The serious nature of Kurt Cobain can be seen in the way the
videos are structured. As the
founding member of the band it is likely that he had the most influence on the
content and it is even more likely that he was the main if not sole contributor
to the lyrics of the songs. The
lyrics of the song are initially how the song communicates its meaning. The lyrics
don’t have to match with the scenes and images of the video but, generally that
is how it would be structured.
The videos of this section aim to show how Kurt Cobain was
the central influence on the somber nature of the videos. Examining the lives of Cobain and Grohl
leading up to Nirvana there is a stark contrast. Grohl seemed to be in for the ride because he loved music
and wanted to play. He had been in
many bands through high school ending with his own band Scream. He joined the better-known group and
fed off of the mindset of the older lead singer. Because of this his lighter attitude is overshadowed
completely in all but maybe one of the music videos, which still has a more
serious underlying meaning.
Video #1 - Come As You Are -1991
This song was a part of the Nevermind album released September 24th 1991. It is quite a dark music video depicting a gun, a baby and a hundred dollar bill floating around in what appears to be a pool of water. The majority of the video has a water screen type filter that washes over the screen so that we see the band as underwater. This video has a very impressionistic feel to it as it continually cuts to other clips of cells dividing rapidly and a dog with a cone on it. The baby floating in the water is a reference to the album cover, which Kurt thought was just a cool idea. The meaning of this video could have many spins on it. With Kurt’s known drug problem it is hard to discount the references to drug use in the song. Mud is a slang term for dirty heroin, and a gun can be a reference to a way of smoking heroin. It could also mean, in reference to the title, that Cobain is no judge and everybody should be themselves and “come as you are.” The washed out video is a cool look at how hard it is to see the details of another’s life, therefore don’t judge. Whatever the meaning with is an interesting video, accompanying a very popular song.
Video #2 - Smells Like Teen Spirit - 1991
After a night of heavy drinking and partying Cobain and his friends trashed a rental Kurt was living in by writing all over the walls with sharpie pen. The product was a line, “Kurt smells like teen spirit” While this originally meant that Kurt smells like the deodorant (Teen Spirit) used by a girl he likes, however, he took it as his ability to inspire the youth. This song and video reflect that very much with the depiction of the pep rally from hell. The kids begin patiently sitting in the bleachers as the band begins to play but eventually grow to mosh dancing about and destroying the stage. The song talks about the lethargic state of the youth, and Kurt says, even himself. Which is why he wanted to inspire them, but not in the typical way “adults” would. Lyrics like “oh well, whatever, nevermind” reveal this as a typical answer to a problem from the youth at the time. The video shows a pep squad or cheer leaders dancing to the music , but slowly growing more and more suggestive and slowly revealing the sewn on A on their chest. This references the Nathaniel Hawthorne book, “The Scarlet Letter”, about the adulterous mother forced to wear her shame in the form of a scarlet A on her chest. The squad has this as almost a mascot or uniform for their adulterous nature. The video culminates with the crowd destroying the set and leaving it in a mess for the janitor to clean up showing the ability of Cobain to inspire the youth to burst the lethargic shell and do something, even if it is just destroy a set.
Video # 3 - In Bloom - 1991
Her we finally see Dave Grohl begin to emerge behind the shadow of the leading figure of Kurt even thought the lyrics are Kurt’s feelings on the many people who discriminate against those who are different. The displayed is actually just one of three possible videos, all taking place on the same Ed Sullivan type show in black and white. The videos show first the band in neat clean cut suits appearing just as the announcer had said, great, swell guys. The next video is the same place, but in dresses and acting as they normally might in a show, eventually destroying their instruments and much of the set. The last is a combination of the two, starting with the nice introduction of the announcer mispronouncing the name and eventually cutting back and forth between the two videos. The sing along lyrics talking about singing along but not knowing the meaning shows the irony of many of the people listening to the music. Kurt knew most would act that way and never know what the song was about. Changing from one video to the next on the same set shows how people would want you to act contrasted with how you really feel and want to act. This is revealed further with the band wearing dresses to show how homosexuals might be compelled to live in one way, but would like to break that shell and be free to be themselves.
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