Nevermind
| Nevermind | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | May 2–28, 1991 [1][2] June 1-9, 1991 (mixing) [3] April 1990 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 42:36 (59:15 w/ hidden track) | |||
| Label | DGC | |||
| Producer |
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| Nirvana chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nevermind | ||||
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Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band, Nirvana. It was released on September 24, 1991 by DGC Records. It was produced by Butch Vig and was the first release by the band on the record label. It was also the first release with drummer Dave Grohl.
Even though it wasn't thought to have been very popular before its release, Nevermind was a very big success. On January 11, 1992, it had reached number one on the US Billboard 200.[4] The main single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was very successful and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] The three other singles were: "Come as You Are", "Lithium", and "In Bloom". Nevermind was selling up to 300,000 copies a week between 1991 and 1992.[6]
Nevermind has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums ever. Nevermind helped to make both grunge music and alternative rock popular. It has been known as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Background
[change | change source]Nirvana was a rock band from Aberdeen, Washington, formed by Kurt Cobain (vocals and guitar) and Krist Novoselic (bass guitar) in 1987. They first signed to the Seattle record label Sub Pop. The band released their first album on this label called Bleach in 1989 with Chad Channing on drums. Channing left Nirvana after this album in 1990, and the band needed a drummer. After seeing punk band Scream, Cobain and Novoselic liked the drumming by Dave Grohl. When Scream broke up after this, Grohl joined Nirvana as the drummer.
During the start of the 1990s, Sub Pop was having a difficult time with money. Because of this, Nirvana looked for a new record label. They ended up signing with DGC Records[7]
Title and cover
[change | change source]The first name for the album before its release was Sheep. This came from the kind of people Cobain thought were going to buy the album (sheep is a word meaning someone who does what other people do). The title was later changed to Nevermind as it was what Cobain thought about bad things in his life.[8]
The album cover of Nevermind shows a naked baby (Spencer Elden)[9] swimming underwater with a U.S. dollar bill on a fishhook. This is just out of the baby's reach. Cobain wanted to have a photo of a water birth on the cover but the record label wouldn't let him.[10]
Track listing
[change | change source]All songs written and composed by Kurt Cobain, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (writers: Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl) | 5:01 |
| 2. | "In Bloom" | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Come as You Are" | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Breed" | 3:03 |
| 5. | "Lithium" | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Polly" | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Territorial Pissings" (writers: Cobain, Chet Powers) | 2:22 |
| 8. | "Drain You" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Lounge Act" | 2:36 |
| 10. | "Stay Away" | 3:32 |
| 11. | "On a Plain" | 3:16 |
| 12. | "Something in the Way" | 3:52 |
| 13. | "Endless, Nameless" (writers: Cobain, Novoselic, Grohl. Only included on later pressings as a hidden track) | 6:44 |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Nevermind sessions".
- ↑ "This Day in Music Spotlight: Nirvana Begins Recording 'Nevermind'". .gibson.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ↑ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana - The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (1st ed.). Barnes & Noble. pp. 71. ISBN 0-7607-4893-4.
- ↑ "Nirvana Nevermind Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
- ↑ "The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ↑ "20th anniversary edition of Nirvana's 'Nevermind' includes 4 discs". UPROXX. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
- ↑ Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
- ↑ Cross 2001, p. 189
- ↑ "Nirvana's Nevermind baby recreates famous image".
- ↑ Bachor, Kenneth (September 23, 2016). "The Baby From Nirvana's Nevermind Is 25 Now". Time. Archived from the original on October 4, 2017.