Nevermind the Hits: 10 B-Sides, Rarities, and Demos Every Nirvana Fan Should Hear

The very literal title of "Verse Chorus Verse" could have been applied to just about any Nirvana song, or even be seen as a satirical poke at the so-called "loud-quiet" dynamic that the press latched onto at the time. As it so happens, the title is also attached to one of Nevermind's best outtakes. Recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and produced by Butch Vig, the track does indeed embody the mix of hard and soft that made Nirvana famous. Confusingly, the song "Sappy" also used the title "Verse Chorus Verse" as a placeholder, showing just how generic an appellation the title really is.—Nathan Reese

"Opinion" is a 1990 demo that featured a haphazardly played acoustic guitar, Kurt's cracking voice, and recording malfunctions. It's crazy that, even through all that, you can sense the pop potential of Kurt Cobain's songwriting skills. It's a shame to think that so many top notch songs got completely scrapped and reserved for posthumous box sets, but maybe it's better that way. "Opinion" is kind of perfect the way it is.—Confusion

"Lithium" is one of the most popular and beautiful Nirvana songs ever released (also the best, if you ask us). The B-side to that single, "Curmudgeon," is the opposite. "Curmudgeon" is a reckless, ass-kicking of a song. It sounds like the band got too fucked up and vomited up this sloppy mess. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it's Kurt at his most visceral.

By the time this song was released, "Lithium" was the third single off the game-changing Nevermind album. Kurt was a star, but he was a different kind of star, and he always kept in touch with his moody, brash, punk rock roots.—Confusion

Kurt originally wrote "Old Age" during the recording sessions for Nevermind, but handed off the song to Courtney Love for use with her band Hole (Love changed the lyrics to the verses of her version, but left the chorus intact.) Nirvana's recording, however, was only ever recorded as a demo and wasn't released until 2004's With the Lights Out compilation. The song itself, with its mid-tempo chug and emotionally-scarred delivery, is peak Nirvana—it's no wonder Love wanted to record the track herself.—Nathan Reese

"Sappy" was first released as a hidden song on the AIDS benefits compilation No Alternative in 1993. At that time, it was called "Verse Chorus Verse." For years, it was one of those lesser known Nirvana songs that every hardcore Nirvana fan seemed to love, but Kurt apparently never liked it enough to release it, although they started playing it live during their 1994 tour.

Several studio versions were recorded, but it didn't get a proper release until the posthumous 2004 With The Lights Out box set. That version is louder, faster, and more polished, but there's still something chilling about what is often referred to as "the sad version" of the song, an earlier interpretation recorded in Kurt Cobain's house around 1988.—Confusion

As the story goes, I Hate Myself and Want to Die was Kurt Cobain's original title for In Utero. Though the name was meant to be ironic (Kurt's humor was notoriously macabre), the band ultimately decided to go with something less controversial. (In retrospect, Cobain's death casts an even darker pallor over the song.)

Still, it's fascinating to imagine a different version of the album where "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" was the title track. Instead, the song was relegated to a spot of the comedy album, The Beavis and Butt-head Experience, and released last year as a Record Store Day single nearly twenty years after the album on which it was supposed to appear.—Nathan Reese

"Something in her eyes, it must be the smoke from my gun," goes the refrain of "Clean Up Before She Comes." Recorded as a four-track demo, the song features Cobain harmonizing with himself over loosely strummed guitar. Though the lyrics may sound bleak (anytime Kurt sings the word "gun" it's hard not to think of the inevitable), Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross writes that the song is quite literally about Kurt forgetting to clean up his apartment. (Apparently his girlfriend at the time, Tracy Marander, had to constantly remind him.) Regardless of the intent, the track shows Cobain's remarkable early songwriting chops delivered in stripped-down form.—Nathan Reese

"Marigold" is the only song that officially counts both as a Foo Fighters song and a Nirvana song. The track's first appearance, however, was in 1992 on the Pocketwatch cassette by David Grohl's pre-Foos side-project Late!

The following year, the song was also featured as a B-side to the "Heart Shaped Box" single and, later, included on the deluxe edition of In Utero. The track features Grohl's vocals and guitar, Krist Novoselic on bass, and Cobain singing low harmonies, though reports differ on whether Cobain's voice is actually heard on the original recorded version. Grohl later re-recorded the song for the Foo Fighter's 2006 album Skin and Bones, making it an official release for three of his bands. The raw-sounding original, though, remains the most affecting two decades later.—Nathan Reese

Kurt Cobain didn't talk much about the meaning behind his songs, but "Even in His Youth" seems to dive into Kurt's strained relationship with his father. It appeared on the 1992 EP Hormoaning and as a B-side to the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single, but with a little cleaning up, it wouldn't have been out of place on Nevermind.—Confusion

According to the Charles Cross biography of Kurt Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven, "Moist Vagina" started out with a more controversial title: "Moist Vagina, and Then She Blew Him Like He's Never Been Blown, Brains Stuck All Over the Wall." Kurt had 18 songs for In Utero, but eventually cut the list down to 12. This one was apparently cut because they were already anticipating controversy from the "Rape Me" title. The song did, however, make the cut as a B-side to the "All Apologies" single.—Confusion