Rooster (song)

This article is about the Alice in Chains song. For the song by OutKast, see Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
"Rooster"
Single by Alice in Chains
from the album Dirt
ReleasedFebruary 22, 1993 (CD Single)[1]
RecordedMarch–May 1992
Studio
Genre
Length6:15
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Jerry Cantrell
Producer(s)
Alice in Chains singles chronology
"Angry Chair"
(1992) 		"Rooster"
(1993) 		"What the Hell Have I"
(1993)

"Rooster" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains, featured on their second studio album, Dirt (1992), and released as the fourth single from the album on February 22, 1993. It is the fifth song on the original pressing of the album and sixth on others. The song was written by guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his father, Jerry Cantrell Sr., whose childhood nickname was "Rooster" and served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Cantrell would later name his music publishing company Rooster's Son Publishing.[5][6] "Rooster" spent 20 weeks on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 7.[7]

An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged concert was included on the live album Unplugged (1996). Both the studio and the demo version of the song were featured on the box set Music Bank (1999). The song was also included on the compilation albums Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). Metal Hammer ranked "Rooster" at No. 12 on its list of "The 100 Best Metal Songs of the 90s" in 2018, and at No. 2 on its list of "The Top 10 Best Alice in Chains Song" in 2020.

  1. ^ "Alice In Chains Rooster US Promo CD single (CD5 / 5")". eil.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Robinson, Joe (November 9, 2011). "Top 11 Metal Albums of the 1990s". Loudwire. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Briggs, Phil (May 31, 2018). "How Alice in Chains' Music Speaks to Vets". Audacy. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Estates, Collin (October 17, 2018). "Unexpectedly chart-topping Alice in Chains coming to Pikes Peak Center". Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  5. ^ Liner notes, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. Capitol. 2013.
  6. ^ Liner notes, Rainier Fog. BMG. 2019.
  7. ^ "Alice in Chains "Rooster" Chart History – Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2018.