At a time when American Pop was indulged in sticky-sweet pop and not-so-block-rockin' dance artists such as New Kids On The Block, C&C Music Factory and M.C. Hammer, as well as long-haired made-up tough-guy rockers/balladeers such as Poison, Motley Crue and Nelson, the time was ripe for someone to come in and fark everything up.
Enter Nirvana, an unclean, rough, anti-establishment band from Seattle that introduced the rest of America to a sound unlike any other. When their video for the band's first commercial single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," premiered on MTV, youth culture knew the times were a-changin'.
But none of us knew what impact the band would have on popular culture for years to come. Some choose to deny they have.
I first heard Nevermind a couple of months before the band exploded into the mainstream. For the first time in my adolescence, I found an album I could identify with. After years of listening to mainstream pop, I had just started delving into the underground world of music. I felt all the confusion, uncertainty and rebellion that was unleashed in the album's sounds and lyrics. No, I didn't sit back and analyze every lyric on the CD. But for some reason unbeknownst to me, it was mine.
As part of the Nirvana backlash, I sold my CD in college to get a few extra bucks. However, a couple of years later, I missed that angered sound that so reminded me of my youth. I also found a new appreciation for the band, realizing that their music was worlds better than much of the popular "angst" music that is out today.
This copy of the CD is never going to leave my sight.
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Track 1):With the lights out it's less dangerous. Here we are now; entertain us. I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now; entertain us. This one opens with one of the most memorable guitar riffs in rock history, thanks to lead vocalist/guitarist Kurt Cobain. Following is a loud, crashing drum beat from Dave Grohl and a downbeat bassline from Chris Novoselic. I'm sure the band (especially Kurt) eventually came to regret this being as such, but this will always be the song that culturally defines Nirvana.
Come As You Are (Track 3):Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach, as I want you to be. As a trend, as a friend, as an old memory. An extremely dark song (as opposed to those bouncy, happy Nirvana songs) that has slight hints of an old Cure song, with a mysterious bassline, a guitar strapped with a wah-wah pedal and Kurt's loud, raspy, I-was-never-a-choirboy vocals.
Lithium (Track 5):I'm so lonely. That's okay, I shaved my head, and I'm not sad. And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard, and I'm not sure. Perhaps one of the more "melodius" tunes by the band, it is basically made up of Kurt's surprisingly intelligible vocals and lyrics and a plucked guitar. Each verse is broken with loud wails surrounded by raging guitar and drum. Almost like a ballad with attitude.
Drain You (Track 8):Chew your meat for you. Pass it back and forth in our passionate kiss from my mouth to yours, 'cause I like you. Perhaps it's Kurt's vocals that hook me into this song. This is one of those tunes that defines the loudness and greatness that can be achieved simply among a guitar, a bass and a set of drums. Its disturbing lyrics, combined with loud, angered vocals, raging instruments and a unique, homemade, almost-science-fiction-like interlude make it sound like a love song in Hell.
On A Plain (Track 11):The finest day that I ever had was when I learned to cry on command. Love myself better then you. I know it's wrong, so what should I do? I'm on a plain. I can't complain. I'm on a plain. Ah, a song for those who want to have those "me" days. The lyrics are what make this song. Although they have a seriously depressing tone, they are like poetry, akin to Emily Dickinson or Sylvia Plath. It's a great rock song, with beautifully aching and harmonizing, loud instruments, nice background vocals and a classic early 90's beat.
Endless, Nameless (Hidden Track):Death is what I am. Go to hell. Go to jail. In back of that crime, here I am, take a chance. Dead. Die. The most disturbing track on the album, not only because it is hidden fifteen minutes after the last track, and not only because of its loud, unpleasant sound, but because of the lyrics. The simple lyrics, which are hard to decipher on the surface, are about death, over and over again. The words are somewhat prophetic glimpses of Kurt Cobain's future. The guitars and drums combine to create a dissonant sound that would leave Igor Stravinsky in awe. Although I don't find this song aesthetically pleasing, listening to it years after Kurt's suicide gives the song an entirely new perspective. Particularly in realizing how troubled Kurt Cobain was, even a few years before his suicide.
This album isn't supposed to be happy-go-lucky, pop fluff. That's pretty much a given. But nine years after its release, it has become a huge part of our history, musical and otherwise. Is this album for everyone? Certainly not. However, in order to gain an appreciation for popular music, this album is certainly a necessity.
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