Kurt Cobain was thinking of going solo, according to Nirvana’s manager

Kurt Cobain was thinking of going solo, according to Nirvana’s manager

Danny Goldberg, the former manager of Nirvana, has claimed that Kurt Cobain was interested in working on solo material away from the band. Goldberg, having just releases his new book on managing Nirvana, Serving the Servant, on the same date that marked 25 years since Cobain killed himself, has opened up about his close friendship…

The Nirvana song Kurt Cobain didn’t want to release

The Nirvana song Kurt Cobain didn’t want to release

Nirvana’s meteoric rise to fame brought both opportunities and challenges for Kurt Cobain. While he appreciated reaching a wider audience, he grappled with the notion of selling out and maintaining his independence as a rock musician. Cobain’s introspective struggles were reflected in his music, including the song ‘I Hate Myself and I Want To Die’,…

What is a “mulatto” in Nirvana’s song ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’?

What is a “mulatto” in Nirvana’s song ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’?

The album Nevermind is the pinnacle of Nirvana’s commercial and critical success in part thanks to the immediacy of its songs. From the opening guitar strums of the lead single ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’, the record is filled with catchy hooks and lyrics aplenty. Yet some of the lyrics are definitely easier than others to…

“This music relaxes you”: Exploring Kurt Cobain’s love of Young Marble Giants

“This music relaxes you”: Exploring Kurt Cobain’s love of Young Marble Giants

For any great songwriter, everything normally comes back to the melody. You can have the greatest guitar tone ever heard or a set of lyrics that will hit you in the heart the minute that you hear them, but if there isn’t some type of throughline connecting them together, you’ve got absolutely nothing. While Kurt…

Kurt Cobain Said He Took a Risk Writing Nirvana’s R.E.M.-Style Song ‘About a Girl’

Kurt Cobain Said He Took a Risk Writing Nirvana’s R.E.M.-Style Song ‘About a Girl’

Kurt Cobain got sick of the formula behind Nirvana’s songs. He noted “About a Girl” had some similarities to R.E.M. songs. “About a Girl” was a hit. Nirvana and R.E.M. were both integral parts of 1990s classic rock. During an interview, Kurt Cobain said Nirvana released a song called “About a Girl” that was similar…

‘Burning Farm’: the album that reduced Kurt Cobain to tears

‘Burning Farm’: the album that reduced Kurt Cobain to tears

Unsurprisingly, given his position as the songwriter and frontman behind the most notorious group of the grunge era, Kurt Cobain is afforded something of a legendary status. The prevailing image of the songwriter is one of a dark, tortured artist fuelled by rage and a desire to tear down notions of conformity and the musical…

A ‘White Album’ equivalent: The album Kurt Cobain was making when he died

A ‘White Album’ equivalent: The album Kurt Cobain was making when he died

Few frontmen have transformed the rock realm quite like Kurt Cobain did. As the driving force behind Nirvana, he brought nihilistic grunge to teenagers who were growing tired of hair metal and changed the rockstar persona with his open support for feminism and equality. With little help from his bandmates Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl,…