Nevermind

This article is about the album by Nirvana. For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation).

Nevermind
A nude infant swimming in blue-tinted water toward a dollar bill which is attached to a fishhook on a string.
Studio album by
Nirvana
ReleasedSeptember 24, 1991 (1991-09-24)
RecordedMay 2–28, 1991[1][2]
June 1–9, 1991 (mixing)[3]
April 1990 ("Polly")
Studio
Genre
Length42:36 (49:07 with hidden track)
LabelDGC
Producer
Nirvana chronology
Blew
(1989) 		Nevermind
(1991) 		Nevermind It's an Interview
(1992)
Singles from Nevermind
  1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
    Released: September 10, 1991
  2. "Come as You Are"
    Released: March 3, 1992
  3. "Lithium"
    Released: July 13, 1992
  4. "In Bloom"
    Released: November 30, 1992

Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band's prior work.[4] It was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in May and June 1991, and mastered that August at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California.

Written primarily by frontman Kurt Cobain, Nevermind is noted for channeling a range of emotions, being noted as dark, humorous, and disturbing. It includes anti-establishment views, anti-sexism, frustration, alienation, and troubled love inspired by Cobain's broken relationship with Bikini Kill's Tobi Vail. Contrary to the popular hedonistic themes of drugs and sex at the time, writers have observed that Nevermind promoted the image of the sensitive artist in mainstream rock.[5] According to Cobain, the sound of the album was influenced by bands such as Pixies, R.E.M., the Smithereens, and Melvins. Though the album is considered a cornerstone of the grunge genre, it is noted for its musical diversity, which includes acoustic ballads ("Polly" and "Something in the Way") and punk-influenced hard rock ("Territorial Pissings" and "Stay Away").[6]

Nevermind became an unexpected critical and commercial success, reaching the top 10 on charts across the world. On January 11, 1992, it knocked Michael Jackson's Dangerous out of the number one spot on the US Billboard 200 and was selling approximately 300,000 copies a week. The lead single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", reached the Top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Its music video was also heavily rotated on MTV. Three other successful singles were released: "Come as You Are", "Lithium", and "In Bloom". The album was voted the best album of the year in Pazz & Jop critics' poll, while "Smells Like Teen Spirit" also topped the single-of-the-year and video-of-the-year polls. The album also garnered the band three Grammy Award nominations in total across the 34th and 35th Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album.

Nevermind propelled Nirvana into worldwide superstardom, with Cobain being dubbed the "voice of his generation". It brought grunge and alternative rock to a mainstream audience while accelerating the decline of hair metal, drawing similarities to the early 1960s British Invasion of American popular music. It is also often credited with initiating a resurgence of interest in punk culture among teenagers and young adults of Generation X, becoming seminal to the counterculture of the decade. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In March 1999, it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Among the most acclaimed and influential albums in the history of music, Nevermind was added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry in 2004 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and is frequently ranked highly on lists of the greatest albums of all time, including being ranked number six on Rolling Stone's 2020 and 2023 lists of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The album has since been reissued with alternate takes and live performances.

  1. ^ "Live Nirvana | Sessions History | Studio Sessions | May 2–28, 1991 - Sound City Studios, Van Nuys & Devonshire Studios, Burbank, CA, US". Livenirvana.com. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "This Day in Music Spotlight: Nirvana Begins Recording 'Nevermind'". .gibson.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  3. ^ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana - The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (1st ed.). Barnes & Noble. p. 71. ISBN 0-7607-4893-4.
  4. ^ Rolli, Bryan (November 12, 2021). "Nirvana, 'Nevermind (30th Anniversary Edition)': Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Goodman, William (September 23, 2016). "Nirvana's 'Nevermind' Turns 25: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  6. ^ School, GABRIELLE ZEVIN, Spanish River High (February 14, 1992). "NIRVANA'S 'NEVERMIND' UNCONVENTIONAL HEAVY METAL". Sun-Sentinel.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)