From Devo to David Bowie: Nirvana’s five best covers
As one of the most well-known and well-loved rock outfits of all time, Nirvana’s songs have been subjected to their fair share of covers. From Sinéad O’Connor’s rendition of ‘All Apologies’ to Patti Smith’s take on ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, some of the biggest names in the business have paid homage to the grunge-rockers by interpreting their output in new ways. But before Nirvana became the subject of so many covers, they were creating their own.
From the moment they released their debut single, covers were essential to Nirvana’s catalogue. They burst onto the scene with a rendition of ‘Love Buzz’, a sitar-based, psych tune from the late 1960s that they pulled into their murky, grunge style. It was the first cover they had unveiled to the public, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
As they carved out a place for themselves as the most important grunge band of all time, penning all-time classics like ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ‘Come As You Are’, they interspersed their studio releases and live shows with songs written by other artists. Box sets provided a glimpse at covers they worked on behind the scenes, while MTV Unplugged showed off just how well they had mastered the art of the cover.
With so many brilliant renditions to their name, picking out the best five covers in Nirvana’s catalogue is no easy feat. From their stunning take on Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ to a more out-there pick from Devo, find our list of the best covers Nirvana ever played below.
The five best covers Nirvana ever played:
‘The Man Who Sold The World’ – David Bowie
In 1970, David Bowie unveiled ‘The Man Who Sold the World’, the title track for his third record. Just over a decade later, Nirvana covered the song during their iconic set for MTV Unplugged, and, somehow, they managed to blow Bowie’s original out of the water. It was an impressive feat. The original was already a gorgeous offering, blending the captivating central riff with Bowie’s distinctive vocals, but Nirvana provided the song with a new sense of authenticity.
A grainy guitar plays the main riff, while strings, acoustic strums and gentle percussion soften the slight edginess. Kurt Cobain’s voice is more pronounced than Bowie’s in the original track, making the lyrics feel more direct and more delicate all at once. “Who knows? Not me,” he sings, “I never lost control, you’re face to face with the man who sold the world.” Even Bowie himself was moved by the grunge band’s take on his song.
‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night’ – Lead Belly
In that same legendary performance for MTV Unplugged, Nirvana played another show-stopping cover to conclude their set. “Fuck you all,” Cobain declared, “This is the last song of the evening,” before they began their rendition of ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ The old folk song has been played by countless artists, but Nirvana borrowed specifically from Lead Belly’s arrangement of the composition, sharing their love for him as a performer.
The performance isn’t just one of the best covers in their catalogue but one of the defining moments of their career. Cobain’s delivery is the perfect fit for the eerie mystery of the track, desperately asking, “My girl, my girl, where will you go?” through screeched vocals. The instrumentation works in tandem with his vocals, minimal at times and swelling at others.
‘Love Buzz’ – Shocking Blue
From the beginning of their career to the MTV Unplugged performance recorded not long before Cobain’s death, covers were always an essential part of Nirvana’s live set and recorded output. In fact, the first single they ever put out was a rendition of a song penned by someone else – Shocking Blue’s ‘Love Buzz’.
Released in 1969, the song was once a stunning work of psych-rock, combining Mariska Veres’ sublime vocals with quick percussion and a sitar. But when Nirvana took on the song almost two decades later, they turned it into something else entirely. They removed the prettiness of the track, allowing it to serve as an introduction to their grunge sound with layers of murky guitars. It sounded like a completely different song and acted as a statement of intent for Cobain and his bandmates.
‘Here She Comes Now’ – The Velvet Underground
Brian Eno once stated that, while the sales for The Velvet Underground’s debut album weren’t spectacular, every single person who purchased a copy started a band. This has led to countless artists citing the 1960s rockers as an influence, paying homage to them in covers of their avant-garde offerings, and Nirvana were no exception. They recorded a cover of ‘Here She Comes Now’ in 1990, which was unveiled to the world as a split single a year later.
This time, Nirvana didn’t entirely reinvent the track in their own style. Instead, they worked with the original stylings of the Velvet Underground, keeping their grunge influences to a minimum. Cobain’s voice is certainly a little grittier than Lou Reed’s, and the instrumentation occasionally leans into the band’s sludgier sound, but it’s largely a faithful and gorgeous ode to the Velvets.
‘Turnaround’ – Devo
Nirvana didn’t limit themselves to straightforward guitar band covers. In 1990, they opted to delve into the world of synths and new wave, taking on ‘Turnaround’, Devo’s B-side to ‘Whip It’. The original song was completely out of Nirvana’s remit, with restless synths and characteristically talky new wave vocals. It was bright and bold, at odds with the murky sound and style that Nirvana had carved out for themselves.
Still, when they took on the track during a session for the BBC, they nailed it. It was another case of the band reinventing their reference song, dragging it into the murky depths of Nirvana. Synths were replaced with formidable guitars, while Cobain perfected the balance between grunge frontman and new wave leader.
