Kurt Cobain's Influence On The Music Industry

Although they only had seven years together as a band, Nirvana is thought of as one of the most influential bands of all time. Before Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, the band only recorded three studio albums, Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utereo. Combined, their estimated total record sales are over 75 million worldwide, with Nevermind and In Utereo reaching Diamond status. Nirvana solidified their place in rock history by bringing alternative rock to the mainstream, expressing raw emotion in their music that had never been heard before and probably not since. (“Nirvana

Early 1992 was when Nirvana’s significance in the music industry started to flourish. “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, the lead single from their breakthrough album Nevermind, gained overwhelming popularity, and as a consequence led to the success of Nevermind. On January 11 1992, Nirvana performed songs “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Territorial Pissing” as a music guest on Saturday Night Live, their network television debut (Burlingame, Kurt Cobain: “Oh well, Whatever Nevermind”). The appearance on Saturday Night Live was a game-changer for Nirvana’s career: Within 24 hours of their widely televised and highly controversial performance, Nevermind replaced Michael Jackson’s Dangerous at the number-one spot on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming their first chart-topping album. However, Nirvana’s success did not stop there; as time goes by, it was proven that Nirvana can gain commercial success continuously. Music Critic Robert Christgau notably mentions that “Jump-started by the contagious alienation anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the 1991 Nevermind went on to sell more than ten million copies, and transformed him into the first class - crossing rock idol of substance since Springsteen discovered

Kurt Cobain; one of the most famous and influential musicians in the history of rock and roll - more specifically, Grunge. Being a member of Nirvana, the most prominent band in the history of the genre isn’t the only accomplishment of the late, great musician though as he also won many awards. Kurt Cobain had an interesting upbringing, successful musical career, and a life that ended with a sudden death.

Kurt Cobain was one of rock’n’rolls most well known musicians. He was the main founder of the band Nirvana, Kurt was the lead singer and guitarist. He's most known for his song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ which was released in 1998. Kurt had a rough adult life which was influenced by his rocky childhood. When he was in his early teens he began experimenting with drugs, which he continued to use in his adult life. On April 5, 1994 Kurt was found dead in his home where he had overdosed on heroin and shot himself with a shotgun, it was ruled a suicide by officials but many think that his wife, Courtney Love, had something to do with it. Kurt Cobain is an example of a tragic hero because he was a very dedicated musician, who tragically took his life during the height of his career

Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the Seattle based grunge rock band Nirvana. As Nirvana's lead songwriter, guitarist, and singer, Cobain took the music industry by surprise and is considered the godfather of the grunge rock movement. Cobain and his band had a prevalent influence on young teenagers of the 1990s and were considered idols by numerous individuals. Nirvana took the popular music industry by storm when they were able to revamp the genre of grunge rock and cause a dramatic shift in music, away from the dominant genres of the 1980s. The success of Kurt Cobain was overshadowed by numerous of his psychological problems including drug addiction, his unstable marriage to music celebrity Courtney Love, and constant pressure from the

The grunge music of the 90’s might be a product of the times and changing of opinions, it still has a strong presence and legacy in the modern age. Music critics can argue about whether grunge music’s effects on rock music were positive or negative but the main point is that it did affect the music, fashion, and cultural world in a huge way. The grunge movement affected not only the music world and but the overall society of the 90’s and every decade that followed. Grunge emerged from Seattle in the late 1980s. This genre of rock and roll helped create a bridge between mainstream 1980s heavy metal–hard rock and post-punk alternative rock. Eventually, grunge faded—partly because of the death in 1994 of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, who had become a generational spokesman. Some people say that “grunge music ruined rock and roll” when in reality it gave way to new forms of the genre and helped bring harder rock songs to the mainstream audiences of the time.

Nirvana created a new genre of rock, which was grunge rock. Nirvana released their album, Nevermind in 1991. “No album in recent history had such an overpowering impact on a generation-a nation of teens suddenly turned punk-and such a catastrophic effect on its main creator” (Rolling Stone 86-87). This means that the album impacted teens all over the nation. The album changed the lives of many teenagers all over the world, especially the ones who lived in America. Green Day released Dookie in 1994, it had influential songs, which made it a great album. “Even so, the first thing to note about Dookie is that it’s a remarkably good record. Go back and listen again. It’s undeniable” (Romano 5th paragraph). Their record Dookie was one of their

The broadcast of rock 'n' roll through technology has made it viable for future genres to be recognized on larger stages. Starting in 1967, large concerts, that centered rock as the main event, became noticeable and one of these concerts was called Woodstock and it was located in Bethel, New York, in August of 1969 (“The Late 1960s”). The concert, Woodstock, is known as the largest, peaceful rock concert to this day (“The Late 1960s”). Besides the incredible success on stage that rock 'n' roll has made, the technology progressed even more in the 1980s and 1990s through recorded videos. Music videos became a frenzy during these decades. The videos became a main source of entertainment and advertisement, but when bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam entered the scene, music videos became not only a source of entertainment but as personal and political views on society and individuals (“The Late 1970s”). Rock 'n' roll and its mass communication have made many open paths for music categories and the individuals who followed the aid of technology towards their benefits. Relations with technology made rock 'n' roll probable in the lives of young

For over 20 years we have been told by media, investigators, and even those closest to Kurt Cobain himself that his death was a suicide, but as more details are revealed and more people come forward, there is one question that hangs in the air: Was Kurt Cobain murdered? On April 8, 1994, Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain was found dead in the greenhouse of his home in Seattle, Washington. According to the coroner that examined Cobain, he had been dead about three days before he was found (Grove). Only just four days before his death, he escaped from Exodus Recovery Center, where he was staying to get help for his drug addiction.

However, grunge music was not appreciated by everyone. Most adults or elders at that time thought it was too loud, or that it was devilish music. Even metal and rock bands disapproved of grunge, including some bands that helped build the genre’s popularity. Grunge bands fought for popularity, which made matters worse. Nirvana’s late frontman, Kurt Cobain, made a cruel statement about Pearl Jam in an interview. He hated the band with a passion. Not because of their popularity, but the style of their

One of my favourite bands of all time is Nirvana, because this was the first rock band I started listening to at the age of twelve and this established my taste of music until nowadays. However, they had a big influence on their contemporary pop-rock musical industry in the early nineties, as well. Despite the fact that they released only three studio albums in seven years, Nirvana is often regarded as one of the most influential, effective and remarkable rock bands of the century.

Older generations complain today that music these days just does not compare to music of the past, that the music we listen to today has no class and makes us rebellious. Ironically enough, they were told the exact same thing themselves when they were young, along with the generation before them. Rock N’ Roll changed the fabric of society for nearly a century, having evolved from music that was already controversial in itself. As a result, a generation of youth that was either considered rebellious or showed signs of delinquency or rebellion by riots formed. The entire world slowly began to feel the impact of Rock N’ Roll, each nation having their traditions and morals slowly evolving as a result of the music. Rock N’ Roll drastically changed society everywhere because the youth at the time all began to question authority, parents and adults all became conflicted on how the music would change them and racial integration became more commonly accepted as a result of the music. Of course, music of any kind has the greatest impact on the youngest of any generation.

Most conspiracies are just that, conspiracies. Most suicides are ruled as a suicide without any reason to think otherwise. Most homicides can be solved. In the case of Kurt Cobain, however, the controversy surrounding his apparent suicide raises too many red flags. Kurt Cobain was an American icon with no reason to kill himself.

John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England (“John” 1). At the time, World War II was going on (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 14). His parents, Alfred “Alf” Lennon and Julia Lennon divorced when he was a child (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 21) and he had to move in with his aunt and uncle (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 25). In elementary school, he played guitar and harmonica, always enjoying music (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 32). The first song he ever learned was “That’ll be the Day” by Buddy Holly (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 33). As music took over his life, John got distracted and his aunt told him that he could not make a living by playing guitar (Burlingame, John Lennon: Imagine 36). When John was teenager, he started writing and composing music (Canale 1) as well as drawing and writing books. He wrote two books, “In His Own Write” and “A Spaniard in the Works” (Watson 2). Similarly to Lennon, another musician got their inspiration at a young age. Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967 in Aberdeen, Washington to Wendy and Don Cobain (Burlingame, Kurt Cobain: Oh Well… 11). He came from a musical family and was introduced to music at an early age. When he was three years old, he wrote his first song, “Corn on the Cops.” When he started playing guitar, he held it backwards because he was left-handed, and played popular Beatles’ songs like “Hey Jude” (Burlingame, Kurt Cobain: Oh Well… 12). He was fourteen years old when he received his first electric guitar (Burlingame, Kurt Cobain: Oh Well… 18). Like John, Kurt was involved with the visual arts and enjoyed drawing, whittling, and painting (Burlingame, Kurt Cobain: Oh Well… 13). The two musicians’ background allowed them to prosper in the future.

As a child, Cobain’s main influence was Evel Knievel, and he was determined to be reckless and fearless like his hero. As Cobain grew older, however, his influences became primarily musical, and included Neil Young, nicknamed the “Godfather of Grunge,” the Beatles, and various alternative bands (DeRogatis, para. 8). His major accomplishments were his recordings, as Cobain was known as a lyricist more than a musician, despite his short-lived career.