listen to different collections of music to fit my life at the time. As my life has changed so too have my tastes. AIC is the one exception. Their album Dirt released while I was in college and was my go to at the time. I still listen to it regularly today along with Jar of Flies. One of my favorites from the Unplugged performance is Frogs. If you want to hear Layne in his prime you can check out their Live at the Moore set or their Off Ramp Cafe, Seattle, WA, Aug 21. 1990 concert here on youtube.

Jerry wrote all the music for the band. Jerry and Layne wrote the lyrics.

Alice in chains 🔥🔥🔥 Hello from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿🎸🔥 No war❤❤

You being amazed at his voice at the beginning of the song is so cute. You had no idea how the rest of it would play out. I love it!

If you ever want to hear the versatility Layne Staley truly had, listen to Bleed the Freak. It shows the range and power he carried. You'll enjoy.

Layne Staley was, and will always be, one of a kind. He is sorely, sorely missed-absolutely heartbreaking! 💔😭🤘🏻❤️♾️

Layne was already dying during this concert. He even looks back at Jerry for recognition he's doing a good job I believe during the song Would and Jerry just smiles back at him. Its heartbreaking.

layne was one of only very very few who could just sit there with his eyes closed and you couldnt take your eyes off of him.

Basically, Jerry Cantrell (guitarist) was the powerhouse behind this band. He did I believe the majority of the writing (as others have said here, he wrote this song based on his father's experience in the Vietnam War) and Layne brought it all to life with his unique vocals. Layne did some writing as well of course, and the combo of Layne and Jerry together is probably the most powerful combo in all of rock. With Jerry's writing skills as well as his riffs, and Layne's voice, they were unmatched.

He was so unwell here yet still belts that voice..damn 😢

One of the greatest song to come out of grunge was Love Hate Love

My fave song by them. Just love the grit in this one and the transitions. Amazing.

THAT'S THE WAY IT USED TO BE THE BANDS HAD THEIR OWN UNIQUE SOUND I DOUBT MUSIC WILL EVER EXPERIENCE THAT GENIUS AGAIN

If i remember correctly Jerry’s mom made his dad go to a concert to listen to them play this and after that his dad finally accepted his son’s profession and music because of how hard the song hit him.

Laynes performance was hauntingly beautiful..some say he was singing at his own funeral. Depression and addiction is a hellva thing especially when there's a combination of the two. Knowing he lived in isolation after the death of demri(his fiancee at the time)which was shortly after the unplugged concert, you can understand the helplessness and isolation he endured. He was one one of a kind and a true legend and powerful vocalist. As a 25 year old guy this music touches my soul in a lot of ways. Its makes me feel like im not alone in some ways with struggles specific to depression. I wish he was still here. Anyways I'd like to recommend Sea of Sorrow and Get Born Again. Especially considering Get Born Again was one of his last songs before he died. Loved the Reaction btw 👍

As far as I know, the story goes Jerry Cantrell (the lead guitarist) and his father weren’t very close when he was growing up. They had sort of a strained relationship. Jerry wrote this song about his father’s experiences during the Vietnam war. (His dads nickname was rooster and he was a machine gunner) Jerry’s parents came to an AIC Show and they played this song and Jerry’s dad got emotional. He realized that his son understood him more than he thought and this song was key in bringing them closer together. If I’m incorrect please correct me but I’m almost positive this is the story with this song.

One thing to remember about this concert is Layne was in his death throws and in a bad place at the time. Yet he still delivered an incredible performance.

houston.... we've a new Alice fan! i can see it in ur face! welcome to the club

You can really hear his lisp in this performance from missing teeth due to his substance abuse such a beautiful voice that left this world way too soon

Man in the box do a video on that one!!! OMG that’s a killer song!!! I love you appreciation for his voice. It’s just so beautiful and mesmerizing

Jerry might have written this about his grandpa, but with Layne singing it, us veterans identify with this song. And, when Layne was discovered dead, we all grieved, like he was one of our own.

His voice is chilling

I ❤ watching people discover new bands. ❤ your content

Jerry Cantrell wrote this song for his father. He served in the army during the Vietnam War. Rooster was his father’s childhood nickname.

If have to read one more comment about Layne “singing at his own funeral” and how out of it he was here I’m gonna scream. If anyone saw the outtakes of him speaking before the first song and between ones, he was completely coherent and functional. Dude didn’t even pass away until 6 years after this. Stop already!

This was a barely present Lane Staley at 20% high as a kite, and the fact he was still able to sing this well while being so high is a marvel in of itself. If you want to have your mind blown check out 'Love Hate Love' live at The Moore when he was in much better shape....absolutely incredible singing there where he does a couple things that shouldn't be possible! One of the greatest rock singers of all time, arguably the greatest. RIP Layne 💔

Yup. My colleagues, friends, and family all wondered why I was so obsessed with this band in the 90's. THIS is why!

The song is about Jerry Cantrells father (the Rooster) and it is about is experience in the Vietnam war.

The contrast between jar of flies and dirt is pretty drastic. Both incredible in different ways. Layne is a rare 1 of 1.

This song is about the guitar player Jerry Cantrell's father who was a machine gunner in Viet Nam. His call sign was Rooster and he survived but some of his buddies didn't. Jerry wrote this song about/for his father.

AIC and nirvana had the greatest performances in MTV unplugged..Layne Staley has one of the most unique vocals ever

Fun little sidenote, the bassist had "Friends dont let friends get friends haircuts" on it which was a funny message directed at Metallica who was sitting in the front row and had just recently cut their hair short.

I still get goosebumps hearing this guy sing.

Layne was absolutely baked off his mind for this performance. Right as it was starting he had to "Take a break" for about 30 minutes in a bathroom then came out and started performing. He couldn't even function during most of it. In every song he missed lines, forgot lines, sang the wrong lines, or just was off key/off tempo which required them to have to stop playing the song and see if they could get him singing again. The MTV editors basically chopped and cut and pasted many takes of every song together to create the feature for the network.

She is out of this world

This show is one of the best acoustic sets I’ve ever seen. But you should check out some of their live ‘plugged in’ performances also. I recommend ‘Man in the Box,’ live at the Moore 1990. You will see a different but equally brilliant type of performance from this band, as well as a fuller range of Layne’s vocals before his demons got really advanced

with this song the music video version is a must in order to get the full story.

Layne was something really really special… love you legend you will never be forgotten ❤

Rooster was the nickname of Jerry Cantrell Sr.(the guitarist Jerry Cantrells father). Gloria is the name of Jerrys mother (Gloria sent me pictures of my boy). The song is about his fathers time in the Vietnam War. Hence the title of the song “Rooster.”’

I do enjoy your headback thinks😂,😂 good times. They are working.

The Alice In Chains Unplugged ‘Sludge Factory’ was pretty amazing too!!

You need to watch this band in their earlier performances to really feel how powerful and unique lane’s voice really is! This is toward the end when he is a shadow of what he once was. The world lost a great singer when he passed, I absolutely love this band with Lane as the frontman. LOVE HATE LOVE live at the Moore, is a must watch. even if you don't stream it, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

Breathtakingly beautiful.. there will never be another Layne

If you like the unique voices of that era, one that definitely flies under the radar is Shannon Hoon from the band Blind Melon! Another one who passed very early and are mostly only known for the song No Rain but you definitely should check out songs like "mouthful of cavities", "change" and "soul one"!

For me, Lane's voice is haunting and beautiful. Just that touch of fry or grit on certain words is impressive.

You really need to dive into the ‘Live from the Moore’ concert album… ‘Love Hate Love’… ‘Bleed the Freak’…. are just a couple of the gems you’ll find on there… all at the peak of their development, Layne’s power on it is incredible and impossible to recreate… if you can’t react to them, definitely check it out for yourself, you’ll be floored..:)

Love hate love live at the Moore shows his best vocals also…. Very young Layne

Alice is amazing jerry and layne were gold together do more please!

If I recall Lane had already lost most of his teeth by this point too. It’s amazing he could perform with how far deep he was into his addiction.

The song is about Vietnam and the guitarists dad who’s nickname was the Rooster in Nam. Pills for Malaria (mosquito death)

Such a shame that he lost the battle with drugs. He had such an amazing voice, I love Alice in Chains.