4 Nirvana Deep Cuts That Rival Kurt Cobain’s Best-Known Songs

Kurt Cobain was a prolific songwriter during Nirvana’s relatively short career. Apart from three landmark studio albums, the band has since released several compilations that detail the evolution of Cobain’s writing. Songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Come As You Are”, and “Heart-Shaped Box”, among many others, helped bring grunge and alternative rock to the mainstream. But Nirvana also forever changed rock history while launching countless bands in its image.

This list is far from complete. So consider this a primer on Nirvana deep cuts that rival Kurt Cobain’s best-known songs.

“You Know You’re Right”

Following a bitter lawsuit between Courtney Love and former members of Nirvana—bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl—“You’re Know You’re Right” was finally released in 2002. A bootlegged live version recorded in Chicago had made the rounds among collectors before Kurt Cobain’s final studio recording with the band arrived on a greatest hits compilation. The track proves Cobain was nowhere near running out of ideas and is every bit as strong as Nirvana’s groundbreaking singles. (I realize most Nirvana fans know this tune, but I felt compelled to include it for the casual listeners.)

“Been A Son”

“Been A Son” first appeared on Nirvana’s 1989 Blew EP. The band rerecorded it for the BBC in 1991, and that version appears on the B-sides, demos, and outtakes compilation, Incesticide. The track, especially the second version, sounds closer to the tidy production of Nevermind than the unpolished debut, Bleach. The lyrics describe a girl whose parents had hoped for a son, taking on issues of gender long before such conversations were mainstream. I’m linking to the Blew version so you can hear the band in its early stage.

“R*pe Me” (Solo Acoustic)

Technically not a deep cut, as the studio version remains one of Nirvana’s best-known and most provocative songs. However, the acoustic demo appearing on the band’s box set, With The Lights Out, features slight changes to the vocal arrangement. Once again, it shows Cobain’s instinct for gorgeous melodies. The demo was recorded at home in 1991, and though the lo-fi capture is distorted, it clearly previews Nirvana’s landmark acoustic performance on MTV Unplugged.

“Downer”

“Downer” was included on the reissue of Bleach as well as Incesticide. The track begins with a frantic rhythm before Cobain begins a spoken-word verse with the anti-system vibes of Black Flag. The recording features Melvins’ drummer Dale Crover, who also plays on the Bleach tracks “Floyd The Barber” and “Paper Cuts”. It’s an interesting early document of Nirvana as a band slowly coming into focus.

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