Kurt Cobain was known as the lead singer and founder of Nirvana, a band formed in Aberdeen, Washington (Kurt’s home town) in 1987. Nirvana would come to be known as the staple of alternative music, especially in regards to the grunge genre. This band along with many others would propel this kind of music to new heights and bring the idea of the ‘Seattle Music Scene’ into the mainstream. Their debut album ‘Nevermind’ beating out Michael Jackson on the billboard 200 in 1992.
Kurt Donald Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington, at Grays Harbor hospital in the United States, in 1967. His parents were Wendy and Donald Cobain. His mother was a waitress and his father was a mechanic. They divorced when Kurt was 9 years old and this is an event that impacted him a lot. He was the oldest child of two to Wendy and Donald. His full sister, Kimberly Cobain, was born 1970. His mother went on to have another daughter, Brianne O’Conner, while his father remarried and had another son, Chad Cobain, born in 1979.
Save your time!
We can take care of your essay
- Proper editing and formatting
- Free revision, title page, and bibliography
- Flexible prices and money-back guarantee
At the age of 9 years old Kurt’s parents divorced, this left a profound and lasting impact on his personality, changing him to a more rebellious character and soon after this divorce his relationship with his parents would waver, his father breaking his promise not to remarry became faulty between Kurt and him, but at first, he got along well with his stepmom until his step brother was born, things went downhill between the two after that.
Kurt’s mother, Wendy, found a boyfriend but things didn’t seem well at all, the man was commonly abusing her and actually put her into hospital with a broken arm, yet Wendy refused to take any of it to court.
Kurt once said that he used to vandalize on pickup trucks and other such vehicles in the local area writing the words ‘god is gay’ and ‘ain’t got no whatchamacallit’ police records say he was apprehended.
During his early high school years his father put him into a school wrestling team, he was apparently a very talented wrestler but didn’t enjoy the experience so much.
After being put into the custody of his father, Kurt’s rebellious nature exploded, causing his father to send him to family and friends where he soon ended up with the Reed family who were very religious, Kurt would soon find religion before later on changing his mind.
Kurt attended Aberdeen high school, where he soon dropped out a year before graduation, along with Krist Novoselic, whom he would soon play with in Nirvana, the duo’s biggest and most successful project, but during Kurt’s years at school he was often bullied by many other people for having a friend who was homosexual.
Through Kurt’s relationship with Courtney Love the two would mostly bond through the abuse of illicit substances, after just under a year of being together the two were married, just six months after this their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, was born. Days after Courtney Love had given birth to her local authorities visited them, not long after this they were taken to court and challenged on whether or not they were fit to take care of the newborn due to their use of drugs.
Kurt’s band Nirvana made its first debut with the Album ‘Nevermind’, this album would sell seven million copies in the United States and 30 million copies across the globe. The reasons as to why this album in particular became so popular is a bit of a mystery besides the fact that it had such a large music label backing it up, but in my personal opinion, I believe that the line-up of songs in this album and their style are the key to its success. I’m going go through a few songs from the first half of the album to try to explain it.
To kick us off we have, of course, the hit single that everyone has heard, but many may not even know the name: ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. This song utilizes a well-known technique that was popularized by the band Pixies, the loud and quiet technique, along with the bouncy riff, catchy chorus and verses that everyone can hum along to but barely anybody can sing, this makes for a great start to the album.
Second up is ‘In Bloom’. This has many similarities to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, but the most notable difference would be the meaning behind the song. If you actually listen to the lyrics, you’ll find that this song is actually targeted towards the people who like to say they’re listening to Nirvana, when in fact, they’re just hearing them, and not getting the messages that are actually left in the songs.
Next, we have a bit of a quieter and relatively sombre song ‘Come as You Are’ with its groovy low tuned guitar riff, up to its wailing solo. This song is a great example of a much more laid back and mellow Nirvana track that still has their bouncy and party esq vibe to it.
Once again, we are thrown back into the mosh pit with ‘Breed’. The hum of anticipation from Kurt knocking on the back of his guitar’s neck before jumping straight into the fast-paced riff is an instant indication to get up and do something, to make matters worse Dave Grohl comes right behind him with a drum roll on the snare, only to break into an organized frenzy of crashes and cymbals. This is one of my favorite songs.
I feel like Kurt Cobain is remembered as one of the defining characters of music when it comes to the alternative genres and maybe even those outside of it. In 2014 Nirvana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at long last. While Dave Grohl and Krist Novaselic both have went on to be part of many other projects, the two have shown that they still care for the fans out there dying to see a ‘Nirvana reunion’ with the two playing a few Nirvana songs at Cal Jam Hosted by Foo Fighters, but in reality, it wouldn’t be a Nirvana reunion without Kurt. He was the heart and soul of the band. Dave Grohl, and I’m sure Krist Novaselic as well, have both said many times that the songs by Nirvana are like sacred ground and that they should just be left alone.
Stuck on your essay?
