In 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind changed the music landscape. The album fused hard rock with pop sensibilities, and catapulted Nirvana to super-stardom. Songs like "Smells like Teen Spirit," and "Come as You Are" became smash hits. The average music fan probably knows those songs, but what is Kurt Cobain saying on the rest of Nevermind? I dissected the album, and isolated its nouns, verbs, and adjectives to find out. After counting all of the individual words, I separated my analysis by major themes (themes present in half, or more than half, of the tracklist), and minor themes (themes present in less than half of the tracklist). I discovered 8 themes in Nevermind: Family/Relationships; Sickness/Health; Nature; Religion; Anatomy/Body; Death; Memory; and Weapons. Below, you will find Nevermind's tracklist, and my analysis of the album.
Tracklist: 1. "Smells like Teen Spirit" 2. "In Bloom" 3. "Come as You Are" 4. "Breed" 5. "Lithium" 6. "Polly" 7. "Territorial Pissings" 8. "Drain You" 9. "Lounge Act" 10. "Stay Away" 11. "On a Plain" 12. "Something in the Way" 13. "Endless, Nameless" Major Themes: Family/Relationships; Sickness/Health; Nature; Religion; Anatomy/Body. Family/Relationships: 12/13 songs (Lithium; Territorial Pissings; Stay Away; On a Plain; Smells like Teen Spirit; Come as You Are; Lounge Act; Breed; Endless, Nameless; In Bloom; Something in the Way; Drain You)
Sickness/Health: 9/13 songs (Come as You Are; Breed; Drain You; Stay Away; In Bloom; Polly; Smells like Teen Spirit; On a Plain; Something in the Way)
Nature: 9/13 songs (Drain You; Polly; Smells like Teen Spirit; In Bloom; Come as You Are; Breed; On a Plain; Something in the Way; Stay Away)
Minor Themes: Death; Memory; Weapons Death: 6/13 songs (Stay Away; On a Plain; Endless, Nameless; Smells like Teen Spirit; Drain You; Lithium)
Most Thematic Song: "Smells like Teen Spirit" contains all of Nevermind's 8 themes. Based on my research, I believe this song to be emblematic of the album as a whole. Least Thematic Song: "Territorial Pissings" contains 1 of Nevermind's 8 themes (Family/Relationships). Thematically, this song appears to be the least important. Final Thoughts: Despite Kurt Cobain's ambivalence towards his lyrics, I think my data shows his songs portray consistent themes throughout Nevermind. Based on the aggressive sound of Nevermind, I was surprised to find themes of love and friendship in so many of the songs. Stray Observations:
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1/8/2018 11:54:16 pm
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