Alice in Chains, ‘Rooster’ – Songs About Soldiers

Alice in Chains guitarist/co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell needed to look no further than his own father for inspiration for the band's hit song 'Rooster.' The title came from the nickname given to his father while he was serving in the Vietnam War.

Cantrell stated in the 'Music Box' liner notes that doing the song brought he and his father closer together. He recalled, "The first time I ever heard him talk about [Vietnam] was when we made the video and he did a 45-minute interview with [director] Mark Pellington and I was amazed he did it … It even brought him to the point of tears. It was beautiful. He said it was a weird experience, a sad experience and he hoped that nobody else had to go through it."