I Stay Away

"I Stay Away"
Promotional CD single
Song by Alice in Chains from the album Jar of Flies
Released	November 2, 1994
Format	CD
Recorded	September 7–14, 1993 at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington
Genre	Alternative rock grunge
Length	4:14
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Lyrics: Layne Staley Music: Mike Inez and Jerry Cantrell
Producer(s)	Alice in Chains Toby Wright
Jar of Flies track listing
"Nutshell" (2) "I Stay Away" (3) "No Excuses" (4)
Music video "I Stay Away" on YouTube

"I Stay Away" is a song from Alice in Chains' EP Jar of Flies (1994). The song was included on the compilation albums Nothing Safe: Best of the Box (1999), Music Bank (1999), Greatest Hits (2001), and The Essential Alice in Chains (2006).

In the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set collection, guitarist Jerry Cantrell said of the song:

That was the first time we'd written with Mike Inez, which makes this another special song. The whole Jar of Flies EP proved to both us and the fans what a talented and valid part of the band Mike was. He plays the nastiest, darkest shit but he's got the sweetest heart in the world.

The track is notably softer than Alice in Chains's previous recordings on both Facelift and Dirt; however, despite the bright opening guitar riff and verse, the song's pre-chorus suddenly detours into dark, sludgy electric guitar and a haunting vocal harmony. The chorus then reintroduces the upbeat tones with powerfully long-drawn vocals and anxious violins. A hard rock electric guitar solo then plays amidst the bright acoustic section.

"I Stay Away" also uses a great deal of instrumentation that Alice in Chains had previously not attempted, including string instruments. It also effectively demonstrates the harmony between vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Jerry Cantrell.

"I Stay Away" peaked at number ten on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1994. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1995.