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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
5) Nirvana is a side project of The Skaters' James Ferraro. Primitive droning drum beats and swirling synthesizers.
---
6) Nirvana was a Slovenian hard-rock band in the early seventies. They appear on several collections (YU Record Collector Dream, Boom Festival 72).
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)
---
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.
---
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.
---
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.
---
5) Nirvana is a side project of The Skaters' James Ferraro. Primitive droning drum beats and swirling synthesizers.
---
6) Nirvana was a Slovenian hard-rock band in the early seventies. They appear on several collections (YU Record Collector Dream, Boom Festival 72).
Pay to Play
Nirvana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Monkey see, monkey do
I don't know why I
Walk around, follow you
I don't know why I
Throw it out, keep it in
I don't know why I
Have to have poison skin
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Walk an inch, take a mile
I don't know why I
Never fade, never smiled
I don't know why I
Never mind, eat and run
I don't know why I
Fuck your ass, for the fun
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
I don't know why I
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Monkey see, monkey do
I don't know why I
Walk around, follow you
I don't know why I
Throw it out, keep it in
I don't know why I
Have to have poison skin
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
I don't know why I
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, yeah
Yeah, yeah
I don't know why I
Walk around, follow you
I don't know why I
Throw it out, keep it in
I don't know why I
Have to have poison skin
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Walk an inch, take a mile
I don't know why I
Never fade, never smiled
I don't know why I
Never mind, eat and run
I don't know why I
Fuck your ass, for the fun
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
I don't know why I
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Monkey see, monkey do
I don't know why I
Walk around, follow you
I don't know why I
Throw it out, keep it in
I don't know why I
Have to have poison skin
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
I don't know why I
I don't know why I
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay
Pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, pay to play
Pay to play, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Nirvana's "Pay To Play" implies a sense of feeling like one is being taken advantage of, feeling forced to pay to participate or buy into something. The metaphor of "monkey see, monkey do" suggests that people are blindly following the lead of others without necessarily knowing why they're doing so. The line "walk an inch, take a mile" implies that even when someone is initially taking small steps, they inevitably end up taking more than they intended to. The theme of not knowing why one is doing certain things comes up repeatedly in the song, as does the notion of having to "pay to play" society's games.
The lyrics also have a sense of aggression to them, with lines like "fuck your ass, for the fun." This can be seen as a response to feeling powerless and taken advantage of. The repetition of "I don't know why I" suggests a feeling of confusion and frustration with oneself for being complicit in this situation.
Overall, "Pay To Play" is a commentary on societal pressures to conform and participate, often leading to a cycle of feeling taken advantage of and aggressive in response.
Line by Line Meaning
Monkey see, monkey do
I follow others blindly, like a monkey imitating its peers
I don't know why I
I am unsure why I act this way
Walk around, follow you
I follow you even though I don't know why
Throw it out, keep it in
I express myself inconsistently and act on impulse
Have to have poison skin
I have a toxic personality that pushes people away
Pay
I must give something in exchange for something else
Pay to play
I must pay or offer something to get ahead in life
Walk an inch, take a mile
I take advantage of situations for my own benefit, without regard to others' feelings
Never fade, never smiled
I am stubborn and unwilling to change, even at the expense of my own happiness
Never mind, eat and run
I disregard the consequences of my actions and prioritize my own needs
Fuck your ass, for the fun
I harm others for my own enjoyment
I don't know why I
I am still unsure why I act this way
Pay to play, pay to play
I must constantly pay or give something to get ahead in life
Pay to play, yeah
I acknowledge and accept the reality of the situation, even though it is unpleasant
Yeah, yeah
I affirm and confirm the above ideas
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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RodneyDangerfieldFan34
Having Chad hit the bell of his ride instead of the huge crashes Dave makes is so different and calmer yet feels really nice in a way even if Dave’s version probably fit a lot more
Brenden L.S.
I'm very late to this, but we all have our sensibilities. I love digging into forgotten members styles in bands. There's lots to dig into.
RodneyDangerfieldFan34
@Jesus in the Colosseum Good to see someone around here has some common sense lol! Seen way too many people hate one William and Chad simply because they weren’t in a band as long. Chad was a fantastic creative drummer with a messy jazz type style that really fit grunge but Kurt wanted a more clean sound after bleach and Chad agreed to leave the band since he also just wasn’t happy with it anymore. William was another fantastic drummer who had almost identical parts made for the colour and the shape yet Dave just felt like he didn’t want to let go of drumming and he later regretted it as he wanted William to stay. I just wish people could do their research more instead of just going “drummer left, drummer bad”. I just hate seeing people hate on any drummer even Lars Ulrich just because they all do their own thing and that’s the point of music. Just having fun!
Jesus in the Colosseum
Love the diversity and differences between them both. I used to be so silly, I thought because Dave replaced all of William Goldsmith’s drumming on the Foo Fighters first album that it meant he wasn’t as good, years later to realise every drummer has a unique sound just like guitarists. Same exception for Chad, though I think Dave suited the Nirvana’s more explosive sound, Chad had a really great aura about his style.
Rad Clasher
Wow nirvana really liked EA so much they made a song about them.
Dan Weston
worst comment ever
steve wilken
Let the record show Nirvana recorded this song in 1990. When did your argument become relevant?
Lance Svensson
And just like EA stole an idea they didn't even make
Gunslinger
And now, the Most Underrated Comment of the Day Award of June 25th, 2019 goes to..
Jamie Warrior Warlord McCallum
love this early version of stay away, with different things changed in the song of the final version. always thought pay to play sounded better.