What is your favorite Nirvana song?

[Mike 03]

I hope this one hasn't been asked before, but I expect that it has.

Mine is "Milk It," off of the album IN UTERO.

It's not easy to pick a favorite, but that is one cut that, to me, epitomizes the fascinating mix of self-insight, confusion, paranoia, anger, spontaneity and sheer genius of Cobain and the ability of his fellow musicians to "feel out" and reproduce the chaos that Cobain needed to manifest.

When I heard this song, I felt that Cobain understood himself and that he was worried.

I admit it's rather an odd pick, given this band's numerous brilliant (and far easier to play on the guitar) great songs. But it's personal, and it's mine.

[StrongBad]

1. Gotta go with "About A Girl"

[Sky Masterson]

2. +1

:thumbsup:

[nomorenomore08]

4. "This is from our first album. Most people don't know about it."

Meh... the original studio version was better anyway... :P

[BeachBaby]

5. +44-6.

[Mike 03]

13. Beautiful song. And so much fun to play. Yeah, there is something about that

song that is so revealing and tender.

[cherish44]

16. I like the more commonly played live version than the studio version of this one

But it's one of my favorites :)

[BulletproofLandshark]

3. "Scentless Apprentice"

"Territorial Pissings" would be a close second.

[nomorenomore08]

7. "Scentless Apprentice"! Yeah!

Much has been made over how "raw" and "underground" their first record was, but nothing on 'Bleach' (bar maybe "Downer" and "School") kicks as much noisy, Melvins/Jesus Lizard-inspired ass as some of those 'In Utero' tracks.

[Mike 03]

14. God yes, did you ever see that footage of him performing "Scentless Apprentice" in Bolivia or Peru

or wherever it wsa, for the "first time", where he was in his pajamas and pulled out is dick and put it in the camera. It was amazing. It was approximately a twenty minute version of that song, and it was basically that song being born. It is amazing.

[graywarrior]

6. Where Did You Sleep Last Night

I effin love it.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=33605523

[nomorenomore08]

8. That "SHIVERRR!!!" moment at the end is downright scary...

Add in the fact that it was Cobain's last recorded performance, and it makes for a bone-chilling epitaph. :scared:

[lazyriver]

45. I just watched the video of it again and you're right: it actually

scared me. There was something primal, haunting and terrifying about the way he shrieked that single word. That note and the kind of raw emotion Kurt laid out there for the world to see is what made him a genius in my book...a tortured self destructive one, but a genius just the same.

[EastTennesseeDem]

31. +1

[cherish44]

9. Heart Shaped Box

It's just so darn Gen X angsty. Believe it or not my 12 year old daughter is a HUGE Nirvana fan, I'll have to ask her what her favorite song is.

[Mike 03]

15. Another beautiful, revealing song. NT

[Bossy Monkey]

10. In Bloom n/t

[nomorenomore08]

11. "Milk It" is one of my favorites as well. 'In Utero' has some incredible ass-kickers.

Great analysis too: "When I heard this song, I felt that Cobain understood himself and that he was worried." Not just worried, but panicked, maybe even feeling helpless/hopeless. Self-awareness, while generally a good thing, can also be the worst thing in the world - any survivor of an acid trip gone bad (myself included) will tell you that.

"Your scent is still here in my place of recovery..." Seems no matter what he does or where he goes, the thing that's slowly killing him (media over-exposure, heroin, Courtney, or maybe all of the above) will follow right along.

[Inchworm]

12. Where did you sleep last night?

'cause I can play it on a geetar.

I am familiar with Ledbetter and Bluegrass versions :P

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine

Heres a few :)

Nirvana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xHl-P_arVA

Ledbelly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRtd9TFfScU

Dylan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QA5_WNQPNA

Dolly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXo86MZwps

Jerry Reed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oQJpM05UzE

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

Her husband, was a hard working man
Just about a mile from here
His head was found in a driving wheel
But his body never was found

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, don't lie to me
Tell me where did you sleep last night

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

My girl, my girl, where will you go
I'm going where the cold wind blows

In the pines, in the pines
Where the sun don't ever shine
I would shiver the whole night through

:hi:

[Mike 03]

19. Absolutely. The only reason I couldn't vote for that is because he didn't write it, but

when you hear him sing it, you know why he picked that song.

It is amazing.

Tune the guitar down a half step and play it. It's incredible. And it is so personal, but most people who hear it don't understand why he obsessed on that song.

But you are right, IMO.

Thank you for raising this song in this thread.

[BreweryYardRat]

43. Agreed.

HELL of a fine performance.

[Forkboy]

17. Swap Meet

Simple, effective, crunchy riffs get me every time.

[Left Is Write]

18. All Apologies

[kentauros]

20. this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37BvXm4WyU

[Mike 03]

21. Lyrics for Milk It. Sorry, that was dumb of me not to include the lyrics in this post.

I am my own parasite
I dont need a host to live
We feed off of each other
We can share our endorphins

Doll steak, test meat

I own my own pet virus
I get to pet and name her
Her milk is my shit
My shit is her milk

Doll steak, test meat

Look on the bright side is suicide
Lost eyesight Im on your side
Angel left wing, right wing, broken wing
Lack of iron and/or sleeping
Protector of the kennel


Ecto-plasma
Ecto-skeletal
Obituary birthday
Your scent is still here in my place of recovery

ON EDIT:

I had to correct some of these lyrics and I cannot attest to their accuracy. There were some real, flat-out mis-spellings, so I offer these "lyrics" as provided in a general sense, and they may not all be correct. I have done my best to correct them to the best of my ability.

[Ahpook]

22. On a Plain

A friend of mine asked me if i heard of this new band named Nirvana:) Of course the MTV bits had been out , but didn't seem to take effect on me quite yet.

That tune got me though:) Of course, we explored further and found Bleach:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZEJhkDS4c

[Xithras]

23. I've always been partial to Polly

I personally like "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" better, but it's a cover and doesn't really count. Most people don't realize that the song dates back to the 1800's.

Polly is a great song to slit your wrists to.

[Juche]

24. Drain you

Keep in mind that the nevermind album was the only one I ever listened to. I never listened to the others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkqjx6Gsh0U

[Amerigo Vespucci]

25. Come As You Are

It was about as "rock star" as Kurt got. And yes, I'm including "Teen Spirit" in that. Come As You Are had more nuance, while Teen Spirit was basically a tight power-pop song with bizarro lyrics.

:toast:

[Swede]

30. That'd be my favorite also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOL5cpwTkes

[nomorenomore08]

38. Ahem... Ever heard *this* little ditty? Sound just a tad familiar?

;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1oyfG6t2ew

[Inchworm]

40. Nirvana kicked their ass

and I ain't a Nirvana fan.

:P

[MedleyMisty]

26. My husband quite likes You Know You're Right

I do too, but I don't know if it's my favorite.

I admit that I want to say Smells Like Teen Spirit even if it is the most mainstream and everything.

I don't know, I need to listen to my Nirvana albums again and see.

[AwakeAtLast]

27. Breed n/t

[CrownPrinceBandar]

29. +1

[Jamastiene]

55. That is my personal favorite too.

"We can plant a house. We can build a tree."

I always loved his play on words like that. That's pure genius.

[XemaSab]

28. on a plain

unless I can include plateau. :D

[Richard Steele]

32. "Turn Around".

I'm a sucker for a good DEVO cover.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our second quarter 2009 fund drive.
Donate and you'll be automatically entered into our daily contest.
New prizes daily!



No purchase or donation necessary. Void where prohibited. Click here for more information.

[Swede]

34. Which album is that one on?

:shrug:

[old mark]

35. "Lake of Fire". I guess my favorite popular song of theirs was "Come As You Are."

I loved his guitar playing, but his songwriting I think is still underrated.

mark

[ghostsofgiants]

37. "Lake of Fire" is actually a Meat Puppets song. But their cover was good.

[old mark]

42. I know it was a cover - I thought it was slightly changed from

some original little evangelical tent meeting ditty, but I like their version a lot. Have to check Meat Puppets for more gold.

mark

[av8rdave]

49. That was originally on MP's "Too High to Die" album

Had some great stuff on it.

[ghostsofgiants]

50. For sure, Meat Puppets were excellent.

It was originally on their album "II" though.

[ghostsofgiants]

36. "Eighties"

:evilgrin:

[nomorenomore08]

39. Heh. See post #38...

nt

[ghostsofgiants]

52. My alternate answer was "D7" by Wipers.

Which basically gave Nirvana at least 80% of their entire sound.

[ZombieHorde]

41. Scoff or negative creep. nt

[JonLP24]

44. I haven't listened to much of his music

But I have spent 12 days in Aberdeen, Washington which is where Kurt Cobain grew up. As you drive in you see a sign that says "Welcome to Aberdeen. Come as you are." Which I was told is a song he sung. It really showed some insight to what kind of person he may be.

It is a very depressing town. I was at rehab right next to Benn Memorial park. A few locals were there as well. Down the hill and to the east is an area with abandon buildings named by the locals 'felony flats'. Appearently it is a place to find drugs easily and drug use is common. I was told but don't know if it is true but suicide rates is high. It is also friggin' cold most of the time in the summer and it also rains alot. Also Wishkah river is a popular place in the summertime for drinking and drugging or as I was told at a NA meeting.

Anyways I don't know much about his music but I know his hometown pretty well. Also back in the early 1900's it was wild place. There was saloons, whorehouses, and gambling. Also Billy Gohl was a resident there during that time period.

[peekaloo]

46. Floyd the Barber or Pennyroyal Tea

depends on my mood.

[carlyhippy]

47. In Bloom

Carly

[av8rdave]

48. I must be really weird....

I think my fav is "The Plateau" from their unplugged CD.

[ghostsofgiants]

51. Another good Meat Puppets cover, haha.

[av8rdave]

53. I totally forgot they did that originally

Another testament to a great band.

[mvd]

54. "Come As You Are"

From Nevermind.

[backtoblue]

56. Nirvana was more of a fad for me, but I liked Heartshaped Box