10 Great Songs That Never Made A Studio Album
4. Don't Follow - Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains have earned the reputation as being the sludgiest metal band to come from the '90s Seattle scene. Their brand of melodic heaviness always gives the listener the feeling of crawling through a lake of mud. But when they want to tug on your heartstrings, they can leave the most stoic metal fan in tears.
With their acoustic EP Jar of Flies, the band had reached an artistic peak. After coming off their mega-successful Dirt album, this EP showed the tortured side of Alice. These songs delve deep into singer Layne Staley's struggles with drug abuse. "Don't Follow" comes towards the end, and it serves as a bittersweet send-off for Staley. The song depicts someone who has spiraled out of control due to their drug intake. The weary line of "Say Goodbye Don't Follow" paints the portrait of a man who is a shell of his former self.
The song was made all the more tragic when Layne Staley lost his battle with addiction in 2002. While he contributed to other Alice in Chains projects after Jar of Flies, this record, and especially this song, serves as Staley's unfortunate artistic swansong to the Alice in Chains faithful.