The Nirvana bassline Krist Novoselic calls his favourite
It takes a lot for one band to define an entire era of musical expression, but that is just what Nirvana did. Rising out of Washington’s grassroots punk and grunge scene, the trio went on to introduce America’s musical mainstream to the abrasive, rebellious sounds of Northwestern grunge. With such a colossal reputation, virtually every aspect of Nirvana’s sound and operation has been dissected extensively over the years, but Krist Novoselic’s bass stylings are consistently overlooked.
Admittedly, it was songwriter and guitarist Kurt Cobain who formed the driving force behind Nirvana and their success. A prolific writer and driven musician, Cobain provided a voice to outcasts and disenfranchised young people across the globe. Records like Nevermind and In Utero typified the attitude and anger of the 1990s, but Cobain’s songwriting meant that the records continued to be incredibly relevant in the years and decades since his tragic suicide. Ultimately, though, no revolution is undertaken alone.
Cobain’s songwriting might have formed the backbone of Nirvana, but the bass guitar of Krist Novoselic was utterly essential in establishing the sound of the group. Longtime friends, Novoselic and Cobain played together in multiple groups prior to co-founding Nirvana, including a bizarre Creedence Clearwater Revival cover band. As such, the pair had undeniable chemistry together both onstage and in the studio, which culminated in an incredibly tight sound for Nirvana.
Throughout the discography of the grunge icons, Novoselic penned multiple now-legendary basslines, setting the standard for virtually all alternative rock and grunge bassists that followed in the wake of Nirvana. Among those performances, there are clear highlights within the bassist’s repertoire, with the track ‘Lounge Act’ often cited as one of his finest moments. That song, in particular, exemplified the raw power and quality at the heart of Novoselic’s playing, which was often thrust into the background on Nirvana’s bigger hits.
Nevertheless, the bassist still looks back upon his time in Nirvana with love. When the group came to an end in 1994, after Kurt Cobain claimed his own life, the musician continued to involve himself in countless musical endeavours, playing alongside everybody from Jello Biafra to Johnny Cash. Invariably, though, Nirvana is still the group he is most often asked about.
Perhaps as a means of getting in front of many of these Nirvana questions, Novoselic took part in a Reddit AMA on the r/Nirvana subreddit back in 2019. Among heartfelt tributes to his former bandmate, and questions surrounding his more recent musical projects, the bassist was also hounded for his all-time favourite Nirvana bassline. Initially, Novoselic avoided that specific question, at one point replying with, “It is like saying what is your favorite kid.”
After a while, the bassist relented, providing the answer that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is his favourite Nirvana bassline. Although he did not give any further explanation on why that bassline, in particular, sticks in his heart, it is likely due to the groundbreaking success of that 1991 single. After all, the bassline itself is not overly complex, often bordering on repetitive, but ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is the song which forever committed Nirvana to the rock and roll history books.
Launching grunge into the global mainstream, the song from Nevermind reflected the all-encompassing power and popularity of Nirvana. As such, it seems likely that Novoselic remembers the song for all the success and happiness it brought the group upon its initial release. Of course, as the years went by, the band–Cobain, in particular–would go on to resent the mainstream success of the single, but the bassist never lost his appreciation for the universal quality of the single.
