Scentless Apprentice

Song_infobox
Name = Scentless Apprentice


Artist = Nirvana
Album = In Utero
Released = September 21, 1993
track_no = 2
Recorded = February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre = Grunge
Length = 3:47
Writer = Cobain/Grohl/Novoselic
Composer =
Label = Geffen
Producer = Steve Albini
[ Chart position = ]
prev = Serve the Servants
prev_no = 1
next = Heart-Shaped Box
next_no = 3Extra tracklisting
Album = From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Type = live
prev_track = "Spank Thru"
prev_no = 9
this_track = "Scentless Apprentice"
track_no = 10
next_track = "Heart-Shaped Box"
next_no = 11

"Scentless Apprentice" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the second song on their 1993 album, "In Utero".

History

"Scentless Apprentice" most likely dates back to late 1992, and is rare among Nirvana songs in that all three members - singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic - contributed to writing it.

According to the 1993 Nirvana biography "Come as You Are" by Michael Azerrad, the song's main guitar riff was written by Grohl. Cobain was initially unimpressed with the riff, and admitted in "Come as You Are" that he only worked on it so that Grohl would not be offended. "It was such a cliché grunge Tad riff that I was reluctant to even jam on it," he said.

However, all three members continued to work on the song, and its dynamics eventually fell into place. "It was just a totally satisfying thing to finally contribute equally to a song," Cobain said in a 1993 "Chicago Sun-Times" interview, "instead of me coming up with the basics of the song."

"Scentless Apprentice" was debuted live on January 16, 1993, in São Paulo, Brazil. The song's first studio version was recorded by Craig Montgomery in January 1993 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. An early title listed on the show setlist [http://www.nirvanaguide.com/images.php?id=930116] was "Chuck Bo Buck", which possibly referred to the phonetical pronunication of the song's main guitar riff. It was recorded for "In Utero" in February 1993 by Steve Albini in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.

In the "Chicago Sun-Times" interview, Cobain described "Scentless Apprentice" as "a really good example of the direction we're going in." The band briefly flirted with the idea of releasing the song as "In Utero"'s second single, after "Heart-Shaped Box," but this never happened; they released a Double A-side single for "All Apologies" and "Rape Me" instead.

Meaning

"Scentless Apprentice" is based on the German novel "Perfume", by Patrick Süskind. Published in 1985, the novel tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a boy born without body odour but with a heightened sense of smell. Grenouille grows up to be a perfume apprentice, and uses perfume to mask his lack of odour. He also becomes a murderer, stealing the smells of his female victims in his quest to create a human odour for himself. More recently, the source material was filmed as "".

In a 1993 MuchMusic interview, Cobain claimed that his copy of "Perfume" almost never left his pocket. Cobain said he related to Grenouille's alienation.

Cobain also related to Grenouille's fascination with odor. "I’m really interested in smells," he revealed in a 1993 "Spin" interview. "I think I’d like to own a perfumerie someday."

Other versions

A live version, performed on December 13, 1993 in Seattle, Washington, appears on the band's 1996 live compilation album, "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah". A rehearsal "demo" version, over nine-and-a-half minutes long, appears on the band's posthumous box set, "With the Lights Out". This version actually documents the song being written, starting with working around the main riff while Cobain improvises lyrics and guitar parts.

In popular culture

* In the season three finale of the popular ABC show "Lost", "Scentless Apprentice" is heard playing on Jack's car stereo as he is driving in Los Angeles. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwMnv7aBfyk&eurl=]
*Noise rock band Flipper put out a cover of the song before Krist Novoselic joined in 2006. It has now been put into rotation on the band's live setlists.
*Mash-up artist Girl Talk has covered the song many times as a live encore. However, he recently stated that it was being overplayed, and for the most part retired it from his live set.

ee also

* List of songs based on a film or book

Accolades

*Ranked #11 in "NME's" "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004)
*Ranked #9 in "Q's" "10 Songs Based on Novels" (2004)

References

*Azerrad, Michael. "Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana", Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1

* [http://www.jimdero.com/News2002/CobainMar10.htm A piece of Kurt Cobain] by Jim DeRogatis, March 10, 2002

* "Smashing their Heads on the Punk Rock" by Darcey Steinke, "Spin", October 1993.