In Bloom
| "In Bloom" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Sliver (live)"/"Polly (live)" |
"In Bloom" is a song by the grunge band Nirvana. The song originally appeared on their 1991 breakthrough album, Nevermind, from which it was the fourth single in 1992. It would later appear on the band's greatest hits album, Nirvana in 2002.
Lyrics and meaning
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2007) |
Written by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, the song was meant to be an insult to the many people who ignored the meanings behind songs. It was originally titled "Knows Not What It Means". Rumor had it that Cobain specifically wrote the song about his best friend, Dylan Carlson. The band had a dislike for arena rock, and were disgusted that some of those who listened to that form of music were now fans of their music. Many fans of Nirvana didn't understand Nirvana's songs, in part because many fans had trouble understanding Cobain's then-unusual vocals (a fact famously parodied in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Smells Like Nirvana"). Some fans were apathetic to the lyrical content of Nirvana's songs, and instead listened to their music for the melodies and instrumental content. Kurt stated himself, as seen in the video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!, that 'Music comes first, lyrics are secondary'.
Given this, Nirvana was able to easily parody the less lyrically concerned fans in "In Bloom" without backlash. The song's lyrics, about an unintelligent man who doesn't understand what songs are about (according to the song's chorus: "He's the one/Who likes all our pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he knows not what it means... when I say yeah"), were accepted by fans whether they understood the meaning of the song or not. Ironically, some fans would even sing along to the lyrics at concerts, an activity that was also parodied in the song.
Video
The music video that accompanied the song would also show the band's sense of ironic humor. Parodying The Buddy Holly and The Crickets appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 26th of 1957, and some aspects of the first Beatles performance on February 9th, 1964. The video starts off with an unnamed variety show host (played by former The People's Court host Doug Llewelyn) introducing Nirvana as being "nice and decent fellows." Like in other performances from that era, the video frequently cuts to shots of hysterically screaming girls in the audience. Their non-stop screaming is heard throughout the entire duration of the song. As the video progresses, the band begins destroying their instruments, showing themselves to be more like the grunge musicians of their own time. The video would also switch back and forth between scenes of the band playing while wearing business suits and scenes of them playing in dresses. This video won "Best Alternative Video" award at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.
Other versions
The band previously made a video in 1990 for a different earlier version of "In Bloom", recorded while still on Sub Pop Records. This was released on the Sub Pop video compilation Sub Pop Video Network Programme 1 and later featured on the DVD on the 2004 boxset With the Lights Out.
There are also three different edits of the "Ed Sullivan" version. The original version, in which the band is in suits for the entire video, was never released. The more popular version features the band switching back and forth from a conservative performance in suits, and then to a more violent performance in dresses. The less popular version, credited as, "Version 1 - Dresses," is just one long take of the destructive performance in drag.
Track listing
The following songs appeared on the single (Nevermind version):
- "In Bloom" [LP Version] - 4:17
- "Sliver" [live, O'Brien Pavilion (Del Mar, California) 1991.12.28] - 2:06
- "Polly" [live, O'Brien Pavilion (Del Mar, California) 1991.12.28] - 2:47
All songs written by Kurt Cobain.
Personnel
- Kurt Cobain - Vocals, Guitars
- Dave Grohl - Drums, Backing vocals
- Krist Novoselic - Bass
- Butch Vig - Producer
- Andy Wallace - Producer
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 5 |
| 1992 | Slovakian Airply Charts | No. 5 |
| 1992 | Official Irish Singles Chart | No. 7 |
| 1992 | Poland Airplay Chart | No. 15 |
| 1992 | Official New Zealand Singles Chart | No. 20 |
| 1992 | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 28 |
| 1992 | Official Sweden Singles Chart | No. 30 |
| 1992 | Finland Mitä hittiä Chart | No. 36 |
| 1992 | Official Australian Singles Chart | No. 75 |
| 1992 | Official Holland Singles Chart | No. 87 |
Accolades
- Ranked #16 in NME's "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004).
- Ranked #407 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (2004).
- Ranked #65 in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (2007).[1]
Rock Band appearance
"In Bloom" appears as a main setlist track in the music video game Rock Band.
The album Nevermind will also be available as a pack to be downloaded and added to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Rock Band.
