Would? is a song by Alice in Chains, written by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell as a tribute to his friend Andrew Wood, lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone, who died of a heroin overdose in 1990 Cantrell sings the verses of the song, while Layne Staley sings the chorus.
The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles —where the members of Alice in Chains make a cameo appearance—and later appeared on the band's second studio album Dirt, also released in 1992 The song was released as a single and peaked at No. 31 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1992, at No. 19 in 1996, and in 2019 the song peaked at No. 15 on the Hot Rock Songs chart after it was featured in the trailer for the season 2 of the Netflix show The Punisher.
The song is considered one of the band's signature songs and a classic of the grunge genre. It features a distinctive bass line, a heavy guitar riff, and a haunting vocal melody. The lyrics express Cantrell's anger and sadness over losing his friend, as well as his criticism of those who judge drug addicts. The chorus asks "Would you?", implying "Would you die?" or "Would you do the same?".
The song was performed by Alice in Chains at their MTV Unplugged concert in 1996, which was also released as a live album and DVD. The song has been covered by several artists, such as Opeth, Staind, Deftones, and Ryan Adams. Enjoy the song!
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behind the songs