Rooster (6:14)
1,169,386 plays (220,418 listeners)
“Rooster” is a popular single by the grunge/metal group Alice in Chains. The song was released in 1993 and is featured on their second, full-length studio album, Dirt. It was written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father, who served in the Vietnam War. His nickname was “Rooster.” It is unknown where the nickname originated, but there is speculation that it may have been in relation to the 101st Airborne Division, in which Cantrell’s father served. The 101st Airborne wore patches on their arms featuring a bald eagle. There are no bald eagles in Vietnam, so the closest thing to which the Vietnamese could reference them was the chicken. They referred to them as “chicken men”.
Jerry Cantrell has stated in an interview that Rooster was the nickname given to his father as a boy growing up in the south where it was common to have a nickname.
The music video featured brutality and violence visually reminiscent of Apocalypse Now.
Jerry Cantrell on the song, from the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection:
“It was the start of the healing process between my Dad and I from all that damage that Vietnam caused. This was all my perception of his experiences out there. The first time I ever heard him talk about it was when we made the video and he did a 45 minute interview with Mark Pellington and I was amazed he did it. He was totally cool, totally calm, accepted it all and had a good time doing it. It even brought him to the point of tears. It was beautiful. He said it was a weird experience, a sad experience and he hoped that nobody else had to go through it.”
Jerry Cantrell has stated in an interview that Rooster was the nickname given to his father as a boy growing up in the south where it was common to have a nickname.
The music video featured brutality and violence visually reminiscent of Apocalypse Now.
Jerry Cantrell on the song, from the liner notes of 1999’s Music Bank box set collection:
“It was the start of the healing process between my Dad and I from all that damage that Vietnam caused. This was all my perception of his experiences out there. The first time I ever heard him talk about it was when we made the video and he did a 45 minute interview with Mark Pellington and I was amazed he did it. He was totally cool, totally calm, accepted it all and had a good time doing it. It even brought him to the point of tears. It was beautiful. He said it was a weird experience, a sad experience and he hoped that nobody else had to go through it.”
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Shouts
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mitsch1 wrote:
definitely one of the best grunge songs
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MysticSushi wrote:
One of the best tracks of the 90's.
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jazrackley wrote:
so good. as a child of the 90's and growing up in the seattle area, this was on the radio all the time. never gets old.
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PHENO9688 wrote:
Seems every path leads me to nowhere... The bullets scream to me from somewhere.... This song resonates with me.....LOVE IT!
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freddy133 wrote:
theve found no way to kill me yet, eyes are burning with stingin' sweat. this songs bad ass
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liandrovsk wrote:
u can find on wikipedia, its about the soldiers in vietna, the eagles on they uniform.. . where like roosters :D nice song.
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HemiMetal wrote:
R.I.P. Layne Stanley. Jerry Cantrel awesome guitar.
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SeveralPeople wrote:
Even though i have no idea what the hell this song is about, i still song along and bang my head to it and everything. So catchy. So awesome. So...awesome
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Repo111 wrote:
awsome song. pretty much everyone i know likes this track.
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SASSYSTEPH09 wrote:
gahh i love this version, when the bass comes in i get chills NICE AIC!
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dontfollow wrote:
Great track
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greendreamz wrote:
ps happy veterans day.thank you all for serving your country!!!
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greendreamz wrote:
dude,dont smoke the rooster.
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v00d00cHiLe wrote:
saw them play this live and everyone was singing along to it.. it was fucking great
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bojay wrote:
Wonder if Alice Cooper would like to be "in Chains"?........ probably...
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leefogel wrote:
Quite a good song. Just heard it for the first time.
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David_J1973 wrote:
So good it's painful.
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rybitwa87 wrote:
stare dobre czasy... :D
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AliceinNirvana wrote:
Alice in Chains is the best band ever, closely followed by Pearl Jam.
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Felipe_09 wrote:
Epic Song!
Alice in Chains
Rooster
full track
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