Sappy

"Sappy"
aka "Verse Chorus Verse"
Song by Nirvana
from the album
No Alternative
With the Lights Out
Sliver: The Best of the Box
Nevermind (deluxe)
In Utero (deluxe)
Released October 26, 1993
Recorded February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre Punk-Rock
Length 3:24
Label Arista Records
Songwriter(s) Kurt Cobain
Producer(s) Steve Albini

"Sappy" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It was first released as a hidden track on the 1993 AIDS-benefit compilation album No Alternative.[1] At the time the song was credited by the title "Verse Chorus Verse", which happens to be the title of an earlier, different Nirvana song that had been scrapped. The same 1993 recording, under the song's original title of "Sappy", also appears on the Nirvana rarities box set With the Lights Out, released in 2004.

History

Originally recorded under the working title "Sad", "Sappy" dates back to at least 1987, and was recorded several times in the studio. The song's writer Kurt Cobain was said to never be completely satisfied with any version of it. It was recorded in many different keys and the lyrics changed over the years. The final version was recorded by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studios in 1993 during the In Utero sessions and released as the final, unlisted track on the No Alternative compilation. The song was apparently renamed "Verse Chorus Verse" around this time, but since this title is shared by an earlier, scrapped Nirvana song,[2] it is usually called "Sappy" in order to avoid confusion.

Although "Sappy" was released as an extra hidden track on No Alternative, 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 the band's 1994 tour of Europe and being played live for the first time in nearly four years. The final live performance of the song was at a February 1994 concert in Milan, Italy.[3] At the concert the audience kept requesting the song; bassist Krist Novoselic, after performing it, said to the crowd, "Did you hear it on a bootleg? Because it wasn't listed on the album."

Studio versions

Date recorded Studio Producer/recorder Releases
1986 - 1988 Cobain residence, Olympia, Washington Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (2015)
January, 1990 Reciprocal Recording Jack Endino Sliver: The Best of the Box (2005)[A]
April, 1990 Smart Studios Butch Vig Nevermind (deluxe) (2011)
May, 1991 Sound City Studios Butch Vig Unreleased[B]
February, 1993 Pachyderm Studio Steve Albini No Alternative (1993)
With the Lights Out (2004)
In Utero (deluxe) (2013)

Live versions

Notes

References

  1. All Music Guide - No Alternative allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 November, 2013.
  2. The Rough Guide to Nirvana books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 6 November, 2013.
  3. Nirvana's In Utero books.google.com. Retrieved 6 November, 2013.
  4. Previously unheard version of Nirvana's 'Sappy' emerges online nme.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
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