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).

Trapeze
Nirvana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There they go, see them getting smaller
As they climb the ladder from the sky
Here we are, sitting with each other
Do you think they are afraid of being high
Swinging to and fro, somersaulting tableau
Death defying feats of skill, while the circus frozen still

What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them

Walking in the sky, just like angels in the high
What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Looking at the crowd, looking up and shouting loud

One more day, now the job is over
It's time to start the wheels a rolling on
Here we are, staying with each other
Do you think they are afraid of going on?
Swinging to and fro, somersaulting tableau
Death defying feats of skill, while the circus frozen still

What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Walking in the sky, just like angels in the high
What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Looking at the crowd, looking up and shouting loud

What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Walking in the sky, just like angels in the high

What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Looking at the crowd, looking up and shouting loud

Overall Meaning

Nirvana's "Trapeze" is a song that depicts the awe-inspiring, dizzying heights and precarious existence of circus performers on the flying trapeze. The opening lines describe the acrobats climbing the ladder towards the heavens, while the audience looks on in wonder below. Meanwhile, the song's protagonists contemplate their place on the ground, admiring the aerial artists but also wondering if they are afraid of falling.

As the trapeze artists perform their death-defying feats, the music takes on a lively, circus-like quality, and the lyrics become more frenzied, capturing the thrill of the performance. The line "Swinging to and fro, somersaulting tableau" paints a vivid picture of the acrobats in action, suspended in mid-air, while the circus audience watches in rapt attention. The repeated chorus, "What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them / Walking in the sky, just like angels on the high / What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them / Looking at the crowd, looking up and shouting loud," echoes the sense of wonder and admiration felt by those watching the performance.

The final verse of the song brings the narrative back down to earth. The circus performers have completed their act, and it's time for them to pack up their equipment and move on to the next town. The singers, too, must return to their mundane lives. Despite this, the song ends on a celebratory note, emphasizing the bravery and skill of the trapeze artists and the exhilarating experience of witnessing their performance.

Line by Line Meaning

There they go, see them getting smaller
Observing the aerial performers ascend higher into the sky, becoming more distant to the naked eye

As they climb the ladder from the sky
The trapeze artists gradually ascending upward towards the heavens

Here we are, sitting with each other
Watching the act while keeping each other's company

Do you think they are afraid of being high
Questioning if the acrobats experience fear while performing at such elevated heights

Swinging to and fro, somersaulting tableau
The artists performing acrobatic maneuvers, flipping back and forth in a visual display

Death defying feats of skill, while the circus frozen still
The aerialists exhibiting impressive, dangerous abilities while the remainder of the circus remains in awe

What is it like on the flying trapeze, see them
Questioning and admiring the experience of those who can perform aerial acrobatics

Walking in the sky, just like angels in the high
The exalted feeling of being up high, as if walking on clouds like an angel

Looking at the crowd, looking up and shouting loud
The aerialists acknowledging and addressing the audience while exhibiting their talents

One more day, now the job is over
Reflecting on the end of a performance, signaling the time for the performers to depart

It's time to start the wheels a rolling on
Urging the staff to commence preparations for the next show

Do you think they are afraid of going on?
Asking if the aerial performers experience anxiety before their next aerial display

Contributed by Liliana J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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