Song by the band 'Nirvana' from the album 'Nevermind' (1991).
Analysis published 2026-08-13, last updated 2026-08-29.
Riffs
- Intro (cleanish Main riff) (4 bars)
- Main riff / Chorus riff (2 bars)
- Verse riff (2 bars)
- PreChorus riff (2 bars)
- CoolDown riff (2 bars)
Structure
- Intro (4 bars, that's the main riff twice in a cleanish version)
- Main riff (x4)
- Verse riff (x6)
- PreChorus riff (x4)
- Chorus riff (x6)
- CoolDown riff (x2)
- Verse riff (x6)
- PreChorus riff (x4)
- Chorus riff (x6)
- CoolDown riff (x2)
- Solo over Main riff (x8)
- Verse riff (x6)
- PreChorus riff (x4)
- Chorus riff (x10)
- Outro (ringing power chords)
Analysis
As one might infer from the popularity of the song, it is very strong and works well. It is mostly carried by Kurt Cobain's singing and the guitar riffs.
The song has a high intensity. A lot of it comes from the overall feeling the song transports. The build up to the main riff is very intense.
For each time the chorus is played, a lot of time is invested into preparing it and letting it sink in. That is, for 12 bars of chorus, 8 bars of PreChorus and 4 bars of CoolDown are played. That feels like a lot.
It can be said that the song is centered around the chorus. The other sections serve the build-up to it and the fade-out of its high intensity.
Having heard the song a thousand times, the thing that annoys me a little is the PreChorus which seems very repetetive and long, but that is not a very strong feeling.
The verse directly after the solo feels very different from the other verses, although there is only an added power chord and the solo guitar ringing out.
The solo serves the feeling well, but is also required as a bridge. Otherwise the song would be super repetetive.