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).

Polly
Nirvana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Polly wants a cracker
Think I should get off her first
Think she wants some water
To put out the blow torch

Isn't me
Have a seed
Let me clip

Your dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself
Got some rope
Have been told
Promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself

Polly wants a cracker
Maybe she would like some food
She asks me to untie her
Chase would be nice for a few

Isn't me
Have a seed
Let me clip
Your dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself
Got some rope
Have been told
Promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself

Polly said
Polly says her back hurts
She's just as bored as me
She caught me off my guard
Amazes me the will of instinct

Isn't me
Have a seed
Let me clip
Your dirty wings
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself
Want some help
Please myself
Got some rope
Have been told
Promise you
Have been true
Let me take a ride
Cut yourself

Want some help
Please myself

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nirvana’s song ‘Polly’ tell the story of a girl named Polly who is kidnapped, tortured and sexually assaulted. The lyrics are raw and haunting, and paint a picture of a disturbed and deranged mind. The first verse begins with Polly asking for a cracker, but the singer quickly realizes that he needs to get off her first, presumably meaning that he is on top of her or restraining her in some way. Polly then asks for water to put out the blow torch, suggesting that the singer is using a blowtorch to torture her.

The second verse continues with the singer offering to clip Polly’s dirty wings and take her for a ride, but also offering to cut her and help himself sexually. He mentions having some rope and promises that he has been true, but it is clear that he is anything but trustworthy. In the third and final verse, Polly mentions that her back hurts and that she is just as bored as the singer. This shows the twisted nature of the person who has kidnapped her, as he seems to think that this is just a game and that Polly is getting some sort of enjoyment out of it.

Overall, ‘Polly’ is a song that explores the dark, twisted nature of human desire and obsession. It is a powerful and emotional song that makes the listener feel uncomfortable and disturbed, which is exactly what Nirvana set out to achieve.

Line by Line Meaning

Polly wants a cracker
The singer thinks that 'Polly' wants some food.

Think I should get off her first
The singer believes that he needs to release 'Polly' from her restraints before giving her food/water.

Think she wants some water
The singer assumes that 'Polly' is thirsty and needs water.

To put out the blow torch
The artist suggests that 'Polly' might be feeling like her body is on fire and is in need of water to cool down.

Isn't me
The artist is saying that he is not the one responsible for the situation that 'Polly' is in.

Have a seed
The singer has a plan or idea that he wants to share with 'Polly.'

Let me clip
The singer wants to help change 'Polly's' life by removing something from her that is holding her back.

Your dirty wings
The artist is using metaphorical language to describe the negative aspect of 'Polly's' life that needs to be removed.

Let me take a ride
The artist wants to give 'Polly' a different perspective by introducing her to something new.

Cut yourself
The artist is being sarcastic and suggesting that 'Polly' should hurt herself or make a change on her own.

Want some help
The singer is offering 'Polly' assistance towards a positive change in her life.

Please myself
The artist's motivation for helping 'Polly' is to feel good about himself, rather than truly caring about her well-being.

Got some rope
The singer has a tool to restrain 'Polly,' suggesting that he may not have her best interest at heart.

Have been told
The singer has heard a message that he is now passing on to 'Polly,' with the assumption that it will help her.

Promise you
The singer is making a guarantee to 'Polly' that will change her life for the better.

Have been true
The artist is saying that he has been honest with 'Polly' in the past about his intentions, and will continue to be truthful going forward.

Polly said
The artist is quoting what 'Polly' has told him.

Polly says her back hurts
'Polly' is physically uncomfortable and may be in pain.

She's just as bored as me
The singer is identifying with 'Polly' and implying that they are both feeling unsatisfied with their current situation.

She caught me off my guard
The artist was not expecting 'Polly' to open up to him and reveal her discomfort.

Amazes me the will of instinct
The artist is impressed by 'Polly's' natural drive to survive and overcome her difficult circumstances.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Kurt Cobain

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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