Floyd the Barber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Floyd the Barber" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Nirvana | ||
| from the album Bleach | ||
| Released | June 15, 1989 | |
| Recorded | January 23, 1988 at Reciprocal Recordings in Seattle, Washington | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 2:17 | |
| Label | Sub Pop | |
| Producer(s) | Jack Endino | |
| Bleach track listing | ||
| Blew (1) |
"Floyd the Barber" (2) |
About a Girl (3) |
"Floyd the Barber" is a song by the grunge band Nirvana. It is the second song on their 1989 album “Bleach”.
The song was written by Kurt Cobain (credited as Kurdt Kobain), and was first recorded as a demo in April of 1987 on a midnight show for KAOS radio, with Aaron Burckhard on drums. It was re-recorded on January 23, 1988, with Dale Crover of The Melvins on drums, and produced by Jack Endino for only $152.44. During the sessions for “Bleach”, takes of "Floyd the Barber" with Chad Channing on drums couldn't match the Crover versions, so the Crover version was remixed and added to the album.
The actual Floyd the Barber, who the song is based on, was a character from the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. Kurt Cobain said the song is about "a small town gone bad. Everyone turns into a mass murderer." Other characters from The Andy Griffith Show are also mentioned such as Opie, Aunt Bee, and Barney Fife.
The bass line from this song is a swipe of an old Italian wedding song, hence the idiosyncratic rhythm. This song is featured in the opening (wedding) scene of the Godfather II movie.
A live version of the song appears on With the Lights Out, released in 2004. The same live version appears on Sliver: The Best of the Box, released in 2005.
[edit] References
- Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1
