As cultural signposts go, it’s hard to deny the implications of an angst punk trio turned unlikely rock juggernauts dethroning the King of Pop. January 11, 1992 is a pivotal date – marking grunge’s crowning achievement and a rare instance of the counterculture trumping the mainstream. It was the day alternative rock ceased being “alternative” (and perhaps the day the 90s finally shed the last vestige of the previous decade). Nirvana’s Nevermind displaced Michael Jackson’s Dangerous at the top of the Billboard album charts.

Nirvana was formed in 1985 by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington. The duo went through a series of names, including Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Ted Ed Fred as well as a series of drummers. The band finally settled on Nirvana in early 1988, and their first release was the single “Love Buzz/Big Cheese” on indie label Sub Pop. The following year, the band released their full-length debut, Bleach, a college radio favorite but hardly an indication of what January ‘92 held in store.

Nirvana began working on a sophomore effort with producer Butch Vig in April 1990. During these sessions, Cobain and Novoselic replaced yet another drummer, eventually teaming with Dave Grohl, a refugee of the D.C. hardcore scene. Disenchanted with Sub Pop – and trading on the buzz surrounding the Vig sessions - Nirvana jumped to the majors. On a recommendation by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Nirvana signed to Geffen subsidiary DGC Records. The Vig sessions evolved into Nevermind. DGC anticipated sales within the range of 250,000 units, loosely equivalent to Sonic Youth’s modest crossover with Goo. However, the album’s first single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” quickly gained momentum, thanks in part to its breakthrough video. While touring Europe in late 1991, the band’s shows became consistent pandemonium. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was everywhere. By Christmas 1991, Nevermind was selling 400,000 copies a week in the US. Then the unbelievable happened – besting Michael Jackson. Nirvana, now mainstream, ushered in the grunge movement and paved the way for the signing of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. But newfound stardom left Cobain cold. He found himself in the uncomfortable position of generational spokesman and resisted this label with bitingly sarcastic appearances in the media and the release of a challenging third album, In Utero. The stage was set for Nirvana’s demise. The next two years saw continued sales, increasing media notoriety and deadly personal demons - ending with Cobain’s suicide in April 1994.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”
“In Bloom”
“Lithium”
Weird Al parodies Nirvana - an indisputable mark of major chart success - “Smell Like Nirvana”

Nirvana on AllMusic.com
Inside the Heart and Mind of Nirvana (Michael Azzerad, Rolling Stone, April 1992)
Kurt Cobain Biography
Nirvana Web Archive

885 Blog:
Sprayed by Nirvana (Christopher McCarthy, Phila, PA)