The music that inspired Nirvana album ‘Nevermind’
Nirvana‘s renowned second album Nevermind took the music world by storm when it was released 31 years ago, propelling the grunge musicians to legendary status. The record marked a shift in the consumption of alternative rock, which was brought into the mainstream upon the release of the group’s second studio LP.
Since its release, Nevermind has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Featuring the band’s biggest singles, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Come as You Are’ and ‘Lithium’, Nevermind mixes both punk-infused guitars, hard-hitting drums, heavy basslines and abrasive vocals with plenty of melodic and tender moments, making it a multi-dimensional and beautifully-crafted work of art.
Nevermind appeared just two years after the release of the band’s debut album, Bleach, which was heavily inspired by sludge-metal outfits such as the Melvins. Kurt Cobain didn’t think about the lyrics he was writing all too much, stating: “I don’t hold any of those lyrics dear to me.” However, with Nevermind, things were different. Cobain was inspired to write songs that were more melodic than ever before. His lyrics were distinctively more thought-out, exploring hard-hitting themes of sexism, loneliness, and alienation whilst also expressing anti-establishment views.
One band that majorly inspired Cobain’s increased use of melody was Pixies. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nirvana’s frontman expressed: “I connected with that band so heavily… We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.” This is most prevalent in ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, which was the result of Cobain’s attempt to pen “the ultimate pop song”.
Cobain has even stated that Pixies’ debut Surfer Rosa made him “finally admit that I’m a music lover.” Pixies had a massive influence on the alternative community when they released their first album, and Cobain was cast deeply under their spell. He even admitted: “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.” Flecks of Surfer Rosa are prevalent all throughout Nevermind, from the brooding basslines to the frenetic choruses that occur on most tracks.
Another key influence over Nevermind is much more unexpected. Although Grohl’s intense drum-playing aids the cacophony of the album, battering his sticks with immense power and skill, he claims that he was greatly inspired by disco drummers. “If you listen to Nevermind… I pulled so much stuff from the Gap Band and Cameo and Tony Thompson [of Chic] on every one of those songs, all that… that’s old disco. Nobody makes the connection.”
It might seem like an unlikely connection, however, when stripped back to its most basic essence, Grohl’s drums aren’t overwhelmingly complicated. Instead, he takes his inspiration from disco beats, simply hitting them with the perfect amount of intensity to match Cobain’s deranged vocals and grimey guitars.
Each member of Nirvana was a huge Beatles fan, and although you’d be hard-pressed to find a band that hasn’t been inspired by the Liverpool lads, the grunge rockers frequently expressed their love and admiration for them. Grohl recalled that learning to play music by using a Beatles songbook “got me to understand song structure and melody and harmony and arrangement.” This undoubtedly influenced the increased use of melody and often pop-like song structure of the tracks on Nevermind.
On the beautiful album-closer ‘Something in the Way’ (unless you count hidden track ‘Endless, Nameless’), the band experimented with moody yet gentle instrumentation, and at the core of the track is a cello, played by Kurt Celling, the husband of L7’s Dee Plakas. The major inspiration behind the track’s inclusion of the classical instrument was The Beatles’ off-kilter Lennon-led track ‘I Am the Walrus’. Producer Vig Butch stated that the inclusion of the instrument, paired with Cobain’s acoustic guitar, slightly out of tune, “gives the song its creepiness.”
Of course, Nevermind was inspired by so much more than just these few artists. The band have cited listening to the likes of Sonic Youth, R.E.M., and The Smithereens on heavy rotation during the time of recording, and elements of all can be heard in their grunge masterpiece. Cobain even described his aim for the album as sounding like “the Knack and the Bay City Rollers getting molested by Black Flag and Black Sabbath.”
Nevermind remains as impressive today as it did 31 years ago, listen to the full album below.
