5 Surprising Facts About Nirvana’s Nevermind Album

Over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, there have been a number of albums whose success has reached the upper echelons of influence. Albums like Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here, or Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, have never wavered in prominence since their release, and have remained cultural touchstones for decades on end.

Many of these albums are as prominent as they are because they came at exactly the right moment, at the rise of their respective genres. Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind, became a staple in the grunge era from the moment it was released, going 13 times platinum in the US and selling over 30 million copies worldwide.

Nevermind was released 34 years ago today, and has had a continued impact not only on how the grunge movement of the ’90s is remembered, but also on the music industry as a whole. Obvious merits aside, Nevermind is an album that is teeming with relatively unknown stories, even to many Nirvana fans.

5

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Became One Of The Most-Viewed Videos On MTV Within Weeks

The album’s lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” is also arguably the biggest hit of all three of Nirvana’s albums, and at the time, that success was due in no small part to the song’s music video. Initially, like some radio stations, MTV was a bit skeptical about airing “Smells Like Teen Spirit” because of a perceived difficulty in understanding the lyrics.

When MTV ultimately decided to air the music video, it quickly became the most viewed video on the network in Europe, with its airtime in the US not far behind. The video earned Nirvana a couple of MTV VMAs, and the number three spot on MTV’s list of the 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made (Rock On The Net).

4

The Album Cover Caused A Lawsuit

Nevermind is responsible for what is easily Nirvana’s most famous album cover. The naked infant floating in the pool with a dollar bill hanging in front of him is among the most iconic pieces of cover art ever made, but not without consequence. The band was intrigued by the photo of Spencer Elden, presented to them by Elden’s parents’ friend and photographer, Kirk Weddle.

In 2021, Elden filed a lawsuit against Weddle, Kurt Cobain’s estate, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic for using the image without his consent. He claimed that the photo violated child pornography laws, and had caused him lifelong damage as a result. Elden had to refile a handful of times before finally getting his retribution as a result of the album’s 30th anniversary reissue.

3

The Album Was Recorded With A Purposefully Low Budget

After their debut album, Bleach, Nirvana signed with DCG, an imprint of Geffen Records. Initially, they had allocated a budget of $65,000 to record Nevermind, and upon signing with Geffen, they received a $287,000 advance to be split between multiple albums. The band maintained their schedule and budget, however, and recorded the entire album in just over three weeks.

In fact, Kurt Cobain had actually expressed that he preferred recording with cheaper instruments, and notoriously wanted to get every song recorded in two takes maximum. Producer Butch Vig pushed back a bit, wanting a more polished sound in the production than Bleach, and the final production cost of the album was about $130,000 (The Trichordist).

2

Kurt Cobain Drew Inspiration From The Beatles

It may seem obvious, but sometimes the most obvious easter eggs will hide in plain sight—Kurt Cobain’s lyrics for the initial last song on the album (“Endless Nameless” was a hidden track at first) by The Beatles’ song of a similar title, “Something.” Where The Beatles’ line says “Something in the way she moves,” Cobain ends the line with simply, “Something in the way.”

What many may not know is just how far The Beatles’ influence over Cobain goes. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, producer Butch Vig used Cobain’s love for The Beatles to his advantage: “I kept saying, ‘The Beatles double-tracked all their vocals. Listen to John Lennon. Listen to Paul McCartney. All the vocals are double-tracked.’ And he sat there silent for about five seconds, and then he went, ‘OK.'”

1

The Album Knocked Michael Jackson Off The Number One Spot On The Charts

Roughly four months after the album’s release, Nevermind reached the number one spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album it replaced was Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, which had been released just seven weeks after Nevermind. That album debuted at number one, and stayed there for four consecutive weeks, but totaled a number one stay for ten non-consecutive weeks.

When Nevermind knocked Dangerous out of the number one spot, Nirvana themselves were shocked. Their previous album and debut, Bleach, didn’t exactly underperform per se, peaking at number 89 on the Billboard 200 and reaching platinum sales certification, but Nevermind blew it out of the water, and exceeded all expectations for the band and fans alike.