There are multiple artists tracked as "Nirvana" on Last.fm. Following are s… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists tracked as "Nirvana" on Last.fm. Following are six, listed in order of prominence:

1) Nirvana was a popular and highly influential American grunge band. The band formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987, and it was part of the Seattle grunge scene of the late 80s, alongside bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. As their popularity rose, alternative rock became a dominant genre on American and Canadian radio and music television during the early-to-mid '90s.

In late 1987, Cobain and Novoselic recruited drummer Aaron Burckhard (1987–1988).The three practiced material from Cobain's Fecal Matter tape. After losing contact with Burckhard, the pair instead practised with Dale Crover of the Melvins, and Nirvana recorded its first demos in January 1988. Their first single, a cover version of "Love Buzz", a song by Dutch group 'Shocking Blue', was released in November 1988 on the Seattle independent record label Sub Pop. Their debut album, 'Bleach', was produced by Jack Endino and released in June 1989. Later that year, the band recorded the 'Blew EP' with producer Steve Fisk.

At the start of the new decade, the band commenced their first recording sessions to the follow-up album with producer Butch Vig, substituted their drummer by Dave Grohl and signed to DGC Records. The result, 'Nevermind', would eventually sell over seven million copies in the United States, and over 30 million worldwide.

In early 1993, Nirvana released "Puss"/"Oh, the Guilt", a split single with The Jesus Lizard, on the independent label Touch & Go. Meanwhile, the group chose Steve Albini as the producer to record its third album. 'In Utero' debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart in September the same year.

As Nirvana's frontman, Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the "spokesman of a generation", with Nirvana the "flagship band" of "Generation X", their third studio album 'In Utero' was considered to be a conscious attempt to shed their audience. While Nirvana's mainstream popularity waned in the months following its release, their core audience cherished the band's dark interior, particularly after their 1993 performance on MTV Unplugged with the Meat Puppets, a band that Cobain had always idolised, performing with them the songs Oh, Me, Plateau and Lake of Fire. It was later released and topped the charts in 1994.

Nirvana's brief run ended with the suicide of Cobain in 1994, but the band's popularity expanded in the years that followed. Eight years after Cobain's death, "You Know You're Right", an unfinished demo that the band recorded two months prior to Cobain's death, topped radio playlists around the world. Since their debut, the band has sold more than fifty million albums worldwide, including more than ten million copies of Nevermind in the US alone. Nirvana remains a consistent presence on radio stations worldwide.

In 2004, the box set "With the Lights Out", a collection of radio sessions, home demos, studio demos and outtakes, was released. A year later, "Sliver: The Best Of The Box" was released, a compilation of selected "WTLO" tracks, but with 3 new tracks including a track from the famous "Fecal Matter" demo.

Band members: Kurt Cobain - vocals, guitar (1987–1994), Krist Novoselic - bass (1987–1994) Dave Grohl - drums, vocals (1990–1994)

Prior members:Aaron Burckhard - drums (1987–1988), Dale Crover - drums (1988, 1990), Dave Foster - drums (1988), Chad Channing - drums (1988–1990), Jason Everman - guitar (1989), Dan Peters - drums (1990)

Touring members: Pat Smear - guitar (1993–1994), Lori Goldston - cello (1993–1994), Melora Creager - cello (1994)

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2) Nirvana is a UK-based progressive rock band formed in 1967, primarily active in the late 1960s and early 1970s - and still sporadically active to the present day.

The band was formed in the summer of 1967 in an era when melodic pop/rock music with baroque and chamber arrangements and instrumentation was highly-prized. The band, consisted of two songwriter/performers - Greek-born Alex Spyropoulos and Irish-born Patrick Campbell-Lyons who met in London. They produced a number of singles (notably "Rainbow Chaser", "Pentecost Hotel", and "Tiny Goddess") for the fledgling Island Records label.

The band was signed by Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell in the era when he also signed the bands Traffic and Free.

In October 1967 the band released its first album - a concept album produced by Blackwell titled The Story of Simon Simopath. The album was probably the first narrative concept album ever released - predating story-driven concept albums such as The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow (December 1968), The Who's Tommy (April 1969) and The Kinks' Arthur (September 1969).

Musically, the group blended myriad musical styles including rock, pop, folk, jazz, Latin rhythms and classical music - primarily augmented by baroque chamber-style arrangements to create a unique entity.

The next year 1968 their follow-up album, All Of Us, featured a similar broad range of musical styles. Their third album To Markos III was released on the Pye label in 1969.

In 1971 the duo amicably separated for a while, with Campbell-Lyons the primary contributor to the next two Nirvana albums, Local Anaesthetic 1971, and Songs Of Love And Praise 1972. Campbell-Lyons subsequently worked as a solo artist and issued further albums: Me And My Friend 1973, Electric Plough 1981, and The Hero I Might Have Been 1983 though these did not enjoy commercial success.

The band reunited in 1985, successfully touring Europe and releasing a compilation album Black Flower 1987 containing some new material. (Black Flower had been the provisional title of their third album.) In the 1990s two further albums were released. Secret Theatre 1994 compiled rare tracks and demos, while Orange And Blue 1996 contained previously unreleased material including a tongue-in-cheek cover of the song "Lithium" originally recorded by the American grunge band Nirvana who released its first album in 1989, and who the band had successfully sued over use of the name Nirvana. The undisclosed terms of the settlement has apparently allowed the original Nirvana to continue using its name and issuing new recordings.

In 1999 the band released a three-disc CD anthology titled "Chemistry" including several previously-unreleased tracks and some new material.

Top musicians who played on Nirvana sessions include: Lesley Duncan, Herbie Flowers, Billy Bremner (later of Rockpile/Dave Edmunds fame), Luther Grosvenor, Wynder K. Frogg, Clem Cattini and the full lineup of rock band Spooky Tooth.

The group was in the school of baroque-flavored, melodic pop-rock music typified by The Beatles of "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver", The Beach Boys of Pet Sounds and God Only Knows, the Zombies of Odessey and Oracle and Time Of The Season, the Procol Harum of A Whiter Shade Of Pale, the Moody Blues of Days of Future Passed and Nights In White Satin and The Kinks of Waterloo Sunset. The majority of the tracks on Nirvana's albums fall into that broad genre of contemporary popular music - not easily categorized - but perhaps best described as the baroque or chamber strand of "progressive rock, soft rock or "orchestral pop".

Their first three albums were reissued on CD by Universal in 2003 and received critical acclaim. In 2005 Universal (Japan) reissued Local Anaesthetic and Songs Of Love And Praise.

As of late 2005 the founding members Alex Spyropoulos and Patrick Campbell-Lyons are still sporadically writing and recording.

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3) Nirvana was a short-lived Finnish punk band formed in 1980, whose sole release was a 7" vinyl with tracks "Kielletyt leikit" and "Kuljen kaupungilla" with 200 pressings.

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4) Nirvana was a Dutch pop group, formed in 1985 by producers Bernard Oattes and Rob van Schaik. The group consisted of Anthony Moendir, Frits Broekrits and Annie Alberti and have released one single, "Say When", which became a big hit. The group split up in 1987.

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5) Nirvana is a side project of The Skaters' James Ferraro. Primitive droning drum beats and swirling synthesizers.

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6) Nirvana was a Slovenian hard-rock band in the early seventies. They appear on several collections (YU Record Collector Dream, Boom Festival 72).

1999
Nirvana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

1999 was a good year
I was born and then I died
So fill your glasses to the brim
And drink the whiskey and the gin

So come on in have a drink and be merry
In this house there is plenty of wine
Come on in have a drink have some sherry

And drink your drink to 1999

Do you hear the brass band playing
Donations gratefully received
So fill your glasses to the brim
And drink the whiskey and the gin

So come on in have a drink and be merry
In this house there is plenty of wine
Come on in have a drink have some sherry
And drink your drink to 1999

1999 was a good year
I was born and then I died
So fill your glasses to brim
And drink to 1999

And drink to 1999
And here's to 1999

And drink to 1999
And here's to 1999

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nirvana's song "1999" have a bittersweet tone to them. The song starts off with the line "1999 was a good year," which might suggest the singer is reflecting on a fun time in their past. However, the second line, "I was born and then I died," reveals that this reflection is actually on the singer's entire life, which has already come and gone. The song calls on the listener to join in a celebration of life, urging them to "fill your glasses to the brim" and "drink the whiskey and the gin." Even though the singer's life is over and they can't celebrate it themselves, they want others to enjoy theirs.

The song takes on a more eerie quality towards the end when it brings up a "brass band playing" and "donations gratefully received," which could be referencing a funeral. However, the singer still urges the listener to "drink to 1999" and "here's to 1999," suggesting that even if death is inevitable, life should still be celebrated while it lasts. The song overall is a melancholic celebration of life, with a hint of darkness and mystery mixed in.

Line by Line Meaning

1999 was a good year
The singer acknowledges that the year 1999 was significant in some way, although the exact nature of this significance is not yet clear.

I was born and then I died
The singer likely means that they were reborn or transformed in some way in 1999, and that their old self 'died' as a result.

So fill your glasses to the brim
The singer is encouraging the listener to celebrate, perhaps to take risks or to live life to the fullest.

And drink the whiskey and the gin
The artist is not prescribing a specific type of alcohol, but rather encouraging the listener to enjoy whatever they like best.

In this house there is plenty of wine
The artist is likely referring to a physical or metaphorical 'house' full of people who are ready to celebrate together.

Come on in have a drink have some sherry
The singer is welcoming the listener to join a group of celebrants, offering them a specific type of drink.

And drink your drink to 1999
The singer is encouraging the listener to toast to the year 1999, or perhaps to the idea of transformation or rebirth symbolized by that year.

Do you hear the brass band playing
The artist is painting a vivid image of a celebration in progress, complete with a brass band.

Donations gratefully received
The specific context of this line is unclear, but it may refer to a physical or metaphorical event at which donations are being accepted and appreciated.

And drink to 1999
This line reinforces the idea that the year 1999 is itself a symbol of the transformative, celebratory spirit that the song embodies.

And here's to 1999
This line furthers the idea of toasting to a significant year, and can be seen as a rallying cry for celebration and enjoyment.

Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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