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Come as You Are (Nirvana song)

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For other songs and uses of the phrase, see Come as you are.
"Come as You Are"
Song
B-side"Endless, Nameless"

"Come as You Are" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by frontman Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on (and second single from) the band's second album Nevermind (1991). It was the album's second most successful single, and the band's second American Top 40 hit in 1992.

Background

"Come as You Are" was one of the few new songs Nirvana recorded onto a rehearsal tape the group sent to producer Butch Vig prior to the recording of Nevermind in 1991.[1] The group recorded the song with Vig during album sessions at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, in early 1991. "Come as You Are" was selected as the second single from the album; it was anticipated that the album's first single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", would be a "base-building alternative cut", while "Come as You Are" would be able to cross over into other radio formats. However, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" became a surprise hit and boosted the band's popularity.[2]

After its release as a single in March 1992, "Come as You Are" peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was the band's second and last American Top 40 hit.[3] The single stayed on the chart for 18 weeks.[4] The song also reached number three on the Billboard Mainstream and Modern Rock Tracks charts.[3]

Lyrics

The song's prominent line "And I swear that I don't have a gun" has also been interpreted to mean that Cobain "had nothing to hide from anyone." Cobain was known for writing using heavy metaphor in his lyrics, allowing fans to decide what the words meant to them. After the death of the song's author, the media paid much attention to the song's prominent line, and other songs on Nevermind that mentioned guns, though the album was written and recorded three years before Cobain's death and therefore it was taken as a mere coincidence.

Music video

The music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who later directed the videos for "Lithium," "In Bloom," and "Sliver." After the unsatisfactory experience filming the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with Samuel Bayer, Cobain selected Kerslake due to his impressionisic style. Cobain was unable to formulate any ideas beyond homaging the Nevermind album cover and including "a lot of purples and reds", so he let Kerslake conceptualize the clip.[5] The band shot outdoor footage in a park in Hollywood Hills a few days prior to the main video shoot. Kerslake projected this footage in the background of many shots in the main part of the video.[6]

The video features the band in a dark room, where the appearance of falling water in front of the band distorts and blurs the band members' faces (an idea suggested by Cobain).[5] Throughout the video, clips such as cells multiplying at an incredible rate, to a living organism in its embryotic stages are shown. The video clip also features Kurt Cobain swinging away on a chandelier throughout the room, and water begins to flow into the room. In addition, the video shows parts involving a dog wearing a cone collar. Images of a baby swimming underwater (a reference to the cover of Nevermind) and a gun floating appear. Towards the end, a clip of the band appears, with Cobain in the front, lying on the ground and kissing the camera.

Killing Joke controversy

When Nevermind was released, members of the British post-punk band Killing Joke claimed the main guitar riff of "Come As You Are" plagiarized the riff of their own single, "Eighties". The band, however, did not file a copyright infringement lawsuit, which according to Rolling Stone was "due to personal and financial reasons." In some interviews, Jaz Coleman stated he did not file a lawsuit because the members of Nirvana openly confessed to him that they indeed took the riff, which he said was all he wanted to hear.[7]

However, conflicting reports state that Killing Joke did file a lawsuit but that it was thrown out of court,[8] or that it was dropped following Cobain's death.[9] Geordie Walker, Killing Joke's guitar player, stated that:[10]

"We are very pissed off about that, but it's obvious to everyone. We had two separate musicologists' reports saying it was. Our publisher sent their publisher a letter saying it was and they went 'Boo, never heard of ya!', but the hysterical thing about Nirvana saying they'd never heard of us was that they'd already sent us a Christmas card!"

Nevertheless, apparently neither band held a grudge about this; ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl played drums on Killing Joke's thirteenth (second self-titled) album in 2003.[11]

Other versions

An acoustic version of "Come As You Are," from Nirvana's MTV Unplugged set on November 18, 1993, appears on the album MTV Unplugged in New York. The album was released in November 1994.

A live rendition, recorded on November 25, 1991 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, appears on the band's 1994 home video, Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!. It features Cobain screaming the song's lyrics over an out-of-tune guitar. The Nevermind version appears on the compilation album, Fender 50th Anniversary Guitar Legends, released in 1996 to celebrate the Fender guitar company's 50th anniversary. The Nevermind version also appears on the band's 2002 "best-of" compilation, Nirvana.

Outtakes from the "Come As You Are" music video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, appear on the DVD menu of the band's 2004 box set, With the Lights Out.

A boombox-recorded demo version appears on the 2005 compilation album, Sliver - The Best of the Box. It was recorded in March 1991 as part of a demo tape sent to Nevermind producer Butch Vig.

The TV program Cold Case featured the song at the ending scene.

The song's lyrics are vaguely referenced in "Adam's Song" by California pop-punk band "blink-182" when it says "I took my time, I hurried up. The choice was mine...."

Welcome to Aberdeen

Tribute to Kurt Cobain in Aberdeen

In 2005, a sign was put up in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain's hometown, that reads "Welcome to Aberdeen - Come As You Are" as a tribute to Cobain. The sign was paid for and created by the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee, a non-profit organization created in May 2004 to honor Cobain. Founded by author Jeff Burlingame and Aberdeen City Councilman Paul Fritts, the Committee also plans to create a Kurt Cobain Memorial Park and a youth center in Aberdeen. This may be considered somewhat ironic, as Cobain openly spoke about his hatred for Aberdeen and the friends he had there while growing up.

Samples

Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end

Track listing

  1. "Come As You Are" [LP Version]
  2. "Endless, Nameless"
  3. "School" [Live]
  4. "Drain You" [Live]

Chart positions

References

Notes

  1. ^ Azerrad, p. 166-67
  2. ^ Azerrad, p. 227
  3. ^ a b c d e Nirvana Artist Chart History: Singles. Billboard.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  4. ^ "come As You Are". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2004. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Azerrad, p. 246
  6. ^ Azerrad, p. 247
  7. ^ "Jaz and Youth Interview (video)". Retrieved 2006-09-26.
  8. ^ "Conspiracy of Two". Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  9. ^ "Interview with Killing Joke's Geordie". Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  10. ^ "December 1994 Guitarist Magazine". Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  11. ^ Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003-04-10). "Nirvana Pay Back Killing Joke - Dave Grohl drums on UK band's first studio album in seven years". ARTISTS. RollingStone. Retrieved 2007-11-24. Twelve years after Nirvana borrowed heavily from Killing Joke's "Eighties" to create "Come As You Are," the reunited UK band is borrowing the defunct Seattle band's drummer to make its first studio album in seven years.
  12. ^ Nirvana - Come As You Are. Australian-Charts.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  13. ^ Nirvana - Come As You Are. AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  14. ^ Nirvana - Come As You Are. LesCharts.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  15. ^ Nirvana - Come As You Are. SwedishCharts.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  16. ^ Nirvana - Come As You Are. SwissCharts.com. Retrieved on June 4, 2008.
  17. ^ Roberts, David, ed. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th edition. HIT Entertainment, 2006. ISBN 1-90499-410-5.
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