Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987.
The band’s lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. Nirvana achieved mainstream success with their second album Nevermind (1991), which topped the charts in several countries and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Their third album In Utero (1993) was also a commercial success, reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Nirvana disbanded following Cobain’s suicide in 1994.
Here are ten fun facts about Nirvana:
1. The name “Nirvana” comes from the Buddhist concept of nirvana, which is the goal of spiritual enlightenment.
2. The band’s original lineup consisted of Kurt Cobain on vocals and guitar, Krist Novoselic on bass and Chad Channing on drums.
3. Chad Channing left Nirvana in 1990 and was replaced by Dave Grohl prior to the recording of Nevermind.
4. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released as the first single from Nevermind in 1991 and became a massive global hit, propelling the album to commercial success.
5. “In Bloom” was originally written by Kurt Cobain as a parody of macho rock songs but ended up becoming one of Nirvana’s most popular tracks nonetheless.
6. “Heart-Shaped Box” was inspired by a box given to Kurt Cobain by his then-girlfriend Courtney Love containing various items including a dead man’s handkerchief.
7. “All Apologies” was released as the lead single from In Utero in 1993 and peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
8.”Pennyroyal Tea” is rumoured to be about abortion; however, Kurt Cobain has said that it is actually about stomach cramps caused by food poisoning.
9. Nirvana were thrown out of their own record release party. Cobain started a full-fledged food fight and a bouncer responded by grabbing the him and Grohl and throwing them out.
10. At the MTV awards, Cobain spit on the keys of one of the pianos thinking that Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose (whom Kurt considered to be a homophobe and a racist) was going to play it. It turned out that the piano was actually played by Elton John and not Axl Rose.
