Love Song

Album: Sap (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Love Song" is a hidden track on Sap, the second studio EP by Alice in Chains. It's unlike any other song the band did, encroaching on Captain Beefheart levels of strangeness and sounding like something you'd hear in an art film. Alice in Chains frontman Jerry Cantrell called it the "most bizarre" song they ever recorded.
  • There's little to be gained (other than fun) in analyzing the song's lyrics, as it's just a stream of weird images. There are teeth being cut out of mouths, the chasing and kissing of midgets, and the repeated mantra "Rae Dawn Chong," with Rae Dawn Chong the daughter of Tommy Chong, one half of the comedic, fully baked Cheech and Chong duo.

    Rae Dawn Chong is also an actress. She's known for Quest of Fire (1981), Beat Street (1984), The Color Purple (1985), and that icon of '80s action movie goofiness, Commando (1985). In 1991, which was the year Sap was recorded, she starred in a strange film titled The Borrower. It's a sci-fi flick about an alien serial killer trapped in a human body and sent to Earth to go on a murderous rampage. That movie is so strange that it might indeed be linked to "Love Song" and the band's decision to say Rae Dawn Chong's name over and over again in the lyrics, but we can't be sure. Chong also inspired the single "Rae Dawn" off of Vaudeville Villain (2003), the third studio album by MF Doom.
  • "Love Song" was the mutant brainchild of Alice in Chains drummer Sean Kinney. In recording, all the members shuffled around their instruments. Vocalist Layne Staley played drums, Cantrell played bass, bassist Mike Starr played guitar, and Kinney contributed megaphone and piano. The only usual roles retained were Staley and Cantrell splitting vocal duties.

Comments: 2

  • Chickie Mcnuggies from AquatiaNo but Ann Wilson was on am I inside and brother on the same album.
  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganLol. Wasn't Ann Wilson on this "song", too?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?