In Bloom
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| “In Bloom” | |||||
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| Single by Nirvana from the album Nevermind |
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| B-side | "Sliver (live)"/"Polly (live)" | ||||
| Released | October 1992 | ||||
| Format | CD, 7", 12" | ||||
| Recorded | May 10, 1991 at Sound City, Van Nuys, California | ||||
| Genre | Grunge | ||||
| Length | 4:14 | ||||
| Label | DGC Records | ||||
| Producer | Butch Vig | ||||
| Nirvana singles chronology | |||||
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| Nevermind track listing | |||||
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"In Bloom" is a song by the grunge band Nirvana, written by frontman Kurt Cobain. The song originally appeared on its breakthrough album, Nevermind (1991), from which it was the fourth and final single in 1992.
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[edit] Background and recording
Nirvana first recorded "In Bloom" during recording sessions for what was intended to be the group's second album for the independent record label Sub Pop. The band recorded with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin in April 1990.[1] The group had first played the song the night before it was recorded. Bassist Krist Novoselic recalled that it "originally sounded like a Bad Brains song. Then Kurt turned it into a pop song". The song originally had a bridge section that Vig removed. Novoselic said that the after the band recorded the song, Vig cut out the bridge from the 16-track master tape with a razor blade and threw it in the garbage.[2] The songs from these sessions were placed on a demo tape that circurlated amongst the music industry, generating interest in the group among major record labels.
After signing to Geffen Records, Nirvana began recording its second album Nevermind in May 1991. The arrangements for "In Bloom" and the other songs previously recorded at Smart Studios were largely unchanged; new Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl stuck mostly to what his predecessor Chad Channing had recorded, but played with more power and precision.[3] Vig often had to trick Cobain, who was averse to performing multiple takes, into recording additional takes for overdubs on the record. Vig convinced Cobain to double-track his vocals on "In Bloom" by telling him, "John Lennon did it."[4] Vig had Grohl sing harmonies on the song. The drummer had difficulty hitting the proper notes, but ultimately was able to sing what Vig wanted.[5] After doubling Cobain's vocals, Vig decided he might as well double Grohl's and had the drummer record an additional track of backing harmonies.[4]
[edit] Composition
Like many Nirvana songs, "In Bloom" shifts back and forth between quiet verses to loud chorus. During the choruses, vocalist Cobain and drummer Grohl harmonize while singing "He's the one/Who likes all our pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he don't know what it means". The song's intro reappears at the end of each chorus.
[edit] Release and reception
"In Bloom" was released as the fourth single from Nevermind in October 1992. The single failed to chart on the Billboard singles chart, but reached number five on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[6]
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[edit] Video
Nirvana first made a music video for "In Bloom" in 1990 when the band was still on Sub Pop. This was released on the Sub Pop video compilation Sub Pop Video Network Programme 1 and later featured on the DVD on the 2004 boxset With the Lights Out. The Sub Pop video features the band walking around various parts of lower Manhattan including the South Street Seaport, the Lower East Side and Wall Street.
The second video, created to accompnay the single release, was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who had previously directed the band's videos for "Come as You Are" and "Lithium". The music video displayed the band's sense of ironic humor, parodying the Buddy Holly and The Crickets appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on 26 January 1957, and some aspects of the first Beatles performance on 9 February 1964. The video starts off with an unnamed variety show host (played by former The People's Court host Doug Llewelyn) who introduces Nirvana as "nice and decent fellows" and mispronounces "Nirvana" as "Nirv-ANNA". Like in other performances from that era, the video frequently cuts to shots of hysterically screaming girls in the audience. Their non-stop screaming is heard throughout the entire duration of the song. As the video progresses, the band begins destroying their instruments, showing themselves to be more like the grunge musicians of their own time. The video would also switch back and forth between scenes of the band playing while wearing suits and scenes of them playing in dresses. This video won "Best Alternative Video" award at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.
There are also three different edits of the "Ed Sullivan" version. The original version, in which the band is in suits for the entire video, was never released. The more popular version features the band switching back and forth from a conservative performance in suits, and then to a more violent performance in dresses. The less popular version, credited as, "Version 1 - Dresses," is just one long take of the destructive performance in drag.
[edit] Track listing
The following songs appeared on the single (Nevermind version):
- "In Bloom" [LP Version] - 4:17
- "Sliver" [live, O'Brien Pavilion (Del Mar, California) 1991.12.28] - 2:06
- "Polly" [live, O'Brien Pavilion (Del Mar, California) 1991.12.28] - 2:47
All songs written by Kurt Cobain.
[edit] Personnel
- Kurt Cobain - Vocals, Guitars
- Dave Grohl - Drums, Backing vocals
- Krist Novoselic - Bass
- Butch Vig - Producer
- Andy Wallace - Mixing
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock | 5 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 75 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 36 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 87 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 20 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 15 |
| Slovakian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[7] | 30 |
| UK Singles Chart | 28 |
[edit] Accolades
- Ranked #16 in NME's "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004).
- Ranked #407 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (2004).
- Ranked #65 in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (2007).[1]
[edit] References
- Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
- Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8
[edit] Notes
- ^ Azerrad, p. 137
- ^ Cross, Charles R. "Requiem for a Dream." Guitar World. October 2001.
- ^ Azerrad, p. 173
- ^ a b Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
- ^ Azerrad, p. 174
- ^ Nirvana Artist Chart History: Singles. Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 9, 2008.
- ^ Nirvana - In Blook. SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
