«Rooster» — песня Alice in Chains о Вьетнаме и отце Джерри Кантрелла

1993 single by Alice in Chains
the Alice in Chains song

"Rooster" is a song by the American rock band Alice in Chains, featured on their second studio album, Dirt (1992), and released as the fourth single from the album on February 22, 1993. It is the fifth song on the original pressing of the album and sixth on others. The song was written by guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell for his father, Jerry Cantrell Sr., whose childhood nickname was "Rooster" and served with the U. S. Army during the Vietnam War. Cantrell would later name his music publishing company as Rooster's Son Publishing. "Rooster" spent 20 weeks on Billboards Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at No. 7. An acoustic version performed on Alice in Chains' MTV Unplugged concert was included on the live album Unplugged (1996). Both the studio and the demo version of the song were featured on the box set Music Bank (1999). The song was also included on the compilation albums Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006). Metal Hammer ranked "Rooster" at No. 12 on its list of "The 100 Best Metal Songs of the 90s" in 2018, and at No. 2 on its list of "The Top 10 Best Alice in Chains Song" in 2020.

The demo for "Rooster" was recorded at Eldorado Studios on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard during the sessions for the Singles (1992) soundtrack, co produced by Alice in Chains with Dave Jerden.

The music video for "Rooster" was released in February 1993, and was directed by Mark Pellington. The music video featured real Vietnam War documentary/news footage as well as some very realistic, graphically re enacted combat scenes. Jerry Cantrell's father was a consultant on the video, as it explores Cantrell Jr.'s interpretation of his father's war experience. The "Rooster" character (played by James Elliott), was based on Alice in Chains' guitarist/vocalist, Jerry Cantrell's father (Jerry Cantrell Sr.), whose lifelong nickname was "Rooster." Cantrell Sr. served two combat tours in Vietnam, and also appears in the music video talking about his war experiences. Cantrell Sr.'s scenes were filmed on what was then Cantrell's great uncle's property and is now the site of Jerry Cantrell's family ranch in Atoka, Oklahoma. Cantrell Sr.'s scenes, filmed in stark black & white, show him hunting in the woods as an older man, while having "flashback" memories of his youthful Vietnam combat experiences (which are shot in full color). The uncut (more graphic) version of the video is available on the home video release Music Bank: The Videos. "Rooster" was the last music video to feature original bass player Mike Starr, who is pictured on the cover of the single. The cover shows a completely blacked out profile of Starr, with two helicopters flying in the background. The intense combat scenes for the video were actually filmed on location in Angeles National Forest in January 1993 and have been favorably compared to Oliver Stone's classic Vietnam War film Platoon. VN Veteran and Military Technical Advisor Dale Dye served as advisor on both the "Rooster" video and on Platoon, among many other projects in Hollywood. Actor James Elliott (Southland, Entourage, Mafia II, etc.) portrayed the title role of "Rooster", the Team Leader of a Long Range Recon Patrol (LRRPs) in the combat scenes. Elliott, who is right handed, had to learn how to handle multiple combat weapons left handed for the production in order to match the real Cantrell Sr.'s footage (Cantrell Sr. is left handed and holds his knife/rifle that way in the video). The military weapons and gear used and worn by the actors in the video are not all period authentic. The XM177E1 Assault carbine held by Elliott's character had not yet been issued with a 14 inch barrel(Not until the 1980s) as well as the Nomex flight gloves which were not used until late in the Vietnam War. Dale Dye provided Elliott with some of his own personal combat gear which Dye had actually worn during multiple tours in Vietnam, including his military watch and map light, among other items. Other actors who appear in the video include Casey Pieretti (well known real life amputee actor/stunt performer); and popular character actor Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite, Lost, etc.). Pieretti, who walks/runs extremely well with a prosthetic leg, performed a very graphic and difficult scene in which his leg was "blown off" by a land mine and Elliott's "Rooster" character offers life saving medical aid on the battlefield. Jon Gries's character is shown being shot in the chest during intense combat with North Vietnamese infantry troops and dying in the arms of Elliott's "Rooster" character in the final emotionally charged combat scenes of the video. Also featured are scenes of a group of children playing with bubbles.

Cantrell's father joined Alice in Chains during "Rooster" on stage for the October 19, 2007, show in Tulsa, at Cain's Ballroom. Alice in Chains performed an acoustic version of "Rooster" for its appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1996 and the song was included on the Unplugged live album and home video release. Live performances of the song can also be found on the "Heaven Beside You" single, the compilation album Nothing Safe: Best of the Box, and the live album Live. In the Primus DVD Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, Alice in Chains are seen playing the song live, with Les Claypool joining the band on stage dressed in a chicken suit. Jerry Cantrell reacts by throwing a bottle at Claypool and chasing him off the stage. Jerry Cantrell often introduces his father on stage before playing the song at Alice in Chains' concerts.

"Rooster" is used as the entrance music for New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón and Philadelphia Phillies star pitcher Zack Wheeler at Yankees and Phillies home games, respectively.