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

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.