Dumb (Nirvana song)

"Dumb"
Song by Nirvana
from the album In Utero
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1993 (1993-09-21)
RecordedFebruary 13–26, 1993
StudioPachyderm, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Genre
Length2:29
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Steve Albini
In Utero track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Serve the Servants"
  2. "Scentless Apprentice"
  3. "Heart-Shaped Box"
  4. "Rape Me"
  5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Very Ape"
  8. "Milk It"
  9. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"
  11. "tourette's"
  12. "All Apologies"
Music video
"Dumb" on YouTube

"Dumb" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

In a 1993 Melody Maker interview, Cobain explained that the song was about people who lacked the intelligence to be unhappy, which he admitted he was "at times" envious of.[3]

The In Utero version features a cello part, written and performed by Chicago musician Kera Schaley, a friend of the album's producer, Steve Albini.[4] Schaley never toured with the band, but all live versions of the song during the In Utero tour featured cello, performed by Lori Goldston during the American leg of the tour, and Melora Creager during the European leg.

Despite never being released as a single, "Dumb" reached number 37 on the US Alternative National Airplay chart, which was published by the Billboard sister publication, Radio & Records.[5] In October 2023, an animated music video for the song by RuffMercy was released on Nirvana's official YouTube channel, to promote the 30th anniversary of In Utero.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference RS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Graff, Gary (13 September 2013). "Nirvana's 'In Utero' At 20: Classic Track-By-Track Review". Billboard.
  3. ^ "Dark Side of the Womb: Part 1". Melody Maker (Interview). No. 21 August 1993. Interviewed by The Stud Brothers. Retrieved 21 July 2024 – via Live Nirvana.
  4. ^ Levine, Evan H. (22 March 2010). "Interview: Kera Anne Schaley (Diaper, Martyr & Pistol)". Swan Fungus. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Radio&Records was invoked but never defined (see the help page).