When Nirvana rocked the MTV Unplugged stage, Kurt Cobain openly shared his regret about not getting the same recognition as other great songwriters like Eddie Vedder.
He wished people talked about his songwriting skills more, instead of just focusing on Eddie Vedder.
Dave Grohl, looking back on the band’s music-making process, remembered Cobain’s love for melody above everything else.
Kurt Cobain would tell him, “Tunes first, lyrics later,” and Grohl believed Cobain’s true talent lay in creating catchy tunes.
Though Cobain never positioned himself as a fan spokesperson, his worldwide fame as a rockstar started affecting him while working on his third album.
Just a year and a half after their breakthrough, ‘In Utero’ emerged as Cobain’s rebellious take on mainstream music. The album intentionally carried songs that defied typical commercial appeal.
Despite Cobain being the main songwriter, ‘Scentless Apprentice’ was special because it marked a moment when all Nirvana members got credit for composing.
Born from an impromptu jamming session, Cobain originally wrote the music for ‘Scentless Apprentice’ inspired by the book ‘Perfume.’ Interestingly, the song featured a line that even Dave Grohl cherished, a line penned by Cobain.
Grohl shared his thoughts about the song’s impact, singling out a specific part of ‘Scentless Apprentice’ as his personal favorite.
He told Mojo magazine:
“In any Nirvana song, there’s a line that I absolutely adore, which might not be too well-known. Its true significance hit me when I was back home in Seattle, listening to the first mixes of ‘In Utero.’ The line from ‘Scentless Apprentice’ where Kurt sings, ‘You can’t fire me ’cause I quit,’ is the one that gives me goosebumps. Among all the lines in any song, that one holds a special power for me.”
