Remembering Nirvana

As I was reading the news online a couple of weeks ago, an article caught me a bit off guard. It was about the ‘90s grunge band Nirvana and how its defining ‘91 album "Nevermind" had been added to the United States Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. It seemed a bit surreal, even a bit wrong that a band like Nirvana would be forever preserved in history. I mean, these guys were hardcore rock stars. That means drugs, sex, alcohol, profanity, references to the devil and what have you. They didn’t seem like the type of people who would be added to the registry along with Neil Armstrong and his first words on the moon, James Brown, the Beach Boys, and Douglas MacArthur. Yet, this just goes to show the kind of musical significance Nirvana had in the ‘90s and the influence the band exerts even today, over a decade removed from their peak and from the tragic death of their lead man, Kurt Cobain.

Nirvana is (or I guess, was) a three-piece band composed of Chris Novoselic on bass, Foo Fighter Dave Grohl on drums, and Kurt Cobain on guitars and vocals. They ushered in the ‘90s grunge era from Seattle, Washington with the likes of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and developed a cult following throughout the world with the launch of their hit song, Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana was catapulted to stardom because the guys were able to speak to a generation that was depressed, confused and misunderstood.

Having grown up without the comforts of a complete family and the security of a permanent home, songwriter Kurt Cobain understood what it was about to be different, to be down and out and to be desperate. He was able to incorporate his scarred emotions with edgy rock tunes to produce a sound that was unique, aggressive and substantial.

Nirvana’s "Nevermind" included such hits as Lithium, Come as You Are and the aforementioned Smells Like Teen Spirit. All of which included themes such as the pain of being different, having a rocky childhood, losing and making friends, life and death. These are things that the youth of any generation will be able to relate to. Cobain and company became icons for being able to unite the youth through a musical genre that encapsulated all the pent-up emotions of that era. Nirvana brought this to the ‘90s with a sound so powerful that aftershocks of their earthquake success are still being felt today. To put it in simpler terms, they rocked the ‘90s.

Today, a couple of weeks after the death anniversary of Kurt Cobain and a couple of weeks after they were immortalized in the Library of Congress, a box set containing all their songs (some of which previously unreleased), videos, sound clips, and pictures can be found in most music stores (I saw a couple in Music One, Greenbelt). The box set is titled "With the Lights Out" and was released late last year. To the music connoisseur, this might be a good investment. It contains some of the most rare Nirvana songs – like live performances, demos, unreleased tracks and variations that you may not find anywhere else. To the normal person who isn’t all that high on collecting music, consider this box set as a part of history. It contains the works of a group of musical geniuses that rocked the world once upon a time. Either way, in remembering a band like Nirvana, it’s easy to get sidetracked with all the controversy and rock and roll culture that old people frown upon. Let’s not forget to remember musicians for what they truly represent – the music. Nirvana made good music and for that, they will be preserved in history and will be remembered.

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