Nutshell ( song ) - Wikipedia Nutshell ( song ) This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. ( November 2010 ) `` Nutshell '' Song by Alice in Chains from the album Jar of Flies Released January 25, 1994 ( album release ) Recorded Genre Acoustic rock, alternative rock, grunge Length 4 : 19 Label Columbia Songwriter ( s ) Lyrics : Layne Staley Music : Mike Inez, Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney Producer ( s ) Alice in Chains, Toby Wright Jar of Flies track listing `` Rotten Apple '' ( Track 1 ) `` Nutshell '' ( Track 2 ) `` I Stay Away '' ( Track 3 ) Tempo : 68 bpm `` Nutshell '' is a song by Alice in Chains that originally appeared on the band 's 1994 extended play Jar of Flies. `` Nutshell '' is also known for having opened the band 's performance on MTV Unplugged in 1996. This rendition of the song was included on the compilation album Music Bank ( 1999 ), as well as The Essential Alice in Chains ( 2006 ). Contents 1 Reception 2 Live performances 3 Covers 4 In popular culture 5 Personnel 6 References Reception Although never released as a single, it is still today one of Alice in Chains ' best - known songs. The song is notable for its emotional acoustic instrumentation and its electric guitar solo, as well as its dark lyrics dealing with loneliness, despair, and death. The lyrics are also thought to be an expression of Staley 's frustration with lack of privacy. It is considered a staple of 1990s alternative rock despite not hitting a single U.S. Billboard chart or any charts around the world. Live performances Alice in Chains performed the song for the first time at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City on September 22, 1993. The band performed an acoustic version of `` Nutshell '' for its appearance on MTV Unplugged on April 10, 1996. It was the opening song of the concert and was included on the Unplugged live album and home video release. The Unplugged concert marked the last time the band performed the song with Layne Staley. Jerry Cantrell always dedicates `` Nutshell '' to Layne Staley and Mike Starr at Alice in Chains ' concerts. Covers The song has been covered by numerous bands including Staind, who included a live version of `` Nutshell '' on its greatest hits album. In 2006, Shinedown and Seether covered the song together. Adema covered `` Nutshell '' on its 2002 EP Insomniac 's Dream. Corey Taylor, vocalist for the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour, also played an acoustic version of the song. HURT performed an acoustic cover, opening their act, at the Layne Staley Tribute in 2008. An instrumental version was recorded by Ukrainian pianist Viktoriya Yermolyeva in the 2000s. Alternative metal band Staind performed a cover of the song at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City, which appeared on their album The Singles : 1996 - 2006. Sully Erna of the band Godsmack covered the song on his solo tour in 2013 dedicating it to a number of famous musicians who have left a big legacy after they have died with their names being displayed on the projector screen as he played the song. The names including Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Dimebag Darrell, Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bon Scott, and AIC 's own Layne Staley to name a few. American alternative country artist Ryan Adams released a limited edition cover version in 2011. City and Colour frontman Dallas Green covered the song in 2013. In popular culture `` Nutshell '' was released as downloadable content for the music video game Rocksmith on December 12, 2017, as part of Alice In Chains Song Pack II, which also includes the hits `` Rooster '', `` No Excuses '', `` Down in a Hole '', and `` Heaven Beside You ''. Personnel Layne Staley -- vocals Jerry Cantrell -- electric and acoustic guitars Mike Inez -- bass Sean Kinney -- brushed drums, percussion References Jump up ^ `` Nutshell - Alice in Chains - Song Info ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 29 January 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Nutshell by Alice in Chains ''. Setlist.fm. Retrieved August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` 20 Years Ago : Alice In Chains Perform for MTV 's ' Unplugged ' ''. Diffuser.fm. April 10, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alice In Chains - Nutshell - Live SWU 2011 Brasil ''. Retrieved August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jerry Cantrell Dedicates Alice In Chains Performance of Nutshell to Layne Staley & Mike Starr ''. Alternative Nation. June 2, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Staind - Nutshell ( Cover ) ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` Nutshell - Seether & Shinedown ( Alice In Chains Cover ) ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` Corey Taylor does AIC Nutshell at KOMP Studios ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` HURT Cover 's Nutshell during Layne Staley Tribute in 2008 ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` City and Colour - Nutshell ( cover ) by Alice in Chains ''. YouTube. Jump up ^ `` Rocksmith Remastered DLC 12 / 12 / 2017 -- Alice in Chains II ''. The Riff Repeater. December 11, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2018. Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell Sean Kinney Mike Inez William DuVall Layne Staley Mike Starr Studio albums Facelift Dirt Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Extended plays We Die Young Sap Jar of Flies Live albums Unplugged Live Live Facelift Compilations Nothing Safe : Best of the Box Music Bank Greatest Hits The Essential Alice in Chains Video albums Live Facelift The Nona Tapes Unplugged Music Bank : The Videos Related Articles Discography List of songs Bands Neon Christ Sleze Alice N ' Chains No Walls Mad Season Madfly Class of ' 99 Comes with the Fall Spys4Darwin Giraffe Tongue Orchestra Book Alice in Chains singles discography Facelift `` We Die Young '' `` Man in the Box '' `` Bleed the Freak '' `` Sea of Sorrow '' Sap `` Got Me Wrong '' Dirt `` Would ? '' `` Them Bones '' `` Angry Chair '' `` Rooster '' `` Down in a Hole '' Jar of Flies `` No Excuses '' `` I Stay Away '' `` Do n't Follow '' Alice in Chains `` Grind '' `` Heaven Beside You '' `` Again '' MTV Unplugged `` Over Now '' Black Gives Way to Blue `` A Looking in View '' `` Check My Brain '' `` Your Decision '' `` Lesson Learned '' The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here `` Hollow '' `` Stone '' `` Voices '' Other singles `` What the Hell Have I '' `` Get Born Again '' `` Fear the Voices '' `` Tears '' `` The One You Know '' Other songs `` Hate to Feel '' `` Nutshell '' `` Died '' `` Black Gives Way to Blue '' This 1990s rock song - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nutshell_(song)&oldid=842305795 '' Categories : Alice in Chains songs Rock ballads Songs about loneliness Songs about suicide 1990s ballads 1994 songs Songs written by Jerry Cantrell Songs written by Layne Staley Songs written by Mike Inez Songs written by Sean Kinney 1990s rock song stubs Hidden categories : Articles lacking reliable references from November 2010 All articles lacking reliable references Articles with hAudio microformats All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia فارسی Français Polski Português Edit links This page was last edited on 21 May 2018, at 16 : 07. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote the lyrics to nutshell by alice in chains
Answer: Layne Staley