Nirvana Merch
Musical style
Nirvana’s musical style has been mainly described as grunge, punk rock, and alternative rock. They have also been labeled “hard rock.” Characterized by their punk aesthetic, Nirvana fused pop melodies with noise. Billboard described their work as a “genius blend of Kurt Cobain’s raspy voice and gnashing guitars, Dave Grohl’s relentless drumming, and Krist Novoselic’s uniting bass work that connected with fans in a hail of alternately melodic and hard-charging songs.”
Cobain described Nirvana’s initial sound as “a Gang of Four and Scratch Acid Ripoff.” When Nirvana recorded Bleach, Cobain felt he had to fit the expectations of the Sub Pop grunge sound to build a fanbase, and he suppressed his arty and pop songwriting in favor of a more rock sound. Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad argued, “Ironically, it was the restrictions of the Sub Pop sound that helped the band find its musical identity.”
Nirvana Merch - Songwriting and lyrics
Everett True said in 1989, “Nirvana songs treat the banal and pedestrian with a unique slant.” Cobain came up with the basic components of each song, usually writing them on an acoustic guitar, as well as the singing style and the lyrics. He emphasized that Novoselic and Grohl had a large part in deciding the lengths and parts of songs and that he did not like to be considered the sole songwriter.
Cobain usually wrote the lyrics for songs minutes before recording them. Cobain said, “When I write a song, the lyrics are the least important subject.” I can go through two or three different subjects in a song, and the title can mean absolutely nothing at all. Cobain told Spin in 1993 that he “didn’t give a flying fuck” what the lyrics on Bleach were about, figuring “Let’s just scream some negative lyrics and as long as they’re not sexist and don’t get too embarrassing, it’ll be okay,” while the lyrics to Nevermind were taken from two years of poetry he had accumulated, which he cut up and chose lines he preferred from. In comparison, Cobain stated that the lyrics to In Utero were “more focused; they’re almost built on themes.”
Cobain did not write in a linear fashion, instead relying on juxtapositions of contradictory images to convey emotions and ideas. Often in his lyrics, Cobain would present an idea then reject it; he said, “I’m such a nihilistic jerk half the time, and other times I’m so vulnerable and sincere [… the songs are] like a mixture of both of them.” “That’s how most people my age are.”