Image via Complex Original
Yesterday was the 21-year anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind, one of the most celebrated albums of all time, but also a record filled with frontman Kurt Cobain's angst and anger. Hearing him scream "And I swear that I don't have a gun" was awesome in 1991; now (years after Cobain killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound), it's downright haunting.
Meanwhile, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl's backdrops gave Cobain a powerful platform for his rants, making the unmistakable sound of Nevermind is as easy to appreciate in 2012 as it was two decades ago.
You'd think there isn't much more to say about the legendary record these days, but that simply isn't true. There are plenty of lesser known facts about Nirvana's sophomore LP that have likely escaped even the biggest fans of the album. Read on for 10 things you didn't know about Nirvana's Nevermind and learn something new.
Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)
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The Original Album Title Was Sheep
For a while, the band wanted to name the album Sheep. It was going to be a reference to people who bought the record. Cobain supposedly designed a fake advertisement for the album in his notebook which read, "Because you want to not; because everyone else is." Considering that the album has sold over 30 million copies since its release in the ‘90s, we’re all sheep.
Geffen Records Didn't Expect It To Sell Much
Nevermind made grunge a million dollar word, but the genre's appeal was extremely limited before its release. Nirvana's label, Geffen Records, hoped Nevermind could maybe go gold. If anything, moving 250,000 copies (like Sonic Youth's Goo) would be a success.
In the end, Nirvana knocked Michael Jackson's Dangerous out of the top spot on Billboard charts and the album went on to sell over 30 million copies.
The Album Was Made On a Budget of $65,000
Recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California in 1991, the album was made for cheap. Consider this a reminder that big budget projects don't guarantee that an album will be a classic.
Producer Butch Vig Had To Convince Cobain To Take More Time With His Vocals
Kurt Cobain didn’t like doing multiple takes of songs. Often times, the band would jam out and try to make a record, but if it didn’t work after three tries, they would abandon the idea and move to the next song. However, Butch Vig knew that some songs were too good to pass up. One of those songs was “In Bloom.” He convinced Cobain to double his vocals on the song by uttering four magic words, "John Lennon did it."
Cobain Blew His Voice Out Recording "Lithium"
Getting Cobain to do extra takes wasn't the only difficultly of recording with Nirvana. Recording sessions for the album never went that smoothly (thanks in part to Cobain's mood swings), but it was during the recording of "Lithium" that Cobain blew out his vocal cords and the band was forced to shut down recording for a few days.
Many of The Songs Are (Allegedly) About Cobain’s Ex-Girlfriend, Tobi Vail
In the book Heavier Than Heaven, author Charles R. Cross claims that he was able to uncover many forgotten details about Cobain's life. One of his most significant claims is that many of the songs on Nevermind are about Cobain's ex-girlfriend, Tobi Vali. Cross uses many examples to back up his point, but the strongest is about how the opening lines on "Drain You" ("One baby to another said, 'I'm lucky to have met you'") were something Vail had once told Cobain.
A Conversation Between Cobain and Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill Lead to "Teen Spirit"
One night, Cobain was hanging out with Kathleen Hanna (the lead singer of the riot grrrl punk band, Bikini Kill), discussing topics like anarchism, punk rock, and revolution.
When she left, she spray painted the phrase, "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall, which Cobain thought was in reference to the revolutionary themes of their conversation. However, she was actually referring to the deodorant, Teen Spirit, which Cobain’s then girlfriend, Tobi Vail, wore.
Unaware of the brand until months after the song’s release, Cobain would go on to title the massive hit after the phrase on his wall.
The Songs Were Kept Simple On Purpose
Drummer David Grohl has openly admitted that the band tried to make their songs as simple as possible. He's even compared Nirvana's music to children's music. It’s like the saying goes, less is more. Or as Shakespeare would say, brevity...wit.
There Were Talks of Getting A Sticker To Cover The Baby’s Penis
One of the hallmarks of the album is the cover, which features a naked baby. (The baby belonged to a friend of the photographer.) Afraid it would offend people, Geffen prepared an alternate cover which hid the baby's penis, but the label relented when Cobain made it clear that the only compromise he would accept was a sticker reading, "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile."
Smells Like...Gasoline?
Shortly after “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became a sensation, Cobain and the band became uncomfortable with the song and refused to include it on their set list when they played live gigs. However, before the album was even recorded, they played the song for the first time on April 17, 1991 at the OK Hotel in Seattle. This was so that they could afford to pay for the gas money needed to get to Los Angeles, where they would record the Nevermind.
