Nirvana, in many ways, managed to further popularize an already rising wave of alternative rock. Either by Cobain’s charisma, energizing melodies, lyrics that resonate with everyday life events and struggles, or by everything together, Nirvana imprinted its name in the musical hall of fame and rightfully will be remembered. Although I did not explicitly familiarize myself with all their work, I do understand why people are so fond of this music band. While choosing a video for this board post, I heard the song Where Did You Sleep Last Night for the first time and was utterly stunned by it. Thus, I would like to discuss its lyrics first, then Cobain’s singing style, and, finally, the live features of the song showcased in the video.
In my opinion, lyrics in the song most of the time matter as much as the melody (of course, if it is not a solely instrumental composition). The topic of romantic relationships, successful and not so much, belongs among the most common themes in human society. Unfortunately, I had already experienced the anxiety the romantic partner can invoke attempting to hide something. Consequently, when Cobain sang the lines asking the imaginary girlfriend about her last night, it did resonate inside me, invoking the feeling of compassion for the guy in the song’s story. The extended vocal technique Cobain used at the end of the song strengthened the effect, highlighting the emotional side, the pain and disappointment (Nirvana, 00:03:56). I do believe that such harsh singing is beautiful when it is used at the right time and the right place – as a pure emotional outburst. However, the strongest effect was achieved in the contrast of harsh and impassioned vocal and a clean, undistorted guitar Cobain used in the video. Since extended vocal techniques are usually accompanied by an aggressive instrumental sound, this version proves to be different and very touching.
Works Cited
“Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night (Live On MTV Unplugged Unedited).”YouTube, uploaded by Nirvana 2019.