Nirvana: The Stories Behind Every Song

by Chuck Crisafulli

There have been precious few truly revolutionary events in rock Elvis Presley's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show... the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the unforeseen, meteoric ascent of a band from Nirvana. Unflaggingly faithful to its punk rock roots, Nirvana was the catalyst behind a sea of change the likes of which the music world had not seen since The Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion more than a quarter of a century before.Crisafulli tells the story behind every track on the band's albums. Why did Cobain feel moved to write 'Polly'? What is Teen Spirit? Who is Floyd the Barber? All is revealed in this book, which discusses and examines all of the band's output.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2019

Reviews

[Paul Sutter]

In the spirit of truth and transparency, I must say I was never a fan of Nirvana. I have never owned any of their music, and would never run to turn up the radio if their song was played. I make no apologies for this.
But there is no denying their following is as legendary as the band itself, with millions eating, sleeping, and obsessed with the band. They not only released million selling albums, but they routinely sold out any stadium or hall they played in.
In the book NIRVANA THE STORIES BEHIND EVERY SONG, followers of the band will get to see just how much of their music came about. It might give an even deeper appreciation for their songs.
Their album Bleach was released in 1989. Then, they were not high profile or even well known. They were an Indie band, emerging on the scene. They sold 30,000 copies. Following up with Nevermind, and a modest pressing of 50,000 copies, that truly brought them into the spotlight. Songs on the album like Smells Like Teen Spirit, Lithium, and Something In The Way, solidified and expanded their fan base immensely.
We see the evolution of their songs, and the maturity of the lyrics changing. The book tells of the subtle meaning of some tunes, especially for Kurt Cobain. Author Cristafulli thoroughly analyzes the songs, and even talks about what Courtney Love brought to Cobain’s life and music. Considering how Kurt’s life ended, the book serves as a tribute to the band, and a man and his music.

[Jonathan Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the original, larger size and paperback cover, version of this and never properly read it. Saw the updated version in hardback with notes on You Know You're Right so bought it from Fopp in 2 for £6 deal.

Genuinely loved this book as it gives background to every Nirvana song as well as interpretations of the meaning of the song and lyrics - and this is something I'm really fascinated by for every band, but especially someone as complex as Kurt Cobain.

I enjoyed and appreciated the structure of this book - albums in chronological order - with introductions to each record and song by song analysis. There were lots of great photos and a chronology, discography, and exclusive interview with Kurt too.

I will continue to refer back to this book for years to come. I would just love to see an updated version with notes on B sides and rarities.

[Buford Bernardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis vrmt triste