Dumb (song)
| "Dumb" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Nirvana from the album In Utero | ||||
| Released | September 13, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | February 13–26, 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | DGC Records | |||
| Writer | Kurt Cobain | |||
| Producer | Steve Albini | |||
| In Utero track listing | ||||
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"Dumb" is a song by American grunge band Nirvana. It is the sixth song on the band's third studio album In Utero, released in 1993.
Composition and critical reception
Kurt Cobain wrote "Dumb" in the summer of 1990 after he had begun to follow some of his own poppier instincts.[1] Cobain debuted the song for Calvin Johnson of K Records on KAOS (FM) in the same year.[2][3]
The first version to be officially released was on the In Utero album in 1993 and Cobain said that he did not – as had been rumoured - want to drive fans of the Nevermind album away from the band with In Utero: "Let’s face it, we already sold out two and a half years ago. There’s no sense in trying to redeem yourself by putting out an abrasive album and pretending you’re a punk rocker again".[4] Cobain also said of the song that using the word "happy" was a nice twist on the negative stuff that they had done before and that he wished he could have written more songs like “Dumb” and “All Apologies” on the other albums.[5] Michael Azerrad in his Story of Nirvana described "Dumb" as "Beatlesque".[6]
The song was ranked at number 39 on WHFS's top 100 played songs of 1994,[7] number 41 on KROQ-FM’s top 100 played songs of 1994,[8] number 51 on Q101's top 100 played songs of 1994,[9] and number 82 on 91X's top 100 played songs of 1994.[10] The song was subsequently released on Nirvana’s two hits compilations, Nirvana in 2002 and Icon in 2010.
Other versions
- A live version was recorded at Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance in November 1993 and was released on the MTV Unplugged in New York album in November 1994.
- A version of Dumb was recorded in a John Peel session for the BBC at Maida Vale Studios, London in 1991,[11] and was later released on the rarities box set, With the Lights Out in 2004.
- A live version recorded at the Reading Festival in England in 1992 was released on the live CD/DVD Live at Reading in 2009.
References
- ↑ Crisafulli. pp. 93.
- ↑ Crisafulli. pp. 93.
- ↑ St. Thomas. pp. 66.
- ↑ Crisafulli. pp. 93.
- ↑ St. Thomas. pp. 169.
- ↑ Azerrad. pp. 321.
- ↑ WHFS Top 100 of 1994 rocklists.com. Retrieved 29 June, 2013.
- ↑ KROQ’s Top 100 of 1994 rocklists.com. Retrieved 29 June, 2013.
- ↑ Q101's Top 100 of 1994 rocklists.com. Retrieved 29 June, 2013.
- ↑ 91X's Top 100 of 1994 rocklists.com. Retrieved 29 June, 2013.
- ↑ St. Thomas. pp. 107.
Bibliography
- Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, (1994). ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
- Crisafulli, Chuck. Nirvana: The Stories Behind the Songs. Omnibus Press.(1996). ISBN 0-7119-5809-2.
- St Thomas, Kurt and Smith, Troy. Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. St Martin's Griffin (2004). ISBN 0-312-20663-1.
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