Nevermind

For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation).

Nevermind
Studio album by Nirvana
Released	September 24, 1991
Recorded	April 1990 at Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin, May–June 1991 at Sound City Studios, Van Nuys and Devonshire, North Hollywood, California
Genre	Grunge
Length	42:38
Label	DGC
Producer	Butch Vig
Nirvana chronology
Bleach (1989) Nevermind (1991) In Utero (1993)
Singles from Nevermind
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" Released: September 1991 "Come as You Are" Released: March 1992 "Lithium" Released: July 1992 "In Bloom" Released: November 1992

Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records. Frontman Kurt Cobain sought to make music outside the restrictive confines of the Seattle grunge scene, drawing influence from groups such as the Pixies and their use of song volume dynamics.

Despite low commercial expectations by the band and its record label, Nevermind became a surprise success in late 1991, largely due to the popularity of its first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit". By January 1992, it had replaced Michael Jackson's album Dangerous at number one on the Billboard charts. The Recording Industry Association of America has certified the album Diamond (over 10 million copies shipped), and the album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.^[1][2] Nevermind was responsible for bringing alternative rock to a large mainstream audience, and critics subsequently regard it as one of the best rock albums of all time.

Background

Nirvana was a band from Aberdeen, Washington, formed by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, that had signed to Seattle independent record label Sub Pop. The group released its debut album Bleach in 1989, with Chad Channing on drums. However, Channing left Nirvana in 1990, and the band was in need of a permanent drummer. During a show by hardcore punk band Scream, the group's drummer, Dave Grohl, impressed Novoselic and Cobain. When Scream unexpectedly disbanded, Grohl contacted Novoselic, made his way to Seattle, and was soon invited to join the band. Novoselic said in retrospect that when Grohl joined the band, everything "fell into place".^[3]

Meanwhile Cobain was writing a number of new songs. At the time Cobain was listening to bands like R.E.M., The Smithereens and the Pixies. Feeling disillusioned by the heavy detuned rock popular in the Seattle grunge scene upon which Sub Pop had built its image, Cobain—inspired by his contemporary listening habits—began writing songs that were more melodic. A key development was the single "Sliver", released on Sub Pop in 1990 (before Grohl joined the band), which Cobain said "was like a statement in a way. I had to write a pop song and release it on a single to prepare people for the next record. I wanted to write more songs like that."^[4] Grohl said that the band at that point often made the analogy of likening their music to children's music, in that the band tried to make its songs as simple as possible.^[3]

By the start of the 1990s, Sub Pop was experiencing financial difficulties. With rumors that Sub Pop would sign up as a subsidiary for a major label, the band decided to "cut out the middleman" and start to look for a major label.^[3] A number of labels courted the band, but Nirvana ultimately signed with Geffen Records imprint DGC Records based upon the recommendation of its management company Gold Mountain, who also managed the band's idols (and recent Geffen signings) Sonic Youth, and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon.^[5]

Recording and production

Nirvana enlisted producer Butch Vig after a suggestion from their former label Sub Pop.

In the spring of 1990, Nirvana began planning its second album for Sub Pop, tentatively titled Sheep. For the album, Sub Pop head Bruce Pavitt suggested Butch Vig as a potential producer.^[3] Nirvana particularly liked Vig's work with Killdozer and called Vig up to tell him, "We want to sound as heavy as that record."^[6] In April 1990, the band traveled out to Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin to begin work on the album. Most of the basic song arrangements were completed by that time, but Cobain was still working on lyrics and the band was unsure of which songs to record.^[7] Ultimately, eight songs were recorded: "Immodium" (later renamed "Breed"), "Dive" (later released as the B-side to "Sliver"), "In Bloom", "Pay to Play" (eventually renamed "Stay Away" and given a new set of lyrics), "Sappy", "Lithium", "Here She Comes Now" (released on Velvet Underground Tribute Album: Heaven and Hell Volume 1), and "Polly".^[8] The band had planned to record more tracks, but Cobain blew his voice out on "Lithium", forcing them to shut down recording. Vig was told that the band would come back to record more songs, but the producer did not hear anything for a while.^[3] Instead, the band used the sessions as a demo tape to shop for a new label. Within a few months, the tape was circulating amongst major labels, creating a buzz around the group.^[9]

After signing to Geffen, a number of producers for the album were suggested, including Scott Litt, David Briggs, and Don Dixon, but Nirvana still wanted Butch Vig.^[10] Novoselic noted in 2001 that the band was already nervous about recording on a major label, and the producers suggested by DGC wanted percentage points for working on the album. Instead, the band held out for Vig, with whom they felt comfortable collaborating.^[11] Afforded a budget of $65,000, Nirvana recorded Nevermind at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California in May and June 1991.^[12] Nirvana was originally set to record the album during March and April 1991, but the date kept getting pushed back in spite of the band's anxiousness to begin the sessions. To pay gas money to get to Los Angeles, Nirvana played a show where they performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time.^[3] The band sent Vig some rehearsal tapes prior to the sessions that featured songs recorded previously at Smart Studios, along with some new ones including "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Come as You Are".^[13]

When the group arrived in California, Nirvana did a few days of pre-production where the band and Vig tightened up some of the song arrangements.^[14] The only recording carried over from the Smart Studios sessions was the song "Polly", which included cymbal crashes performed by Chad Channing. Once recording commenced, the band worked eight to ten hours a day. The band members tended to take two or three tries at instrumental takes; if the takes were not satisfactory at that point, they would move on to something else.^[15] The group had rehearsed the songs so much before recording started that often only a few takes were needed.^[11] Novoselic and Grohl finished their bass and drum tracks in a matter of days, but Cobain had to work longer on guitar overdubs, singing, and particularly lyrics (which sometimes were finished mere minutes before recording).^[16] Cobain's phrasing was so consistent on various takes that Vig would mix the takes together to create overdubs.^[15] Vig says that he often had to trick Cobain into recording additional takes for overdubs since the singer was averse to performing multiple takes. In particular, Vig convinced Cobain to double-track his vocals on the song "In Bloom" by telling him "John Lennon did it."^[3] While the sessions went well generally, Vig said Cobain would become moody and difficult at times: "He'd be great for an hour, and then he'd sit in a corner and say nothing for an hour."^[6]

After the recording sessions were completed, Vig and the band set out to mix the album. However, after a few days, both Vig and the band members realized that they were unhappy with how the mixes were turning out. As a result, they decided to call in someone else to oversee the mixing, with Geffen Records imprint DGC supplying a list of possible options. The list contained several familiar names, including Scott Litt (known for his work with R.E.M.) and Ed Stasium (known for his work with The Smithereens). However, Cobain feared that bringing in known mixers would result in the album sounding like the work of those bands. Instead, Cobain chose Andy Wallace (who had co-produced Slayer's 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss) from the bottom of the list.^[17] Novoselic recalled, "We said, 'right on,' because those Slayer records were so heavy."^[18] Wallace ran the songs through various special effects boxes and tweaked the drum sounds, completing about one mix per day.^[19] Both Wallace and Vig noted years later that upon hearing Wallace's work the band loved the mixes.^[20] After the album's release members of Nirvana expressed dissatisfaction with the polished sound the mixer had given Nevermind. Cobain said in Come as You Are, "Looking back on the production of Nevermind, I'm embarrassed by it now. It's closer to a Mötley Crüe record than it is a punk rock record."^[19]

Nevermind was mastered on the afternoon of August 2 at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California. Howie Weinberg started working alone when no one else showed up at the appointed time in the studio; by the time Nirvana, Andy Wallace, and Gary Gersh arrived, Weinberg had mastered most of the album.^[21] One of the songs mastered at the session, a hidden track called "Endless, Nameless" intended to appear at the end of "Something in the Way", was accidentally left off initial pressings of the album. Weinberg recalled, "In the beginning, it was kind of a verbal thing to put that track at the end. Maybe I misconstrued their instructions, so you can call it my mistake if you want. Maybe I didn't write it down when Nirvana or the record company said to do it. So, when they pressed the first twenty thousand or so CDs, albums, and cassettes, it wasn't on there." When the band discovered the song's omission after listening to its copy of the album, Cobain called Weinberg and demanded he rectify the mistake.^[22] Weinberg complied and added about ten minutes of silence between the end of "Something in the Way" and the start of the hidden track on future pressings of the album.^[23]

Composition

Music

Cobain, Nirvana's main songwriter, fashioned chord sequences that were based mainly around power chords and wrote songs that combined pop hooks with dissonant guitar rhythms. His aim for Nevermind's material was to sound like the "Bay City Rollers getting molested by Black Flag".^[24] Many of the songs on Nevermind feature shifts in dynamics, where the band changes from quiet verses to loud choruses. Dave Grohl said this approach originated during a four-month period prior to the recording of the album, where the band would experiment with extreme dynamics during regular jam sessions.^[25]

Guitar World wrote, "Kurt Cobain's guitar sound on Nirvana's Nevermind set the tone for Nineties rock music." On Nevermind, Cobain played a 1960s Fender Mustang, a Fender Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups, and a few Fender Stratocasters with humbucker bridge pickups. The guitarist used distortion and chorus pedals as his main effects, the latter used to generate a "watery" sound on "Come as You Are" and the pre-choruses of "Smells Like Teen Spirit".^[26] Krist Novoselic tuned down his bass guitar one and a half steps to D flat "to get this fat-ass sound."^[11]

Lyrics

Grohl said that Cobain told him, "Music comes first, lyrics come second," and Grohl believes that above all Cobain focused on the melodies of his songs.^[3] Cobain was still working on the album's lyrics well into the recording of Nevermind. Additionally, Cobain's phrasing on the album is often difficult to understand. Vig asserted that clarity of Cobain's singing was not paramount. Vig said, "Even though you couldn't quite tell what he was singing about, you knew it was intense as hell."^[3] Cobain would later complain when rock journalists attempted to decipher his singing and extract meaning from his lyrics, writing "Why in the hell do journalists insist on coming up with a second-rate Freudian evaluation of my lyrics, when 90 percent of the time they've transcribed them incorrectly?"^[27]

Charles R. Cross asserted in his 2001 biography of Kurt Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven, that many of the songs written for Nevermind were about Cobain's dysfunctional relationship with Tobi Vail. After the relationship ended, Cobain began writing and painting violent scenes, many of which revealed hatred for himself and others. Songs written during this period were less violent, but still reflected anger absent from Cobain's earlier songs. Cross wrote "In the four months following their break-up, Kurt would write a half dozen of his most memorable songs, all of them about Tobi Vail". "Drain You" begins with the line "One baby to another said 'I'm lucky to have met you'", quoting what Vail had once told Cobain, and the line "It is now my duty to completely drain you" refers to the power Vail had over Kurt in their relationship. According to Novoselic, "'Lounge Act' is about Tobi", and the song contains the line "I'll arrest myself, I'll wear a shield", referring to Cobain having the K Records logo tattooed on his arm to impress Vail. Though "Lithium" had been written before Cobain knew Vail, the lyrics of the song were changed to reference her.^[28] Cobain also said in an interview with Musician that "some of my very personal experiences, like breaking up with girlfriends and having bad relationships, feeling that death void that the person in the song is feeling–very lonely, sick."^[29]

Packaging

The album's tentative title Sheep was something Cobain created as an inside joke towards the people he expected to buy the record. He wrote a fake advertisement for Sheep in his journal that read "Because you want to not; because everyone else is."^[30] Novoselic said the inspiration for the title was the band's cynicism about the public's reaction to Operation Desert Storm.^[11] As recording sessions for the album were completed, Cobain grew tired of the title and suggested to Novoselic that the new album be named Nevermind. Cobain liked the title because it was a metaphor for his attitude on life, and because it was grammatically incorrect.^[31]

The Nevermind album cover shows a baby swimming toward a US dollar bill on a fishhook. According to Cobain, he conceived the idea while watching a television program on water births with Grohl. Cobain mentioned it to Geffen's art director Robert Fisher. Fisher found some stock footage of underwater births but they were too graphic for the record company. Also, the stock house that controlled the photo of a swimming baby that they subsequently settled on wanted $7,500 a year for its use, so instead Fisher sent a photographer to a pool for babies to take pictures. Five shots resulted and the band settled on the image of a three-month-old infant named Spencer Elden, the son of the photographer's friend. However, there was some concern because Elden's penis was visible in the image. Geffen prepared an alternate cover without the penis, as they were afraid that it would offend people, but relented when Cobain made it clear that the only compromise he would accept was a sticker covering the penis that would say, "If you're offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile."^[32]

The back cover of the album features a photograph of a rubber monkey in front of a collage created by Cobain. The collage features photos of raw beef from a supermarket advertisement, images from Dante's Inferno, and pictures of diseased vaginas from Cobain's collection of medical photos. Cobain noted, "If you look real close, there is a picture of Kiss in the back standing on a slab of beef."^[33] The album's liner notes contain no complete song lyrics; instead, the liner contains random song lyrics and unused lyrical fragments that Cobain arranged into a poem.^[34]

Release

Nevermind was released on September 24, 1991. American record stores received an initial shipment of 46,251 copies,^[35] while 35,000 copies were shipped in the United Kingdom, where Bleach had been successful.^[36] The lead single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had been released on September 10 with the intention of being a base-building cut among alternative rock fans, while the next single "Come as You Are" would be the song that would possibly garner more attention.^[37] The band set out on a short American tour four days before the release date to support the album. Geffen Records hoped that Nevermind would sell around 250,000 copies, which was the same level the record company had achieved with Sonic Youth's Geffen debut Goo.^[38] The best estimate was that if all involved worked hard, the record could possibly be certified Gold by September 1992.^[39]

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 144.^[40] Geffen shipped about half of the initial US pressing to the American Northwest, where it sold out quickly and was unavailable for days. Geffen reputedly put production of all other albums on hold in order to fulfill demand in the region.^[41] Nevermind was already selling well but, over the next few months, the momentum increased significantly as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" unexpectedly became more and more popular. The song's video had received a world premiere on MTV's late night alternative show 120 Minutes but it soon proved so popular that the channel began playing it during the day.^[42] The record was soon certified gold, but the band was relatively uninterested in the achievement. Novoselic recalled, "Yeah I was happy about it. It was pretty cool. It was kind of neat. But I don't give a shit about some kind of achievement like that. It's cool—I guess."^[43]

As the band set out for their European tour at the start of November 1991, Nevermind entered the Billboard Top 40 for the first time at number 35. By this point, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had become a genuine hit and the album was selling so fast none of Geffen's marketing strategies aimed at different sales levels could be enacted. Geffen president Ed Rosenblatt told The New York Times, "We didn't do anything. It was just one of those 'Get out of the way and duck' records."^[44] Nirvana found as they toured Europe during the end of 1991 that the shows were dangerously oversold, television crews became a constant presence onstage, and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was almost omnipresent on radio and music television.^[45]

Nevermind became Nirvana's first number one album on January 11, 1992, replacing Michael Jackson at the top of the Billboard charts. By this time, Nevermind was selling approximately 300,000 copies a week.^[46] "Come as You Are" was finally released as the second single in March 1992; it peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.^[47] Two more singles, "Lithium" and "In Bloom", were released from the album.

Nevermind was certified Gold and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 1991, and was certified Diamond in March 1999.^[48] It was also certified Diamond in Canada (1,000,000 units sold) by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in March 2001^[49] and two times Platinum in the United Kingdom.^[50] In 1996, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs released Nevermind on vinyl as part of its ANADISQ 200 series, and as a 24-carat gold Compact Disc. The CD pressings included "Endless, Nameless". The LP version quickly sold out its limited pressing but the CD edition stayed in print for years.^[51] Universal Music Enterprises further released a 4-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition of Nevermind in September 2011.^[52]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(100/100) [53]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[54]
Robert Christgau	(A) [55]
The A.V Club	(A) [56]
Entertainment Weekly	(A-) [57]
Pitchfork Media	(10.0/10.0) [58]
Rolling Stone	[59]
The Daily Telegraph	[60]
Consequence of Sound	[61]
IGN	(8.5/10) [62]
Ultimate Guitar	(9.1/10) [63]
Drowned in Sound	[64]
PopMatters	[65]
Under the Radar	[66]

Upon the album's release, several mainstream newspapers and magazines gave Nevermind positive reviews. Karen Schoemer of The New York Times wrote, "With 'Nevermind,' Nirvana has certainly succeeded. There are enough intriguing textures, mood shifts, instrumental snippets and inventive word plays to provide for hours of entertainment." Schoemer concluded, "'Nevermind' is more sophisticated and carefully produced than anything peer bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Mudhoney have yet offered."^[67] Entertainment Weekly gave Nevermind an A– rating, and reviewer David Browne argued that on Nevermind, Nirvana "never entertain the notion" of wanting to sound "normal," compared to other contemporary alternative bands.^[68] Concluding his very enthusiastic review for the British Melody Maker, Everett True wrote that "When Nirvana released Bleach all those years ago, the more sussed among us figured they had the potential to make an album that would blow every other contender away. My God have they proved us right."^[69] Spin gave Nevermind a favorable review stating that "you'll be humming all the songs for the rest of your life—or at least until your CD-tape-album wears out."^[70] Select gave the album a four out of five rating and compared the band to Jane's Addiction, Sonic Youth and The Pixies stating that the album "proves that Nirvana truly belong in such high company."^[71]

Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars (despite the current Rolling Stone website awarding it four stars, the original print publication gave it three); reviewer Ira Robbins wrote, "If Nirvana isn't onto anything altogether new, Nevermind does possess the songs, character and confident spirit to be much more than a reformulation of college radio's high-octane hits."^[72] The Boston Globe was less enthusiastic about the album; reviewer Steve Morse wrote, "Most of Nevermind is packed with generic punk-pop that had been done by countless acts from Iggy Pop to the Red Hot Chili Peppers," and added "the band has little or nothing to say, settling for moronic ramblings by singer-lyricist Cobain."^[73]

Nevermind was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll; "Smells Like Teen Spirit" also topped the single of the year and video of the year polls.^[74] Nevermind topped the poll by a large majority, and Village Voice critic Robert Christgau wrote in his companion piece to the poll, "As a modest pop surprise they might have scored a modest victory, like De La Soul in 1990. Instead, their multi-platinum takeover constituted the first full-scale public validation of the Amerindie values—the noise, the toons, the 'tude—the radder half of the [Pazz & Jop poll] electorate came up on."^[75] In 2011 Nevermind took No.3 position in Best Album On Earth, the popular rating site founded by Colin Larkin editor of the Virgin Top 1000 Albums ^[76] and the Encyclopedia of Popular Music.

Legacy

Nevermind not only popularized the Seattle grunge movement, but also brought alternative rock as a whole into the mainstream, establishing its commercial and cultural viability.^[77] Nevermind's success surprised Nirvana's contemporaries, who felt dwarfed by its impact. Fugazi's Guy Picciotto later commented: "It was like our record could have been a hobo pissing in the forest for the amount of impact it had. [...] It felt like we were playing ukuleles all of a sudden because of the disparity of the impact of what they did".^[78] In 1992, Jon Pareles of The New York Times described that in the aftermath of the album's breakthrough, "Suddenly, all bets are off. No one has the inside track on which of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of ornery, obstreperous, unkempt bands might next appeal to the mall-walking millions". Record company executives offered large advances and record deals to bands, and previous strategies of building audiences for alternative rock bands had been replaced by the opportunity to achieve mainstream popularity quickly.^[79]

Michael Azerrad argued in his Nirvana biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana (1993) that Nevermind marked the emergence of a generation of music fans in their twenties in a climate dominated by the musical tastes of the baby boomer generation that preceded them. Azerrad wrote, "Nevermind came along at exactly the right time. This was music by, for, and about a whole new group of young people who had been overlooked, ignored, or condescended to."^[80] Rolling Stone wrote in its entry for Nevermind on its 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, "No album in recent history had such an overpowering impact on a generation—a nation of teens suddenly turned punk—and such a catastrophic effect on its main creator."^[81]

Nevermind has continued to garner critical praise since its release. The album was listed at number 17 on Rolling Stone's list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".^[81] Time placed Nevermind, which writer Josh Tyrangiel called "the finest album of the 90s," on its 2006 list of "The All-TIME 100 Albums."^[82] Pitchfork Media named the album the sixth best of the decade, noting that "anyone who hates this record today is just trying to be cool, and needs to be trying harder."^[83] In 2006, readers of Guitar World ranked Nevermind 8th on a list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Recordings.^[84] In 2005, the Library of Congress added Nevermind to the National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings from the 20th century.^[85]

Track listing

All songs written by Kurt Cobain except where noted.

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic) – 5:01
2. "In Bloom" – 4:14
3. "Come as You Are" – 3:39
4. "Breed" – 3:03
5. "Lithium" – 4:17
6. "Polly" – 2:57
7. "Territorial Pissings" – 2:22
8. "Drain You" – 3:43
9. "Lounge Act" – 2:36
10. "Stay Away" – 3:32
11. "On a Plain" – 3:16
12. "Something in the Way" – 3:55
    "Endless, Nameless" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 6:44 (hidden track on some copies of the CD)

"Territorial Pissings" begins with Krist Novoselic singing the chorus of "Get Together" (written by Chet Powers) out of tune.

2011 Deluxe Edition

CD one

Original Album (remastered) + B-sides

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 5:02
2. "In Bloom" – 4:15
3. "Come as You Are" – 3:39
4. "Breed" – 3:04
5. "Lithium" – 4:17
6. "Polly" – 2:57
7. "Territorial Pissings" – 2:23
8. "Drain You" – 3:44
9. "Lounge Act" – 2:37
10. "Stay Away" – 3:32
11. "On a Plain" – 3:16
12. "Something in the Way" – 3:55
    "Endless, Nameless" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 6:44
13. "Even in His Youth" ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" single B-side) – 3:04
14. "Aneurysm" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" single B-side) – 4:46
15. "Curmudgeon" ("Lithium" single B-side) – 2:59
16. "D-7" (Greg Sage) ("Lithium" single B-side) – 3:46

• Recorded live at the Paramount Theatre; Seattle, Washington, October 31, 1991

17. "Been a Son" ("Lithium" single B-side) – 2:31
18. "School" ("Come as You Are" single B-side) – 2:34
19. "Drain You" ("Come as You Are" single B-side) – 3:53

• Recorded live at the O'Brien Pavilion; Del Mar, California, December 28, 1991

20. "Sliver" ("In Bloom" single B-side) – 2:04
21. "Polly" ("In Bloom" single B-side) – 2:47

CD two

The Smart Studio Sessions, The Boombox Rehearsals, BBC Sessions

• Smart Studios sessions, Madison, Wisconsin, April 2–6, 1990

1. "In Bloom" – 4:32
2. "Immodium (Breed)" – 3:15
3. "Lithium" – 4:32
4. "Polly" – 2:59
5. "Pay to Play" – 3:29
6. "Here She Comes Now" (John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Lou Reed, Maureen Tucker) – 5:02
7. "Dive" (Cobain, Novoselic) – 3:56
8. "Sappy" – 3:37

• Boombox rehearsals demo session, Tacoma, Washington, March 1991

9. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 5:40
10. "Verse Chorus Verse" – 3:15
11. "Territorial Pissings" – 2:12
12. "Lounge Act" – 2:38
13. "Come as You Are" – 4:13
14. "Old Age" – 4:22
15. "Something in the Way" – 5:31
16. "On a Plain" – 3:22

• From a John Peel radio session, Maida Vale Studios; London, England, September 3, 1991

17. "Drain You" – 4:04

• From a Mark Goodier radio session, Maida Vale Studios; London, England, November 9, 1991

18. "Something in the Way" – 3:24

Super Deluxe Edition

CD three

The Devonshire Mixes

• Rough mixes by producer Butch Vig, Devonshire Studios; Los Angeles, California, May 20–28, 1991

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 5:02
2. "In Bloom" – 4:16
3. "Come as You Are" – 3:41
4. "Breed" – 3:04
5. "Lithium" – 4:18
6. "Territorial Pissings" – 2:14
7. "Drain You" – 3:41
8. "Lounge Act" – 2:37
9. "Stay Away" – 3:28
10. "On a Plain" – 3:28
11. "Something in the Way" – 3:56

CD four

Live at the Paramount

• Recorded live at the Paramount Theatre; Seattle, Washington, October 31, 1991

1. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" (Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee) – 3:30
2. "Aneurysm" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 4:50
3. "Drain You" – 3:47
4. "School" – 2:52
5. "Floyd the Barber" – 2:27
6. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 4:46
7. "About a Girl" – 3:13
8. "Polly" – 3:04
9. "Breed" – 3:11
10. "Sliver" – 2:11
11. "Love Buzz" (Robbie van Leeuwen) – 3:34
12. "Lithium" – 4:38
13. "Been a Son" – 2:16
14. "Negative Creep" – 2:44
15. "On a Plain" – 3:04
16. "Blew" – 4:09
17. "Rape Me" – 3:00
18. "Territorial Pissings" – 2:56
19. "Endless, Nameless" (Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic) – 6:25

DVD

Main article: Live at the Paramount (video)

Personnel

Nirvana

• Kurt Cobain (credited for the "Monkey Photo" as Kurdt Kobain) – lead vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar ("Polly", "Something in the Way"), backing vocals, photography
• Krist Novoselic (credited as Chris Novoselic) – bass, voice (intro "Territorial Pissings")
• Dave Grohl – drums, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Chad Channing – cymbals on "Polly" (uncredited)
• Kirk Canning – cello on "Something in the Way"

Technical staff and artwork

• Craig Doubet – assistant engineering, mixing
• Spencer Elden – infant in cover photo
• Robert Fisher – artwork, art direction, design, cover design
• Michael Lavine – photography
• Jeff Sheehan – assistant engineer
• Butch Vig – co-producer, engineer
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Howie Weinberg – mastering
• Kirk Weddle – cover photo
• Bob Ludwig - mastering on 20th Anniversary Edition

Chart positions

Charts (1992) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[86] 2 Austrian Albums Chart[87] 2 Canadian RPM Albums Chart[88] 1 Dutch Albums Chart[89] 3 German Albums Chart[90] 3 Hungarian Albums Chart[91] 12 New Zealand Albums Chart[92] 2 Norwegian VG-lista[93] 2 Swedish Sverigetopplistan[94] 1 Swiss Albums Top 100[95] 2 United Kingdom !UK Albums Chart[96] 7 United States !U.S. Billboard 200[97] 1

Chart (2011) Peak position United Kingdom !UK Albums Chart[98] 5 Portuguese Albums Chart !Portuguese Albums Chart[99] 1 Australian Albums Chart !Australian Albums Chart[100] 5 French Albums Chart !French Albums Chart[101] 5 Belgian Albums Chart (WA)[102] 7 Belgian Albums Chart (VL)[103] 14 Denmark Albums Chart[104] 16 Italian Albums Chart[105] 20 Mexican Albums Chart[106] 43 Finland Albums Chart[107] 41 Spanish Albums Chart[108] 12 French Albums Chart[109] 5

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard 200[110]	32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[111]	5× Platinum	350,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[112]	Platinum	50,000x
Canada (Music Canada)[113]	Diamond	1,000,000^
Finland (IFPI Finland)[114]	Gold	46,830[115]
France (SNEP)[116]	Diamond	1,250,300[117]
Germany (BVMI)[118]	2× Platinum	1,000,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[119]	3× Platinum	600,000[120]
Netherlands (NVPI)[121]	Platinum	100,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[122]	Platinum	100,000*
Sweden (IFPI Sweden)[123]	2× Platinum	200,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[124]	Platinum	50,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[125]	2× Platinum	600,000^
United States (RIAA)[126]	10× Platinum	10,000,000^
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

• Nevermind It's an Interview
• Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of Peel sessions

References

• Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
• Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1993. ISBN 0-385-47199-8
• Berkenstadt, Jim; Cross, Charles. Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind. Schirmer, 1998. ISBN 0-02-864775-0
• Cross, Charles. Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. Hyperion, 2001. ISBN 0-7868-8402-9
• Sandford, Christopher. Kurt Cobain. Carroll & Graff, 1995. ISBN 0-7867-1369-0

Notes

1. ^ "Kurt Cobain's ashes stolen, says widow Courtney Love". The Courier-Mail. June 2, 2008. Retrieved on December 12, 2010.
2. ^ "Nirvana's 'Nevermind' To Be Re-Released". Billboard.com. June 27, 2011. Retrieved on June 30, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
4. ^ Azerrad, 1993. pg. 145
5. ^ Azerrad, 1993. pg. 162
6. ^ ^{a b} Hoi, Tobias. "In Bloom." Guitar World. October 2001.
7. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 29
8. ^ Azerrad, 1993. pg. 137
9. ^ Azerrad, 1993. pg. 138
10. ^ Azerrad, 1993. pg. 164–65
11. ^ ^{a b c d} Cross, Charles R. "Requiem for a Dream". Guitar World. October 2001.
12. ^ Sandford 1995, pg. 181
13. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 167
14. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 169
15. ^ ^{a b} Azerrad 1993, pg. 174
16. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 176
17. ^ di Perna, Alan. "Grunge Music: The Making of Nevermind". Guitar World. Fall 1996.
18. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 96
19. ^ ^{a b} Azerrad 1993, pg. 179–80
20. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 99
21. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 102
22. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 103
23. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 104
24. ^ Lewis, Luke. "Nirvana – Nevermind". Q: Nirvana and the Story of Grunge. December 2005.
25. ^ di Perna, Alan. "Absolutely Foobulous!" Guitar World. August 1997.
26. ^ "Cobainspotting". Guitar World. October 2001.
27. ^ Cross 2001, pg. 182
28. ^ Cross 2001, pg. 168–69
29. ^ Morris, Chris. "The Year's Hottest Band Can't Stand Still". Musician, January 1992.
30. ^ Cross 2001, pg. 154
31. ^ Cross 2001, pg. 189
32. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 180–81
33. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 108
34. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 209
35. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 196
36. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 113
37. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 227
38. ^ Wice, Nathaniel. "How Nirvana Made It". Spin. April 1992.
39. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 193
40. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 198
41. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 119
42. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 199
43. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 202
44. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 228
45. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 203
46. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 229
47. ^ Nirvana Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com. Retrieved on August 26, 2009.
48. ^ RIAA Searchable Database. RIAA.com. Retrieved on March 10, 2007. NB user needs to enter "Nirvana" in "Artist" and click "search".
49. ^ Gold & Platinum – March 2001. CRIA.ca. March 2001. Retrieved on September 27, 2007.
50. ^ Certified Award Search – Nirvana – Nevermind. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on August 3, 2011. NB user needs to enter "Nirvana" in the field "Search", select "Artist" in the field "Search by", and click "Go".
51. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 148–49
52. ^ "Deluxe Edition of Nirvana's Nevermind Coming Out This Year". UpVenue.com. June 22, 2011. Retrieved on June 23, 2011.
53. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/nevermind-20th-anniversary-edition
54. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/nevermind-r14159
55. ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2584
56. ^ http://www.avclub.com/articles/nirvana-nevermind,62307/
57. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,315922,00.html
58. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15854-nevermind-20th-anniversary-edition/
59. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/nevermind-20th-anniversary-20110927
60. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/8781291/Nirvana-Nevermind-20th-Anniversary-Edition-CD-review.html
61. ^ http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/09/album-review-nirvana-nevermind-deluxe-edition/
62. ^ http://uk.music.ign.com/articles/119/1198670p1.html
63. ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/nirvana/nevermind/index.html
64. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16546/reviews/4143681
65. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/149144-nirvana-nevermind-deluxe-edition/
66. ^ http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/149144-nirvana-nevermind-deluxe-edition/
67. ^ Schoemer, Karen. "Pop/Jazz; A Band That Deals In Apathy". The New York Times. September 27, 1991. Retrieved on September 27, 2007.
68. ^ Browne, David. "Nevermind (1991)". Entertainment Weekly. October 25, 1991. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
69. ^ True, Everett. Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-306-81554-6. Pg. 233.
70. ^ Spencer, Lauren. Nevermind review. Spin. December 1991.
71. ^ Perry, Andrew. "Reviews". Select. October 1991.
72. ^ Robbins, Ira. "Nevermind by Nirvana". Rolling Stone. September 27, 2005. Retrieved on August 3, 2010.
73. ^ Berkenstadt; Cross, pg. 117
74. ^ Christgau, Robert. "The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". RobertChristgau.com. March 3, 1992. Retrieved on May 19, 2007.
75. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Reality Used to Be a Friend of Ours". RobertChristgau.com. March 3, 1992. Retrieved on September 29, 2007.
76. ^ [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/virgin_1000.htm Top 1000 Albums
77. ^ Olsen, Eric. "10 years later, Cobain lives on in his music". MSNBC.com. April 9, 2004. Retrieved on September 27, 2007.
78. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 493
79. ^ Pareles, Jon. "Pop View; Nirvana-bes Awaiting Fame's Call". The New York Times. June 14, 1992. Retrieved on June 3, 2008.
80. ^ Azerrad 1993, pg. 225
81. ^ ^{a b} 17) Nevermind. Rolling Stone. November 1, 2003. Retrieved on June 3, 2008.
82. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh. "Nevermind by Nirvana". Time. November 13, 2006. Retrieved on September 29, 2007.
83. ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved on November 25, 2009.
84. ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Albums". Guitar World. October 2006.  A copy can be found at "Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Albums Of All Time - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com. http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Boggs1027/guitar_worlds_100_greatest_guitar_albums_of_all_time. Retrieved 12 October 2011. 
85. ^ MTV News staff. "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Ciara, 'Dimebag' Darrell, Nirvana, Shins & More". MTV.com. April 6, 2005. Retrieved on July 16, 2009.
86. ^ "Nirvana – Nevermind (Album)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
87. ^ "Nirvana – Nevermind (Album)" (in German). Austriancharts.at. HunRetrieved on August 10, 2009.
88. ^ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 55, No. 11, March 7, 1992". RPM. March 7, 1992. Archived by Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved on August 10, 1992.
89. ^ http://dutchcharts.nl/search.asp?search=Nirvana&cat=a
90. ^ "Chartverfolgung: Nirvana: Nevermind". Musicline.de. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
91. ^ "Top 40 album- és válogatáslemez- lista" (in Hungarian). Mahasz.hu. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
92. ^ "Nirvana – Nevermind (Album)". Charts.org.nz. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
93. ^ "Nirvana – Nevermind (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
94. ^ "Veckolista Album – Vecka 6, 1992" (in Swedish language). Sverigetopplistan.se. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
95. ^ "Nirvana – Nevermind (Album)". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
96. ^ Roberts, David (editor). British Hit Singles & Albums. Nineteenth edition. HiT Entertainment, 2006. ISBN 1-90499-410-5. Pg. 396.
97. ^ "Nevermind (1991): Album Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved on August 10, 2009.
98. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums
99. ^ http://portuguesecharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a
100. ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display.asp?chart=1G50
101. ^ http://lescharts.com/search.asp?search=Nirvana&cat=a
102. ^ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
103. ^ http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
104. ^ http://danishcharts.com/search.asp?search=Nirvana&cat=a
105. ^ http://italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind&cat=a
106. ^ http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
107. ^ http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
108. ^ http://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
109. ^ http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Nirvana&titel=Nevermind+%2D+Deluxe+Edition&cat=a
110. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. http://books.google.com/?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=RA1-PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved October 15, 2010. 
111. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.auALBUMaccreds2011.htm. 
112. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in German). IFPI Austria. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin.  Enter Nirvana in the field Interpret. Enter Nevermind in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
113. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=Nevermind&sa=Nirvana&smt=0. 
114. ^ "Finnish album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/Nirvana. 
115. ^ "Musiikkituottajat - Tilastot - Kulta- ja platinalevyt". IFPI Finland. http://ifpi.fi/tilastot/kultalevyt/haku/?q=nirvana&national=0&type=album. Retrieved 2011-10-02. 
116. ^ "French album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=1997&type=15. 
117. ^ "Les Albums Double Diamant". infodisc.fr. SNEP. http://www.infodisc.fr/CDCertif_D.php?debut=50. Retrieved 2011-09-18. 
118. ^ "German album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Nevermind&strInterpret=Nirvana&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked. 
119. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gold/200211.html. 
120. ^ "RIAJ Certification - November 2002" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/issue/record/2003/200301_02.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
121. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60463. 
122. ^ "Polish album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind" (in Polish). Polish Producers of Audio and Video (ZPAV). http://www.zpav.pl/rankingi/wyroznienia/platynowe/index.php. 
123. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/guld-platina-1987-1998.pdf. 
124. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Nirvana; 'Nevermind')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Nirvana+Nevermind. 
125. ^ "British album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.  Enter Nevermind in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
126. ^ "American album certifications – Nirvana – Nevermind". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Nevermind%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• Nevermind at Google Music
• Nevermind at MusicBrainz