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).

Pen Cap Chew
Nirvana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, lesser God (x3)
Oh, your lonely (x3)
Oh (x2)

You get, you get, you get, you get to me
Holy is the time, it's such an easy way to go
You get, you get, you get, you get to me
Hide the circle in the skin under a fingernail

(x4)
Oh, lesser God
Oh, your lonely

Waste your time by saving worthless gullibles
Kill a politician and then wear his clothes
This decade is the age of rehashing
Protest and then go to jail for trespassing
Throw me inside

Oh (x3)]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nirvana's song "Pen Cap Chew" are open to interpretation, as with many of the band's songs. The repeated phrases of "Oh, lesser God" and "Oh, your lonely" may be seen as a commentary on religion and spirituality. The concept of a "lesser God" suggests a hierarchy within belief systems, perhaps pointing to the idea that not all gods are equal. The repetition of "your lonely" may suggest a sense of isolation or abandonment in the face of religious or spiritual beliefs. The song then shifts to a more personal level with the lines "You get, you get, you get, you get to me/Holy is the time, it's such an easy way to go." These may be interpreted as expressing a sense of vulnerability or susceptibility to external forces or influences.

The rest of the lyrics offer a series of surrealist images that seem to comment on societal and political issues. The line "Waste your time by saving worthless gullibles" may point to the idea that people may become distracted or misguided by misplaced priorities. The following line "Kill a politician and then wear his clothes" is an extreme example of how individuals may seek to assert control or power over systems that they perceive as oppressive or corrupt. The line "This decade is the age of rehashing" may suggest a sense of disillusionment or boredom with the status quo. The lines "Protest and then go to jail for trespassing/Throw me inside" may reference the idea that one may potentially face legal consequences for attempting to push for change, but also suggest a willingness to take such risks in the name of progress.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, lesser God (x3)
Addressing a deity that is considered of lower status compared to a major god and repeating thrice for emphasis

Oh, your lonely (x3)
Addressing the same lesser god and acknowledging its loneliness or emptiness thrice for empathy

Oh (x2)
A general cry of expression and emotion repeated twice for emphasis

You get, you get, you get, you get to me
Expressing that a certain situation or person is affecting the artist emotionally

Holy is the time, it's such an easy way to go
Remarking that following religious rituals and dogma can be an effortless and convenient way of life

Hide the circle in the skin under a fingernail
Suggesting a covert and subtle way of hiding one's true beliefs or actions

Oh, lesser God Oh, your lonely (x4)
Repeating the first two lines of the song as a chorus with more emphasis on the loneliness of the lesser god

Waste your time by saving worthless gullibles
Mocking the concept of trying to save people who are not worth the effort or are easily fooled

Kill a politician and then wear his clothes
Making a provocative statement about the potential consequences of political power and corruption

This decade is the age of rehashing
Reflecting on the lack of originality and creativity in the current era

Protest and then go to jail for trespassing
Commenting on the futility of peaceful protest and the unfairness of the justice system

Throw me inside Oh (x3)
Showing a rebellious attitude and defiance towards an authority or system represented by the earlier references to lesser gods, religious traditions, politicians, and laws

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Kurt Cobain

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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