Today would’ve been Kurt Cobain’s 50th birthday. We celebrated by giving someone the greatest gift of all: the experience of listening to Nevermind for the first time ever.
Born at the tail end of the 1990s, my teen years mostly consisted of songs released within that decade. Like many, my early listening habits were mainly influenced by a role model, in this case my older brother, who introduced me to his favourite rock albums during that time – Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and Green Day, as well as a little classic ’60s rock thrown in by my dad. The rest of my younger years were a bit shaky, ruled by radio hits from Ke$ha, Jason Derulo and Flo Rida (scary right?).
Once I grew older, my own musical tastes were quickly overrun by hip-hop and electronic genres, and somehow along the way, despite my early rock and punk influences, I managed to miss Nirvana.
Before this morning my Nirvana knowledge was limited to say the least. I knew Dave Grohl was the drummer at some point (only really because of Foo Fighters fame), I knew the name Kurt Cobain and I knew he had passed away some time ago (thanks Wikipedia for filling me in with the rest of the details), and I knew they had a song called Smells Like Teen Spirit, which I first heard via the “Weird Al” Yankovic cover.
My most notable memory of Nirvana has to be the iconic Nevermind album cover; the baby floating in the pool with the dollar bill dangling before him. The image has been a source mystery and intrigue for years, having seen it plastered across record shops, as well as countless references in pop culture – there’s no wonder it’s seen as one of the most memorable album covers of all time.
Seeing as today would’ve been Kurt Cobain’s 50th birthday, what better way to celebrate than to listen to Nirvana’s cult classic Nevermind for the very first time?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
This is the only track I’m completely familiar with from start to end. I’ve heard it hundreds of times, but this is actually the first time I’ve ever given it my full attention. It sucked me right in on the first strum, with that signature riff and opening drums fill. As track builds I’m more and more baffled by the huge sound they manage to create as a three-piece. I’m only on track one, and I already know this one, but already I think I’m in for a treat.
2. In Bloom
I never knew this was Nirvana, but I’ve definitely heard In Bloom before. This particular song is a huge reminder how much this album has directly influenced other artists I listen to now; that gritty, resonating guitar, the way it makes room for the slappy bass. The chorus is even stronger, topped off with brilliant harmonies to make it even more powerful. I also love the irony of how this poked fun at mainstream audiences, at the same time becoming one of the most mainstream rock successes of all time. In that way, it reminds me of Gang Starr’s Mass Appeal.
3. Come as You Are
Yet another instantly memorable riff and melody, and I’m now starting to realise how much Cobain’s raspy and melancholic tone is rubbing off on me. His voice sounds amazing contrasted against the variety of guitar tones. The guitar solo is incredible – this is the first track that really sticks out for me.
4. Breed
Similar to In Bloom, I’ve heard Breed somewhere before, but blasting it through my headphones is giving me a whole new level of appreciation. The heavily distorted guitars and crushing drum beats, topped off by Kurt’s classically punk enthusiasm has left my jaw is on the floor. The energy has me literally lost for words.
5. Lithium
I’m still surprised how many emotions Kurt Cobain can present not only in his song writing, but in his singing too. He can make me thoroughly energetic one minute, and haunt me the next; this is the vibe I get from Lithium as it smoothly builds from an acoustic ballad to grunge anthem. It’s really insightful to hear his viewpoint too – his manic, depressive lyrics are incredibly confronting to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdXy75VrQho
6. Polly
So I thought Lithium was lyrically distressing, but Polly takes it to a whole new level. The fact that this is written from the perspective of a real life kidnapper who abducted and raped a fourteen-year-old girl is more distressing than I thought possible. This is simply fucked up, and it’s only that much more eerie because of the stripped-back acoustic performance.
7. Territorial Pissings
Coming after Polly, this tune is actually huge. Hearing Kurt’s voice breaking as he yells through the chorus makes this even more moving. I never knew how outspoken and ahead of their time Nirvana were in terms of targeting social issues, but Territorial Pissings shines through with powerful feminist undertones; once again, this is totally unexpected.
8. Drain You
I don’t know why it’s surprising to me that this album has a love song, but it is, and it’s delivered with another really intriguing outlook. Still heavy and huge in terms of production, yet lyrically his words are personal and wonderfully visual.
9. Lounge Act
Continuing that interesting look into love and desire, here, he talks about cheating, as well as his qualms with affection. It’s another rampant track that just oozes emotion in every way possible, and no way I expected.
10. Stay Away
I really love how the verses and the chorus are pieced together on this one, with each line being topped off with that piercing guitar twang and the lyric, “I don’t know why”. Kurt yelling “Stay Away” against the conformities that he lists is just so awesome, and I especially love how he ends the track with a subtle “God is gay”.
11. On a Plain
This one is really cool, it seems to go off on so many different topical tangents, from drugs to love and life in general. The way he manages to link them all is for some reason is really new and intriguing to me, not to mention how chorus manages to be both so gritty and so easy to sing along to at once.
12. Something in a Way
I didn’t expect a track like Something in a Way to be on this album at all, especially in such a contrast to all the heavy tunes that came before it. Of all the tracks this is the one I really get that Beatles influence that I’ve heard about. Whether or not he really did live under the bridge as he mentions, this track is just so moving and soothing. With the moody, chant-like chorus and almost exhausted tone throughout, it’s one of the most eye-opening songs on the album.
13. Endless, Nameless
Funnily enough this is the kind of track I had originally expected the entire album to maybe sound like. Unrelenting and chaotic, but at the same time, totally attention grabbing to the point that I can’t look away for an instant. Screaming “death”, “violence”, “go to hell” etc., among an array of experimental, sharp and in many ways uneasy guitar tones, it’s like the definition of frustration all pieced together in a song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vabnZ9-ex7o
When you skip such an iconic album, you begin to think you know how it will sound, how it will make you feel, what it represents. I guess that’s why Nevermind never interested me enough to actually give it a go. Grunge, and Nirvana particularly was always branded to me as this ‘sad’ or ‘edgy’ movement, when in actual fact there’s so much more to it. My perception of it seems to be totally parallel to the way I get so annoyed when people think that all of hip-hop is just one sound, or that it’s all just violent and aggressive gangsta rap.
Listening to Nevermind has really opened my eyes. I never expected it to be as confronting as it was, and I didn’t think it would it actually affect me like it did.
As cliché as it sounds, there’s a real lesson here – not to judge a book by it’s cover, or in this case, an album by its genre, or how it’s perceived by the masses. These albums get branded as classic for a reason, and listening to this has really made me see just how much music I listen to which is directly influenced by this movement. So will I listen to more Nirvana? I think it’s a strong yes.
The Grammy Hall of Fame for musical recordings has been around for 44 years, and, including 2017’s new entries, will now boast an incredible 1038 songs in an incredible heritage list of sorts. Many of these are certified classics beyond just their melodies; they shaped political movements, whole genres, popular culture, social change and technological growth.
Similar to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a song has to be 25 years old to be inducted, meaning that R&R and Grammy inductions are often similar. N.W.A were inducted into the Hall of Fame back in April, which rounded off an incredible resurgence for the game-changing five-piece, who last year were the subject of blockbuster biopic Straight Outta Compton.
2016 marked quarter-century anniversaries for a bunch of classics, notably including N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton, which remains as relevant ever 25 years on. It appears alongside Nirvana’s revolutionary Smells Like Teen Spirit as well as R.E.M for Losing My Religion. Household names Elvis, Bowie and the Jackson 5 were all listed, along with the Deep Purple track that every budding young guitarist will know how to play blindfolded and upside down, Smoke On The Water.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMZi25Pq3T8&w=560&h=315]
It’s also worth mentioning the theme song to Mission Impossible by Lalo Schifrin will also be inducted. Make of that what you will. Check out this lit live performance of said tune from the jazz-master general below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjgjU9C8UUc&w=560&h=315]
Grammy Hall of Fame inductees in alphabetical order:
Arlo Guthrie – “The City of New Orleans”
The Beach Boys – “I Get Around”
Billie Holiday – Lady Sings the Blues
Blind Willie McTell – “Statesboro Blues”
Bonnie Raitt – “I Can’t Make Your Love Me”
Cab Calloway And His Orchestra – “(Hep-Hep!) The Jumpin’ Jive”
David Bowie – “Changes”
Deep Purple – “Smoke of the Water”
Dion – “The Wanderer”
Elvis Presley – “Jailhouse Rock”
The Everly Brothers – “Wake Up Little Susie”
Jackson 5 – “ABC”
Lalo Schifrin – “Mission Impossible”
Lesley Gore – “You Don’t Own Me”
Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra – “When the Saints Go Marching In”
Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee
Mills Brothers – “You Always Hurt the One You Love”
Mississippi John Hurt – “Stack O’Lee Blues”
N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion”
Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”
Sly & The Family Stone – “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”
Sonny & Cher – “I Got You Babe”
Image: Grammy
My initial introduction to Nirvana is hardly different from most people’s: an image of a baby floating across a chlorine blue backdrop, reaching after that elusive dollar note. 2001 was the era of CDs and Discmans. Music came passed down to me from my older brother, and Nevermind was no different. As iconic as Nevermind was, and is, it wasn’t the record that really got me hooked on Nirvana.
Hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit and Lithium for the first time, I wanted to like it. Aged thirteen, we were just starting make tentative steps away from the prescribed life given to us by school and our parents. It was the first faint stirrings of teenage rebellion and grunge and punk rock was the soundtrack. Unavoidably cool compared to the current diet of Aqua, Steps and 5ive, that burgeoning spark of self-expression latched onto Nirvana as a step towards something a bit different.
While gazing, without any real comprehension, at the artwork through the jewel case might be pretty standard, I reckon not many people can say they really fell for Nirvana at church. But I did.
“That’s where his balls have worn through his jeans”. We were poring over the sleeve out of my copy of Bleach, typically and pointlessly lusting after photos of Kurt Cobain as only thirteen year old girls can. That elucidating comment came from a boy with greasy blond hair, still short to fit a private school education, unlike his baggy Bolt jeans and black wristbands.
Image via Adios Lounge
On Friday nights, a school friend of mine was encouraged to attend a church youth group by her religious parents. I still don’t know whether I feel sheepish over how we turned that into an opportunity to meet boys, but we did. We certainly weren’t there to learn about Jesus. For some reason, Christianity seemed to draw a specific faction of teenagers who were mixing grunge and God. Boys in eyeliner who played electric guitar or drums (badly), and somehow religion got mixed up in that trend.
Still years away from iPods, you could well be judged on the CDs you carried around with you, which is why that week I had taken Bleach with me. And I was judged, mostly by the same blond kid who did not for one second believe that I really understood Nirvana. Had I been holding Nevermind I would have conceded that, but something about Bleach genuinely did strike something in me.
Not everyone agrees. As their debut album, Bleach is the record that Cobain was most dismissive of. First released in 1989, the record was critically acclaimed but failed to chart until its re-release following the astronomical success of Nevermind in 1992. Cobain often claimed that in writing Bleach they felt like that had to conform to the accepted style of grunge fostered by Seattle, the available fanbase and their label Sub Pop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U36vDJIbrQ
Comparative to their live performances, Bleach was often described as sparse and far less manic. Cobain once said of the album that he “”didn’t give a flying fuck what the lyrics were about” and “It was like I’m pissed off. Don’t know what about. Let’s just scream negative lyrics, and as long as they’re not sexist and don’t get too embarrassing it’ll be okay. I don’t hold any of those lyrics dear to me.” But that’s almost the magic of it, the bleakness and the disposability is so tangible. I sometimes think that in an attempt to conform, a word that never sat comfortable in Nirvana’s lexicon, they actually spawned something of their own.
Bleach is far from nonsense or stream of consciousness; rather it is more like the psychotic mutterings of the subconscious. Much like Nevermind, the record is filled with short stories and it feels like listening to well worn fascinations and complaints. The delivery might have been careless, but the subject matter has been chewed over many times.
We know too much about Nirvana and Cobain to dismiss tracks like Negative Creep and Downer as just lyrical fluff. Back in 1993 the world was just recognising the strange figure that Kurt Cobain cut and only just beginning to see the point of Nirvana. Over two decades later their history has been so dissected that you have to draw the parallels. Listening as a teenager though, I didn’t know all this. I just knew that what I was hearing was tapping into something very primal. And I hadn’t heard much music that could do that at that point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5ijtz6Du_s
Musically, the album is incredibly bass heavy, launching with that looming riff from Krist Novoselic on Blew. Immediately menacing, that is perhaps the aspect of Bleach that sets it apart for me. Nirvana’s catalogue may be riddled with angst and anger, but on no other record do they really hit the same depth of lurking aggression. The intro to Floyd The Barber still nudges my pulse to play copy cat to the off kilter rhythm.
I am a sucker for melody, I admit. Bleach is less crashing guitars than Nevermind, cleaner than the hectic Insesticide and probably lacking the introspective beauty of In Utero. But it does somehow bridge the gap between Cobain’s frenzied internal monologue and the elements within the band. Love Buzz was the first single from the record, and even just the opening riff as it slips from the hypnotic, picked guitar to a steely drum beat and then the pounding riffs and shredding. Constrained it might be, but thin it is not.
Whether it is is simply nostalgia for those teenage years, something about that riff for About A Girl, just a simple Em / G chord progression, flips a switch in me. Despite our awkward beginnings, I ended up joining a band with the same blond kid who had been so rude to me. He grew his hair to look like Cobain, and the first song we ever recorded was a cover of About A Girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpMt_YqVbhw
Writing for Sounds magazine, Keith Cameron said of About A Girl that it “was exhilarating and it was exciting because that was the nature of the music, but there was also an almost palpable sense of danger, that this whole thing could fall apart any second”. He may have been talking about just one song, but for me, that is Bleach in its entirety.
There’s a swing to the rhythm of About A Girl that clashes with the straight feel of grunge, but in a way it’s a precursor for Rape Me with its repetitive melody and lyrics. And actually in many ways, Bleach drops so many hints about the music that Nirvana went on to record. Negative Creep holds the same thrashed out, relentless energy that pummels through Nevermind. Love Buzz has all the mysticism of In Utero, and Mr Moustache is like the frenzied rock n’ roll that happened across so many B-sides, and also Insesticide.
At the heart of it, Bleach marks the moment that I really stepped outside everyone else’s influence and made my own decision about something I liked. It’s as simple as that – because something about the music genuinely resonated with me. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, but it isn’t the only reason that I’m still listening to Bleach even as I turn thirty.
We might have made an uncomfortable start, he may even have swung a bike chain at me once upon a time, but that smart arse blond kid became my best friend. He still is to this day. And we still agree that Bleach is Nirvana’s best album.
Image via Susie Garrard
Image: Ange Mort
Frank Zappa once said “So many books, so little time.” The same could be said about music, although some people seem to be able to consume both at the same time, which must be helpful. But Zappa is not the only musician looking to the literary world; books have inspired some of the greatest songs we know. Many people would compare lyrics to poetry, but in this case we’re looking at the prose that sparks creativity in artists. From classic hits through to the less likely references, we’ve put together some of the best literary adaptations in music…
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush
Perhaps one of the best known literary adaptations in music, Kate Bush’s dramatic (and shrill) classic is brimful with the tragedy of Emily Brontë’s only novel. First published in 1847 under the pseudonym “Ellis Bell”, the doomed love of Cathy and Heathcliff has been a schoolroom staple of English Lit classes for decades. A prime favourite for TV adaptations, Bush’s version is perhaps the best known song to be inspired by Wuthering Heights.
Recorded in 1978, the lyrics were actually written by Bush aged just 18. Inspired by just ten minutes of a BBC mini-adaptation that aired on 1967 television, she also discovered that she shared her birthday with Emily Brontë (July 30). Singing as the ghost of Cathy, calling to Heathcliff from the bleak moors – and from beyond the grave – the track stayed at number one in the British charts for four weeks.
Bush actually fought hard with record label EMI to have Wuthering Heights released as the lead single for her album, The Kick Inside. A rare victory for a young artist, who was definitely more savvy than her floaty dresses and mystical demeanour might have indicated to unsuspecting label execs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk-4lXLM34g&w=560&h=315
Scentless Apprentice by Nirvana
Nirvana’s final studio album, In Utero, was released in 1993 amid all the usual promotion and press coverage. Alongside the barrage of standard questions from music journos, Canadian reporter Erica Ehm asked Kurt Cobain if his music was inspired by literature. The answer was yes, and that his favourite book was Perfume by Patrick Suskind and he “as a matter a fact…used that very story in Scentless Apprentice.”
“I read Perfume by Patrick Suskind about 10 times in my life, and I can’t stop reading it. It’s like something that’s just stationary in my pocket all the time. It just doesn’t leave me,” Cobain told Ehm during the interview. “Cause I’m a hypochondriac it just affects me – makes me want to cut off my nose.”
Originally written in German and published in 1985, Perfume is a dark and disturbing historical narrative that explores the relationship between smell and emotions. The protagonist, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an unloved orphan with an exceptional sense of smell, but no scent to his body. The opening lyrics to Scentless Apprentice follow Suskind’s writing; “Like most babies smell like butter / His smell smelled like no other.”
In the novel, Grenouille’s lack of scent disturbs his wet nurse who claims that normal babies smell like butter. The chorus refrain of “Go away” is a pretty stark reference to Grenouille’s realisation that he is in fact a misanthrope. The novel is also widely seen as an allegory for Hitler’s rise to power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyxoQIQaogE&w=560&h=315
Killing An Arab by The Cure
Robert Smith has made a number of nods towards the high-brow literary world throughout his career with The Cure. Starting as they meant to continue, the very first intended single written by The Cure was directly inspired by the French philosophical novelist Albert Camus. Killing An Arab was recorded at the same time as the band’s debut LP, Three Imaginary Boys, but wasn’t released until 1980 when it featured on their next album, Boys Don’t Cry.
Viewed as controversial and offensive since its release, Killing An Arab was actually “a short poetic attempt at condensing my impression of the key moments in L’Étranger (The Stranger)” by Smith. The book tells the story of Meursault, a French Algerian lacking in empathy, who shoots an Arab man during an altercation on a beach. The lyrics tell the story from Meursault’s perspective, briefly examining his position as ‘the stranger’ who cannot connect with himself or the world around him.
Smith has often regretted how Killing An Arab has been so misinterpreted and how it has been viewed as racist and inciting of violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdbLqOXmJ04&w=560&h=315
Lotion by Greenskeeper
Most people are familiar with Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in the blockbuster version of The Silence Of The Lambs, but like many movie classics, the film was first a book. Published under the same title by Thomas Harris in 1988, the serial killer Buffalo Bill and his penchant for human skin were invented by Harris.
Chicago band Greenskeeper were inspired by the fictional psychopath to write their hit Lotion, included in the track listing on their 2004 album Pleetch. A sparse yet addictive piece of indie, the song follows the musings of Buffalo Bill as he goes about his daily life of imprisoning captives in the deep hole in his basement, walking his little dog and making sure everyone moisturises properly.
Always returning to his famous insistence that “It puts the lotion in the basket”, there is also a dark humour to the sordid subject matter. A particular favourite moment of mine from James Curd’s lyrics; “The night is very cold / I’m feeling kind of weak / I think I’ll make myself a cap from your right buttocks cheek”
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12604140
Ramble On by Led Zeppelin
The 1960s and 70s found many artists fascinated by fantasy and philosophy, particularly with the arrival of mind-expanding psychedelia and “intellectual” prog rock. Even one the era’s most famous bands, Led Zeppelin were not averse to delving into fiction for inspiration. References to J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic fantasy opus, The Lord Of The Rings, are rife throughout Zeppelin’s writing.
Perhaps the most famous example is Ramble On, taken from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Co-written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the highly descriptive lyrics parallel Frodo and Sam’s fictional journey. From the opening line “Leaves are falling all around” (which is likely to have been lifted from Tolkien’s poem Namárië), through to mention of Mordor and Gollum. Even the lyric “Got no time to for spreading roots” references the hobbits’ stint with the animated tree race of the “Ents”.
Led Zeppelin continued to reference LOTR across other songs well. Led Zeppelin IV in particular featured songs like Misty Mountain Hop and The Battle Of Evermore. Anyone familiar with the novel will recognise references to “ring wraiths” and magic runes. Misty Mountain Hop probably takes its title from the mountains of Middle Earth, but the song places Tolkien’s writings as a totem for the peace movement of the ’60s instead of taking inspiration from the story itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0NFaQcTJsg&w=560&h=315
2+2=5 by Radiohead
Radiohead are well known for the intelligent commentary that is often inherent in their music. Born out in the Oxford countryside during the 1980s, like so many Britpop era bands they were the product of traditional English education. Giving them both an eclectic knowledge of music, and a creative dislike of the school system.
It seems unsurprising that Radiohead would look to the literary world for inspiration, and even less so that they would find it in George Orwell’s prophetic, dystopian novel 1984. 2+2=5 (The Lukewarm) was the third single from Radiohead’s 2003 album Hail To The Thief. The title matches the “symbol of unreality” used by Orwell to illustrate the concept of an imposed falsity. In Orwell’s imagined authoritarian world, inhabitants are subjects to “doublethinking” where their on beliefs are replaced by political propaganda.
The song features the familiar low-key menace of Radiohead, mixing alt-rock with electronic elements. Thom Yorke once said of the album that he “desperately tried not to write anything political … But it’s just fucking there.” The alternative title for 2+2=5 of The Lukewarm is also apparently inspired by the works of Dante who described “the lukewarm” as those inhabiting just the edges of the inferno.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lstDdzedgcE&spfreload=10
Image: Broadsheet
It can be extremely disheartening to realise a song you love is indeed a cover from another band. It’s a cruel brand of deception that can leave you feeling hollow and cheated on. I remember once worshipping the complex, lyrical genius of Bow Wow Wow‘s I Want Candy. After associating it with hoop earrings, pseudo-mullets and aviators, it was a total slap to the brain to find out it was the song of a 60s band who favoured high pants and cropped hair instead.
The music world can be a very elitist place and there’s some things you should probably just know by now. In the company of music nerds, complimenting the songwriting abilities of Joan Jett when referring to I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll can be fatal. When you next find yourself charming the pants off a rugged muso, keep these tracks in mind to make sure that the first kiss isn’t your Last Kiss.
5. The Clash – I Fought The Law
Seminal punks The Clash have graced our ears with many a hit over the years – one of the biggest being I Fought The Law. This chugging, sarcastic submission to the system wasn’t always spat through a sneer from Joe Strummer. In fact, the version we all know and love is actually a cover of a cover. The original was written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets – a band Buddy Holly fronted for a while in the 50s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hw846vx_uk
After six years with little attention, The Bobby Fuller Four decided to up the tempo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtQj8O92eI
With echoes of the original still ringing through, the two tracks really aren’t so different. Though this version managed to score #175 on the Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time. The Clash resurrected this boppin’ jam in 1979 and proved that punk pays homage to all sorts of genres.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsS0cvTxU-8
4. Soft Cell – Tainted Love
The Clash weren’t the only ones who were making a Lazarus out of tracks preceding them by decades. Soft Cell brought us Tainted Love in 1981 after being written by Ed Cobb of The Four Preps in 1964. One year later, Gloria Jones released this explosive track doused with raw female power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSehtaY6k1U
Soft Cell may have stripped back some soul, but they certainly made up for it with one of the most recognisable synth lines of all time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVpR3Pk-r8
3. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
If you’ve ever laid naked on the floor and had an existential breakdown, you’ve probably spilled a few indulgent tears on your keyboard whilst downloading Natalie Imbruglia on LimeWire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgNvWfCMMh0
Her angst-ridden cargo pants weren’t the only things she took from the original grungy track by EDNASWAP. Imbruglia chopped, changed and released the cover in 1997, the same year as the original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1SH1YdITDI
2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Hey Joe
“Hey Joe, where are you going with that song in your hand?” is what I imagine Jimi Hendrix must have said when The Leaves first released Hey Joe in 1965.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCZNFPaz1iw
The song has since become a rock standard and has been performed by hundreds of musicians in hundreds of different styles. The most notable is obviously The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s delectable cover released one year later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXwMrBb2x1Q
1. Nirvana – Love Buzz
Perhaps the most bizarre of the list is Nirvana’s Love Buzz. The leap between Shocking Blue‘s original release in 1969 and Cobain’s screeching feedback-fest is an absolute transformation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x4DExYv35c
His attire seems to have also been inspired by the music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz1pv3g4YFQ
Whilst it can be awful to realise you’ve popped an artist on a pedestal built almost exclusively by other people, covers can be an excellent way to expand your music taste. I’d never have discovered Jefferson Airplane if it weren’t for a childhood infatuation with Kurt Cobain and learning of his affinity for 60s psych bands. That being said, I also wouldn’t have heard Big Tymer’s original version of Devil Wears Prada‘s Still Fly and contracted a throat infection from hysterical cackling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iCd6UHR-3I
Image: The Richest
The surviving members of Nirvana have combined with Beck to cover a classic David Bowie track at a pre-Grammy’s party.
The producer, Clive Davis, throws an annual party the night before the awards show, and it always draws a whole host of big name guests and performers. This year’s party saw Beck take centre stage with Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear as they ran through the Bowie classic The Man Who Sold The World.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gkcqSDUhtU
The event was hosted by The Late Late Show host James Corden and also saw performances from artists including; Fetty Wap, Melissa Etheridge, and Chicago.
The performance from Beck and the surviving members of Nirvana was the opening song of the night and kicked off proceedings on a high note, while another Bowie cover brought the party to a close as Adam Lambert and Jack Antonoff sung Let’s Dance.
The party occurred the night before the Grammy’s which was hosted by rap icon LL Cool J earlier today. The main show drew performances from massive names like The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, which you can watch here. While it also featured Lady Gaga’s own performance in the honour of the late Bowie.
Last year Beck was a big winner at the Grammy’s as he won three awards for his latest album Morning Phase. Amongst the three awards he won was the Album of the Year, which saw Kanye West infamously nearly crash his acceptance speech. The rapper later criticised Beck before again promoting Beyonce as the worthy winner saying Beck needed to “respect artistry”. Despite having nine studio albums to his name, Kanye claimed not to have known the singer- a claim which he later apologised for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM1g3D75kDw
Meanwhile, Dave Grohl’s return behind the drums was the first time since December last year where the Foo Fighters front man starred on The Muppets where he tested his skills against Animal in a “drum off”.
Image: Musicfeeds
Sometimes giving a great performance can come with a price.
Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine caused some grief when she jumped off the stage and broke her foot during her Coachella performance this week. Don’t worry, she’ll still be going on tour, but there will just be a few changes.
“Unfortunately while this heals, my performances will have to be somewhat stripped back. I’m so sorry, I’m pretty devastated, but I still want to do the shows. I understand this is not what you were expecting, but I hope it’s just as enjoyable. I’m going to try and make it super special for you,” she said in a Facebook post.
You may be surprised to know that performing onstage is just as dangerous as playing a competitive sport. Musicians have had their fair share of broken bones, among other injuries.
Let’s take a look at some of the worst:
Killer Mike busted his shoulder during an on-stage attack
Remember last month when Run The Jewels were attacked mid-performance at SXSW? Later on in the week, while they were performing at Stubbs’ BBQ, we discovered that one half of the duo Killer Mike had torn his rotator cuff. His doctor recommended he wear a sling, but Mike refused. Nothing was going to stop him from giving his fans what they deserve; the best performance possible.
Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic knocked himself in the head with his bass
During their performance of Lithium at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana’s bassist Krist Novoselic attempted to execute his signature move of throwing his bass in the air and catching it. He managed to do the first part of the trick. Unfortunately, he missed and he fell to the ground before running off stage. I don’t know what would hurt more; the injury or the fact that it is now online to be forever shared on the Internet.
Outkast’s Big Boi injuried his knee
Here’s another one that was caught on video. Back in 2013, Outkast’s Big Boi found himself on crutches following a performance where he had a bad landing after jumping during a performance. His serious injury called for testing to find the problem and had to cancel some of the shows in his Shoes For Running tour.
Patti Smith fell and broke her neck
I think this one makes me cringe the most. Poor Patti Smith had to go through physical therapy after she fell 15 feet into the orchestra pit during a 1977 performance. She’s very lucky to have survived, however, suffered several broken vertebrae in her neck. Ouch!
Gene Simmons set his hair on fire – multiple times
It seems that some people don’t always learn from their mistakes. Gene Simmons has had his fair share of disasters when performing his fire-breathing routine. Not a good idea with hair extension. Simmons says his hair has caught on hair many times while performing. Here’s one from a 1973 concert. Luckily, a roadie quickly put it out with a blanket.
Though many documentaries and films have been made about Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in the years since his death, the first ever fully authorised production is set to hit Australian theatres in just over a month.
‘COBAIN – Montage of Heck’ premiered at Sundance in January to rave reviews, and is due to open for a limited season in Australia on May 7.
Director Brett Morgen (think ‘Crossfire Hurricane’) has been granted unrestricted access to Cobain’s personal and family archives, and includes huge amounts of footage, unreleased music, photography and artworks by Kurt himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IBWbpJdRMQ
For the Australian release only, it also includes an interview with Brett about the eight year process of making the documentary.
It should be an amazing insight into not only Nirvana, but into the life of one of the music’s biggest icons in recent memory. Check it out May 7th