My Take on Nirvana

The long-defunct grunge rock trio Nirvana is one of those bands that divide people when I mention it and how much I like their music. For lead singer, guitarist, and creative force Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994, when the band (including Krist Novoselic on bass guitar and Dave Grohl on drums) was at its height of popularity, with bright prospects for more future success.

Cobain had become addicted to heroin and was becoming more and more hopeless about his prospects for kicking this drug, as well as reportedly having what he termed stomach problems. Whatever the real reason for his death was, the fact that I am a big fan of his (and his band's) music just might convey the wrong message to some folks who are very sensitive to the issue of suicide.

I may well be the most anti-suicide dude in the world, in spite of my tendency to sink into some deep funks at times. The way I see it, this is my one shot at life and I might as well extend it as much as I can while doing what I can to make it better. And, ironically, one of the things that attracted me to Nirvana's music was its no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners intensity. This was a band that didn't pace itself; every song on their three studio albums (Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero and their "extras" album Incesticide) was an exercise in complete commitment. I can't recall any artist who threw himself so unapologetically and deeply into his work as Kurt Cobain did, a good example for LIVING, as I see it. So that compounds the tragedy of his death.

I recommend that anyone interested in Nirvana take care to listen to their complete albums, not just their hit single releases. For I didn't care very much for what were probably their two biggest hits (Smells Like Teen Spirit and Heart-Shaped Box). Some of those deep tracks were much, much better. I must warn you, though: this music is very rough, and the lyrics even rougher! Not for the squeamish at all!

Here is my list of my personal top ten favorite Nirvana songs, with their albums in parentheses:

1-Scentless Apprentice (In Utero)
2-Dumb (In Utero)
3-Scoff (Bleach)
4-Stay Away (Nevermind)
5-Come As You Are (Nevermind)
6-Serve the Servants (In Utero)
7-Lithium (Nevermind)
8-Aneurysm (Incesticide)
9-Big Cheese (Bleach)
10-Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle (In Utero, love those long titles)