Sappy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Sappy" | ||
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| Song by Nirvana | ||
| from the album 'No Alternative' | ||
| Released | October 26, 1993 | |
| Recorded | February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota | |
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 3:24 | |
| Label | Arista Records | |
| Producer(s) | Steve Albini | |
You may also be looking for Verse Chorus Verse.
"Sappy" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the final, uncredited track on the 1993 AIDS-benefit compilation album No Alternative.
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[edit] History
Originally recorded under the working titles "Sad" and "Trophy", "Sappy" dates back to at least 1988, and was recorded several times in the studio, ostensibly because its author, Kurt Cobain, was never completely satisfied with any version of it. The final version was recorded by Steve Albini in 1993 for inclusion on In Utero, but was removed at the last minute and placed on No Alternative instead (it was to appear between "tourette's" and "All Apologies," according to an early tracklist published posthumously in Journals). The song was apparently renamed "Verse Chorus Verse" around this time, but since this title is shared by an earlier Nirvana song (previously known by the bootlegger's name of "In His Hands"), it is usually called "Sappy" in order to avoid confusion. The Albini version was re-released in 2004 on the Nirvana box set, With the Lights Out.
Although the song was released as a hidden track on a compilation, word of Nirvana's appearance on the disc spread, and soon many people bought the album simply for the hidden track, eventually becoming a frequently requested song at concerts during their 1994 tour of Europe. This is evident from a recording of a February 1994 concert in Rennes, France in which the audience kept requesting the song - bassist Krist Novoselic, after performing it, shouted to the crowd, "Did you hear it on a bootleg? Because it wasn't listed on the album."
[edit] Meaning
Like many Nirvana songs, "Sappy" addresses themes of entrapment and codependency. Unlike songs such as "About a Girl" and "Heart-Shaped Box," however, it is not sung from the perspective of the weaker partner. Instead, Cobain uses the second person narrative voice, addressing this partner in what can be interpreted as an almost scornful, mocking manner. The protagonist in the song is reduced, metaphorically, to a pet, kept in a jar with breathing holes, covered with grass, and allowed to wallow in his or her "shit," but continues to fool him or herself into thinking he or she is happy.
The song's final title of "Verse Chorus Verse" can be interpreted as a cynical comment on its quiet verse and loud chorus dynamic, a format Cobain adopted from one of his favorite bands the Pixies, and one he felt Nirvana had exhausted by the time the final version was recorded. The original "Verse Chorus Verse," a never-completed Nevermind outtake recorded by Butch Vig in 1991, uses the same dynamic.
[edit] Other versions
Apart from the final version of Sappy, recorded in 1993, which appears on With the Lights Out there are several other earlier versions..
- An acoustic demo recorded by Cobain in 1988 under the working title of "Sad" is available in trading circles.
- A live version of "Sappy," recorded in 1990, appears on the DVD of With the Lights Out.
- An early studio version, recorded by Jack Endino in January 1990 in Seattle, Washington, appears on the 2005 compilation album, Sliver: The Best of the Box.
- Also in 1990 another version of the the song was recorded for the planned second Sub Pop album Sheep, at Butch Vig's Madison Wisconsin studio. Other songs from the session include "In Bloom," "Lithium," "Polly," "Breed," "Dive," "Pay to Play," (later titled "Stay Away" and a different version was released on Nevermind.) and the Velvet Underground cover "Here She Comes Now."
- Yet another version of Sappy was recorded in 1991 during the Nevermind album sessions.
[edit] Trivia
- It was revealed in the 'With the lights out' booklet that this was one of Kurt's favorite songs that he had written, and was never happy with how it came out, but he never let the song 'die'.
- It was Cobain's decision for "Sappy" to remain uncredited on No Alternative, for fear of distracting from the other bands on the compilation.
- "Sappy was to be on In Utero as track #12 in between "tourette's" and "All Apologies."
- "Sad", the original Sappy is really a strummed out version of the "No Alternative" version only in C tuning.
- The common reference to a "laundry room" has been thought to symbolize the laundry room in The Wall (book), a story written by existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
