Kurt Cobain was an icon in the ’90s. He and Nirvana helped popularize grunge and bring Seattle’s signature sound to the rest of the world. By the time he died by suicide in 1994 at the age of 27, seemingly every teenager and young adult in the country had a copy of at least one Nirvana album. While Cobain and his band had a relatively short run, their impact on the music world is indelible and undeniable.
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Cobain would have turned 58 today (February 20). To celebrate the anniversary of the birth of a legend, we’ll be looking back at four standout tracks from Nirvana’s discography. Nearly everyone who has listened to the band has heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” and “Heart-Shaped Box” countless times. So, we’ll be digging a little deeper.
1. “The Man Who Sold the World”
Kurt Cobain wrote the bulk of Nirvana’s songs. However, he also led the band in several memorable covers. Their version of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” is a standout example of the band’s ability to transform other artists’ work.
They performed “The Man Who Sold the World” during their MTV Unplugged appearance in 1993. Later, the band included it on their classic live album MTV Unplugged in New York in 1994. They worked several covers into that set instead of attempting to play acoustic versions of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other hits.
2. “All Apologies”
Kurt Cobain wrote “All Apologies” and Nirvana released it as the second single from In Utero in December 1993. It would be the last single the band would release before Cobain’s death early the next year. “All Apologies” was also the band’s third song to top the Billboard Modern Rock chart (now the Alternative Airplay chart). It spent two weeks at the top of the survey.
3. “Polly”
“Polly” is one of the darkest songs in Nirvana’s catalog. Kurt Cobain pulled inspiration for the song from a Washington true crime case. In 1987, Gerald Friend kidnapped an unnamed 14-year-old girl on her way home from a concert in Tacoma, Washington. He took her to his home where he sexually assaulted and tortured her with several tools including a blowtorch. She was able to escape when he took her for a ride and stopped for gas.
4. “About a Girl”
Kurt Cobain wrote “About a Girl” about his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander and included it on Nirvana’s 1989 debut album Bleach. The song also appeared on MTV Unplugged in New York. The live acoustic version of the song was the first single to be released by the band after Cobain’s death. It went to No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart two months after its release.
Featured Image by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images
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