The Music Novice - 8/13/07 - "Nevermind"

Here we go. This is the first post in a series of posts - something you might call a "posting series" - I plan to do in which I listen to and review albums I've never heard. But everyone else has.

First up for this blog is Nevermind by that oh-so-lovable boyband, Nirvana.

Okay.

First of all.

What the hell is Kurt saying? I can't understand a goddamn word. Everyone I talk to says Mr. Cobain was the ultimate singer/songwriter/social poet of his time. But I literally can't understand most of this. So let me look up some lyrics.

I'll take one lyrical selection from the song, "Breed."

Ah-hem.



I don't care if I'm old
I don't mind if I don't have a mind
Get away from your home
I'm afraid of a ghost



What?

Now, I'm not one for literal pop-lyrics about love and "doing" a dance such as "the twist." At the same time, listening to this album feels like listening to a really bad piece of teen poetry from the 90s.

All of the songs are like this. They all have the same quasi-thoughtful lyrics we all wrote after some girl or guy told us they were flattered by our advances, but would rather date someone of their financial / aesthetic class level. Here, right now, I'll write my own Nirvana lyrics.


Sometimes I hate the sun
It hurts my eyes I think
I hide inside to keep away
It's just another manic Monday


I'm not trying to be funny here as you might think. I'm trying to wrap my head around how this music was such a big deal to so many people.

Maybe I'm attacking this music thing from a bad angle. Maybe this music I never heard should be considered on the same level as any album I haven't heard. At the same time, it's hard to not be let down when everyone I know tells me this is the biggest album since Sgt. Pepper's and how it changed the face of music in the 90s.

Really?

Again, I'm trying to avoid being funny here. I'm not making a joke to rile up some angry blog comments. I'm actually trying to see how this music got under people's skin.

Maybe I'm too old? I'm only 23, but I didn't hear this in high school when my parents didn't understand my art and my father wanted me to be a coal miner like him but I told him I was getting out of that town and listen to my music, this is different rock and roll!

And maybe I just grew up in a slightly different time.

In all, there's a couple songs here I'll probably listen to again. However, after being told again and again I was missing a slice of life, I find listening to Nevermind a largely unexciting and - oddly - noncathartic experience. Maybe like most pop-music trying to be deep, this belongs with its time period and is loved for that reason.