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{{Infobox musician
{{formatting}}
| Name = Nirvana
| Type = Band
| Img = Nirvana1991.jpg
| Img_width =
| Landscape = Yes
| Caption = Nirvana's "classic" lineup: Kurt Cobain (vocals/guitar), Krist Novoselic (bass), Dave Grohl (drums)
| Origin = Aberdeen, WA
| Active = 1987 - 1994
| Labels = Sub Pop (1989-1990)<br>[[DGC]] (1990-1994)
| URL = [http://www.nirvana.com www.nirvana.com]
}}


'''Nirvana''' was an American rock band that was an active recording outfit from 1987 through 1994.
'''Nirvana''' was an American rock band that was an active recording outfit from 1987 through 1994.
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Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987.  The band went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting (and final) being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.  Nirvana was tremendously influential and helped pave the way for the alternative rock movement of the 1990s.
Nirvana was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987.  The band went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting (and final) being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.  Nirvana was tremendously influential and helped pave the way for the alternative rock movement of the 1990s.


==Weezer connections==
==Connection with Weezer==
Nirvana were a primary influence on both [[Rivers Cuomo]] as a songwriter and [[Weezer]] as a band.  The band's 1991 album ''Nevermind'', with cover art depicting a naked baby swimming toward a US dollar bill on a fishhook, along with the band's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", is referenced in the ''[[Weezer (The Red Album)|Red Album]]'' track, "[[Heart Songs]]" <small>(@2:27)</small>. The lyrics include the lines:
Nirvana were an influence on [[Rivers Cuomo]]'s songwriting, with Cuomo commenting, "They’re one of my favorite bands of all time, combining anger, intensity, distorted guitars and screaming vocals with beautiful melodies, chord progressions and pop song structures."  Cuomo further noted that Nirvana's music, influence, and popularity "was very fateful for Weezer" in terms of their success.


<lyrics>Back in 1991, I wasn't having any fun
Cuomo's first experience with the band, specifically the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the band's 1991 album ''Nevermind'', is documented in the bridge section of "[[Heart Songs]]" from 2008's ''[[Weezer (The Red Album)|Red Album]]'', with ''Nevermind'''s cover art depicting a naked baby swimming toward a US dollar bill on a fishhook also referenced.
'Til my roommate said "come on", and put a brand new record on
Had a baby on it; he was naked on it
Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had up on me
</lyrics>


Nirvana were labelmates with Weezer at [[Geffen Records|DGC]], although Cobain's suicide pre-dated the May 1994 release of ''[[The Blue Album]]'' by a month. Both bands appeared on the 1994 compilation ''[[DGC Rarities, Vol. 1]]''.
<blockquote>Back in 1991, I wasn't having any fun<br>'Til my roommate said "come on", and put a brand new record on<br>Had a baby on it; he was naked on it<br>Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had up on me<br>
</blockquote>


Cobain was mentioned by name in the original draft for the lyrics to "[[Susanne]]" ("Even Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose/When I call, you put them all on hold."), but upon Cobain's April 1994 death, the line was altered. This can be heard on Rivers' original demo of the song, recorded in January 1994, and later released on ''[[Alone III: The Pinkerton Years 1994-1997|Alone III]]'' in 2011. When the song was brought back into the band's setlists in 2010, the original line mentioning Cobain was restored.
Nirvana and Weezer would later became labelmates at [[Geffen Records|DGC]] in 1993, although Cobain's suicide pre-dated the May 1994 release of ''[[The Blue Album]]'' by a month. Both bands appeared on the 1994 compilation ''[[DGC Rarities, Vol. 1]]''.


Under the pseudonym [[Goat Punishment]], Weezer performed a six-song set of Nirvana covers in 1999 ("Mr. Moustache", "Aneurysm", "Breed", "Dive", "Swap Meet", and "Blew"). Cuomo was known to have been studying Cobain's compositions (as well as those by Green Day and Oasis) during Weezer's "hiatus" from 1997 to 2000, thus being the likely reason for these songs being performed.
Cobain was mentioned by name in the original draft for the lyrics to "[[Susanne]]" ("Even Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose/When I call, you put them all on hold."), but upon Cobain's April 1994 death, the line was altered. This can be heard on Rivers' original demo of the song, recorded in January 1994, and later released on ''[[Alone III: The Pinkerton Years 1994-1997|Alone III]]'' in 2011. When the song was brought back into the band's setlists in 2010, the original lyric mentioning Cobain was restored.
 
Under the pseudonym [[Goat Punishment]], Weezer performed a six-song set of Nirvana covers in 1999 ("Mr. Moustache", "Aneurysm", "Breed", "Dive", "Swap Meet", and "Blew"). Cuomo was known to have been studying Cobain's compositions (as well as those by Green Day and [[Oasis]]) during Weezer's hiatus from 1997 to 2000.


In 2005, Weezer toured with the Foo Fighters (the [[Foozer]] tour), Dave Grohl of Nirvana's current band.
In 2005, Weezer toured with the Foo Fighters (the [[Foozer]] tour), Dave Grohl of Nirvana's current band.


Weezer performed the Nirvana song "[[Sliver]]" during the second half of the Troublemaker Tour in 2008.
Weezer performed the Nirvana song "[[Sliver]]" during the second half of the Troublemaker Tour in 2008.
In 2014, Cuomo reviewed Nirvana's song "Aneurysm" in an issue of Rolling Stone, commenting,
<blockquote>“Weezer played this song as part of our all-Nirvana set in 1998 under the name Goat Punishment. It’s my very favorite Nirvana song to play as a performer – to me it has the best balance of the ''Bleach''-era guitar riffage and the melodic catchiness and chord simplicity of ''Nevermind''. You get the best of both worlds. All the parts are super-catchy and grinding, and it has that trademark soft-loud-soft-loud Nirvana dynamic.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Then there’s bonus hook at the end of the song, where he starts singing, ‘She came to pump it straight to my heart.’ When it gets to that point and he gives you this bonus hook that presses any emotional buttons in you that haven’t been pressed yet – I mean, that completely wipes out the possibility of anyone else being able to have written this song. It just takes it over the top. I do need to point out that I think the live version is the definitive version. The version on ''Incesticide'' with the “beat it! beat it!” background vocal in the chorus is a tad cheesy, even for me. I think they wisely revised it out by the time they did the live version.”</blockquote>
==Discography==
=== Studio albums ===
* ''Bleach'' (1989)
* ''Nevermind' (1991)
* ''In Utero'' (1993)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_discography Additional Nirvana discography on Wikipedia]


[[Category:Influences]]
[[Category:Influences]]
[[Category:Artists without artistboxes]]
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