Nirvana, By Kurt Cobain

c. Other alternative bands were able to reach a wider audience when record companies scrambled to jump on the success of Nirvana.

In the 1960s, Rock ‘n’ Roll was replaced in popularity by other branches of rock such as Acid Rock, Psychedelic Rock and Hard Rock as a hippie counter culture arose, mainly to protest against the Vietnam war. These new forms of rock provided social commentary on the wide range of assassinations and anti-civil rights actions that infested the country, and united those that wanted to end them. They too celebrated anti-authority actions, but now they were used to promote peace and drugs. Americans—mainly college students—were still rebelling against societal constraints, but instead of fighting against the conformity of white suburbia and their parents, they were uniting to fight against U.S. governmental authority. Rock in the 1960s still mainly appealed to the younger generations, but its influence was spreading. Folk Rock (Bob Dylan) was playing in protest, reminding the individuals there that they were fighting for peace, and Psychedelic Rock—which replicated or enhanced the mind altering experience of psychedelic drugs—created a soothing and new atmosphere in the U.S. Music festivals such as Woodstock in 1969 sprung up to promote peace, do drugs, listen to music, and enjoy being alive and young.6 However, this element of extreme partying and pleasure, eventually brought a few stars to early deaths, such as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. In the

Rock ‘n’ roll and 20th Century Culture      According to Philip Ennis, rock ‘n’ roll emerged from the convergence of social transformations which resulted from World War II (Ryan 927). Despite its pop culture origins, rock music is arguably one of the strongest cultural factors to develop in this century. Artists such as Lennon, McCartney and Dylan defined the emotions of a generation and, in the last decade, it as even been acknowledged by members of the establishment which it hoped to change as a major influence in the country. In order to understand how rock went from a sign of rebellion to a cultural icon, it is necessary to understand where it came from.      According to Albert

Kurt Cobain is the frontman of the 90’s rock band Nirvana. He was married to Courtney Love for two years before he died in 1994. The Seattle Police Department say that he had committed suicide but conspiracy theorists say otherwise. Some say that the police are wrong and he did not commit suicide but was, in fact, murdered. They say that Courtney Love was behind it. After a documentary called Soaked In Bleach was released in

While it is widely rumored that many of Bob Dylan’s songs were written while he was under the influence of various drugs, I’m not so sure that those rumors are accurate. Following a 1991 interview conducted by Paul Zollo with Bob Dylan, Zollo stated that “There’s an unmistakable elegance in Dylan’s words, an almost biblical beauty” and that “Dylan’s answers give you a lot to think about while not necessarily revealing much about the man”. (Zollo 2) The same can be said with regard to many of the lyrics of Dylan’s songs. The lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man”, for example, are wildly descriptive and sometimes confusing and can leave a listener (or a reader) open to many different interpretations, some more complex than others, with no real meaning ever being clearly stated.

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

understanding that the problems that are a part of rock do not reside in the music

Rock and roll has developed a long way throughout the years from a dance craze in the 1950’s to a political and cultural landscape that is recognized worldwide. Rock and roll has come to define the roots of teenage rebellion, people who don’t follow the norms, and have disrespect for authority. The style of rock and roll itself is a melting pot of music, a combination of sounds that include jazz, country, blues, ragtime, gospel, swing, classical, and ethnic music. It can be a simple variation of three chords to a complex chromatic scale combination. It can convey emotions such as love, hate, fear, lust, sadness, joy, disillusion, or a strong sense of reality. Many things can be said about rock but the fact is that it is the most widely

Manson talked about hate, sadness, God, and suicide/self loathing. Parents were not ready to deal with the reality that their teenagers felt this way. This brings us to the second meaning of the phrase which is how it alludes to how the times were changing. Manson ushered in entertainers who adopted outrageous looks and scandalous lyrics to stand out and gain fame. Parents were not ready for new pop music which emphasized parting and sex.

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

Each new music genre introduces the counterculture or opposition of previous generation’s values. Led Zeppelin sparked the beginning of the heavy metal culture-- the counterculture to psychedelic rock. The anti-war movement was also prevalent in this counterculture. Led Zeppelin and the Vietnam War influenced the new, darker, generation of rock: heavy metal.

When people hear the genre “rock and roll,” they often think of performers like Elvis Presley, AC/DC, and Aerosmith. Those bands have provided the foundation for rock and roll, but the newer bands have to carry over from the bands of the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s to the bands of the 1990’s and the 2000’s. The new generation of bands has just as much, if not more, popularity than the bands of the older generation. Bands do not gain popularity just by showing up to rehearsal, though. Gaining popularity can take years of making music, and sometimes establishing credibility takes more time than other bands. The more popular bands that have many fans are bands like Three Days Grace, Alter Bridge, and Avenged Sevenfold. These three bands have had

Pink Floyd’s The Wall shows the impact of a chaotic educational system. Pink’s childhood describes that the foundation of his “Wall” is built by his primary school teacher. In the movie, the background music, “Another Brick in The Wall”, gives the audience a feeling of repression. At the same time, murky grey take up most of the screen which gives people an image of hopeless and

When it comes to analyzing a song there is no right or wrong way of doing so. Music appeals to people differently and every person will interpret it based on their own feelings. I chose the song Imagine by John Lennon because it’s a song that speaks volume. John lennon is a very sensitive singer that when you listen to his songs it touches your emotions and make you live the situation discussed. In his song “Imagine”, John Lennon expresses and tries to encourage call people to peace regardless all the conflicts that people face such race, religion or ethnicity.

In February 1992 he married Courtney Love, and his daughter Frances Bean Cobain was born shortly after. In Utero, Nirvana’s second album, was released in 1993, and was more open than Nevermind. Despite all the success, Cobain’s heroin usage grew. He attempted suicide on March 4, 1994, but the incident was deemed an accident. On April 7, 1994, Cobain shot and killed himself. He left a note to his wife and daughter that ended “I love you, I love you” (personal communication, April 7, 1994).