1. You Know Youre Right
Recorded January 30th, 1994, Robert Lang Studio, Shoreline, Washington. Previously unreleased.
"It's basically just the quiet-loud dynamic with lots of fucking noise," Dave Grohl once said. "I think it came out of a jam."
Recorded December 1988, Reciprocal Studios, Seattle. Produced by Jack Endino. Released on Bleach.
Former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing says Kurt Cobain brought this song into the studio without a title: "I asked, 'What's it about?' He said, 'It's about a girl.'" On the day he wrote this tune -- actually about girlfriend Tracy Marander -- Cobain listened to Meet the Beatles for three hours.
Recorded July 1990, Reciprocal Studios, Seattle. Produced by Jack Endino. Released as a Sub Pop single and on Incesticide.
The only Nirvana track featuring Dan Peters of Mudhoney on drums.
Recorded November 9th, 1991, BBC Studios, London. From The Mark Goodier radio show. Released on Incesticide.
Cobain likely wrote this song about his sister Kim and his suspicion that their father would have preferred a boy. Rarely performed live, the band also cut a studio version for the 1989 Blew Sub Pop EP.
Recorded May 1991, Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California. Produced by Butch Vig. Released on Nevermind.
"It's basically just about friends," Cobain once said. "It also has kind of a teen revolutionary theme to it." He took the title from graffiti Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna wrote on his bedroom wall, unaware it was a brand of deodorant. When the song came out, sales of Teen Spirit surged.
Recorded May 1991, Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California. Produced by Butch Vig. Released on Nevermind.
In a letter to a friend, Cobain joked, "the guitar part for 'Come As You Are' is the same as a song called 'The Eighties' by Killing Joke."
Recorded May 1991, Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California. Produced by Butch Vig. Released on Nevermind.
Kurt wrote this song in 1990, and it became a staple of Nirvana's live set. Kim Thayil of Soundgarden saw an early performance and remembered, "Our bass player came up to me and said, 'That's the hit! That's a Top 40 hit right there.' He was right." The CD single to "Lithium" featured a sonogram photo of Frances Bean Cobain in the womb.
Recorded May 1991, Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California. Produced by Butch Vig. Released on Nevermind.
Kurt explained this song by stating, "I don't like rednecks." Cobain's best friend, Dylan Carlson, says he's the inspiration for some of the lyrics: "Obviously, the 'He likes to shoot his guns/He likes all our pretty songs' is about me, because I liked the ones that were pretty."
Recorded March 1993, Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Recorded by Steve Albini. Released on In Utero.
Originally titled "Heart-Shaped Coffin." Krist Novoselic says the video to "HSB" "is pretty much Kurt's last testament right there. . . . That whole video is like a dream. I remember he said, 'At the end, Krist, you are going to get up and you are going to open up the curtains and there's going to be all this light that's coming through.' I still wonder what he meant by that."
Recorded March 1993, Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Recorded by Steve Albini. Released on In Utero.
Scott Litt's remix was scheduled as a single before Cobain's death. It was recalled, though copies that leaked out fetch $1,000 on eBay.
Recorded March 1993, Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Recorded by Steve Albini. Released on In Utero.
"Basically, I was trying to write a song that supported women and dealt with the issue of rape," Cobain told David Fricke. "Over the last few years, people have had such a hard time understanding what our message is, what we're trying to convey, that I just decided to be as bold as possible."
Recorded March 1993, Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Recorded by Steve Albini. Released on In Utero.
Cobain wrote this song before Nevermind and had recorded it at least twice before the band cut this version. In his unused album notes, Cobain's sole explanation for the song was: "All that pot. All that supposedly, unaddictive, harmless, safe reefer that damaged my nerves, and ruined my memory, and made me feel like wanting to blow up the prom. It just wasn't ever strong enough, so I climbed the ladder to the poppy."
Recorded November 18th, 1993, Sony Studios, New York. Released on MTV Unplugged in New York.
When Cobain played this at the Redding Festival in 1992, he dedicated it to Frances and Courtney.
14. The Man Who Sold the World
Recorded November 18th, 1993, Sony Studios, New York. Released on MTV Unplugged in New York.
This David Bowie song was one of six covers Cobain played during Nirvana's Unplugged show. Five of the six, including this one, mentioned death or dying.
Recorded November 18th, 1993, Sony Studios, New York. Released on MTV Unplugged in New York.
16. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Recorded November 18th, 1993, Sony Studios, New York. Released on MTV Unplugged in New York.
This Huddie Leadbellye song was one of six covers Cobain played during Nirvana's Unplugged show.
Charles R. Cross
November 2002
