Written by Jerry Cantrell, who also sings lead vocals on the song, it was released as the second single from the album on November 16, 2009 in the UK,[1] and on December 1, 2009 in the US.
[8] Many fans believe this song was written from Jerry Cantrell to the band's late co-lead singer Layne Staley, who was unable to kick his addiction to drugs and died in 2002.
[10] It was shot at an ornate Malibu mansion and pays homages to Stanley Kubrick films, such as The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut.
[10] It also references 1 Corinthians 10:23, the first verse of a passage giving guidelines about eating meat which has been offered in sacrifice to idols.
The narrative portions of the video are shot in first person; the protagonist is invited to the party by a card dropped at their door by Stage.
It is revealed that the party guests correspond to various numbers on a menu for a group of older men eating human meat in a back room; the protagonist's heart is shown being eaten by Stage at the end.
[8] On February 10, 2010, the band launched a contest in partnership with PopCult and Devil's Due Publishing to give the fans a chance to add their own chapter to the storyline depicted in the video.