Come as You Are (Nirvana song)
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| "Come as You Are" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Nirvana | ||
| from the album Nevermind | ||
| B-side(s) | "Endless, Nameless" | |
| Released | 1992 | |
| Format | CD, 7", 12" | |
| Recorded | 1991 at Sound City, Van Nuys |
|
| Genre | Grunge | |
| Length | 3:39 | |
| Label | DGC | |
| Producer(s) | Butch Vig | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Nirvana singles chronology | ||
| "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991) |
"Come as You Are" (1992) |
"Lithium" (1992) |
| Nevermind track listing | ||
| "In Bloom" (2) |
"Come as You Are" (3) |
"Breed" (4) |
"Come as You Are" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the third song on, and second single from, their 1991 album Nevermind. It was the album's second most successful single, surpassed only by "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Both songs are often credited with breaking Nirvana and grunge music into the mainstream.
Contents |
[edit] Meaning
"Come as You Are" is a welcoming song, encouraging the listener to "come as they are" whether as a friend, or an enemy. The song then takes a twist in which the song's character reassures the listener that he "doesn't have a gun". While many listeners would percieve that Kurt would mean that he doesn't have a physical gun on him the song's prominent line actually means he had nothing to hide from anyone. The pictorial of a gun was used in reference to the fact that a gun is something any one would hide from others if they had possession of one. The line was also a reference to the common belief that Kurt was in possession of a gun, based on the fact that many of the bands songs involved the imagery of a gun.
After the death of the song's author, the media paid much attention to the song's prominent line. Much was also made of other songs on Nevermind mentioning guns, though the album was written and recorded three years before Cobain's death and therefore it was taken as a mere coincidence.
For a while during its writing in February 1991, it was titled "Memoria".
The lyrics "Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach" (along with their debut album, Bleach) refer to a campaign in San Francisco in the late 1980s for intravenous drug users to bleach their needles to reduce the risk of contracting diseases. [1] Cobain was a recognized abuser of heroin.
[edit] Track Listing
- Come As You Are [LP Version]
- Endless Nameless
- School [Live]
- Drain You [Live]
[edit] Music video
Like "Smells Like Teen Spirit", a music video was also made for the song, which features the band in a dark, goth-like room. The appearance of falling water in front of the band distorts and blurs their image, making it somewhat difficult to see their faces (although one can immediately pick up which one is who). Throughout the video, clips of unrelated material (lyric wise) such as cells multiplying at an incredible rate, to a living organism in its embryotic stages are shown, though the main focus is placed on the band. The video clip also features Kurt Cobain swinging away on a chandelier throughout the room, and water begins to flow into the room.
The main (and most identifying) feature in the video related to the song is the image of a gun sinking underwater - and constant references to the gun are shown, mainly in the chorus where Cobain sings "And I swear that I don't have a gun". The image of the gun is also the first image shown in the videoclip. Another reference to the band is the image of a baby (Spencer Elden) swimming underwater (which is shown almost immediately when a fish hook captures a $1 dollar bill) - another reference to Nirvana's album Nevermind (which features the exact same image on its cover).
The clip was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who also directed the video for "Lithium," "In Bloom," and "Sliver."
[edit] 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.[2]
However, conflicting reports state that Killing Joke did file a lawsuit but that it was thrown out of court,[3] or that it was dropped following Cobain's death.[4] Geordie Walker, Killing Joke's guitar player, stated that:[5]
"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, and recorded a version of their song "Requiem" with his own band, the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters even performed "Requiem" live with Coleman at a New Zealand concert.[1]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Welcome to 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.
[edit] Covers
"Come as You Are" has been covered by the following artists:
- British punk band the Vibrators.
- American singer-songwriter Laura Love.
- Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso.
- American singer-songwriter Keith Moore.
- American actor and musician, James Marsters.
- Belfast (Northern Ireland) Postman James Brown (not of soul fame), aka "The King" off the album "Gravelands"
- American jazz, rock and fusion guitarist Charlie Hunter
- Polish jazz band, Pink Freud
[edit] Samples
- Come as You Are (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- "Come as You Are" by Nirvana
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Official New Zealand Singles Chart | No. 3 |
| 1992 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 3 |
| 1992 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 3 |
| 1992 | Slovakian Airplay Charts | No. 6 |
| 1992 | Official Irish Singles Chart | No. 7 |
| 1992 | Official Italian Singles Chart | No. 8 |
| 1992 | Official UK Singles Chart | No. 9 |
| 1992 | Poland Airplay Chart | No. 9 |
| 1992 | Official Finland Singles Chart | No. 12 |
| 1992 | Official French Singles Chart | No. 12 |
| 1992 | Official Holland Singles Chart | No. 14 |
| 1992 | Official Belgium Singles Chart | No. 15 |
| 1992 | Official Spanish Singles Chart | No. 16 |
| 1992 | French Airplay Chart | No. 16 |
| 1992 | Official Switzerland Singles Chart | No. 21 |
| 1992 | Official German Singles Chart | No. 22 |
| 1992 | Official Sweden Singles Chart | No. 24 |
| 1992 | Official Australian Singles Chart | No. 25 |
| 1992 | Official Austrian Singles Chart | No. 28 |
| 1992 | The Billboard Hot 100 (US) | No. 32 |
| 1992 | Canadian National Airplay Chart | No. 33 |
| 1992 | Hot 100 Brasil | No. 51 |
| 1992 | Triple J Hot 100 | No. 76 |
[edit] Accolades
- Ranked #13 in Guitar Magazine's "Riff Of The Millennium Readers Poll" (1999)
- Ranked #49 in Kerrang!'s "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever" (1998)
- Ranked #28 in Kerrang!'s "100 Greatest Singles of All Time" (2002)
- Ranked #9 in NME's "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004)
- Ranked #10 in Q's "10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever" (2004)
- Ranked #445 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" (2004)
[edit] Notes and references
- Nirvana Pay Back Killing Joke
- Cobain Music Community
- Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1
