Introduction

One of the earliest grunge albums, Bleach, was provided by the Kurt Cobain lead band, Nirvana. Bleach was released on June 15th, 1989, by Sub Pop Records. Preluded by single “Love Buzz”, Too Many Humans (the working title for the project) peaked at number 89 on the Billboard 200. The title changed when Cobain saw an AIDS prevention poster, with the slogan “Bleach Your Works.”

While the project was released in 1989, it did not see major success until after the release of its successor. 1991 saw the release of the mainstream project, Nevermind. Bleach hit the Billboard list that year and had only sold 40,000 copies prior. Since 1991, Bleach is almost universally seen as one of the greatest debut albums of all time.

The Beginning

While the band had been together prior to the recording of the project, “Love Buzz” was their first single. This was against Cobain’s wishes of their first single not being a cover. Right after the release, the band spent two weeks rehearsing to prepare for recording. These sessions took place in Seattle at Reciprocal Recording, starting on December 24, 1988. Recording continued through the end of the year, into January of 1989.

Prior to the official sessions, in January 1988, the band recorded “Floyd the Barber”, “Paper Cuts”, and “Downer.” These tracks were recorded prior to Chad Channing becoming the drummer for the band, instead using Dale Crover of the Melvins. Instead of re-recording the songs, the band instead remixed the original versions.

Downhill Sessions

Once the album was fully recorded, the band began editing and sequencing. Although completing this, the head of the record label demanded the band re-sequence the album. This was the start of the diminishing relationship between the label and the band. Including certain demands from Bruce Pavitt, the head of the label, Sub Pop delayed the album, while they searched for the financial means to support Bleach.

Eventually, Nirvana was billed for thirty hours of recording. Jason Everman stepped up and paid the bill for the band, as he was thoroughly impressed with the demo. The album was released, and the band embarked on their first European tour later that year. Cobain was not impressed with promotion and distribution of the project, leading to the termination of their partnership.

Kurt’s Lack of Meaning

Now comes the fun part. Cobain was very vocal on his lyricism and its intended purpose. He said a majority of his lyrics were “placeholders” or meaningless. Some of the songs describe what he was feeling the day of recording. That is what makes this album so interesting. A lot of these songs are up to the listeners discretion as far as meanings go.

“Blew”

“Blew” was the first original single for Bleach. The opening track features a very jagged vocal performance from Cobain and utilizes drum fills in the chorus to benefit the guitar solos. In fact, Kurt and Krist forgot they had tuned their guitars down, leading to the Drop C tuning that is present on the track.

As for the lyricism, it seems to be a knock at Cobain himself. The verses talk about his consistent drug usage, which is a theme common throughout. The chorus is written in the perspective of his criticizers who are questioning his own “stain” on his image. He concludes the song knocking his lack of potential not being reached, repeating the phrase “You could do anything.”

“Floyd the Barber”

“Floyd the Barber” was inspired by the 1960s show, The Andy Griffith Show. Cobain takes the characters and setting of the show and turns it into a message regarding the decade as a whole. The premise of the song features the narrator going to get a shave at a barber shop, leading to them being tormented. By the third verse, the writer is dead.

The intentions of using a peaceful and happy image as The Andy Griffith Show are clear. The juxtaposition between the show and the story here portrays the lack of attention brought to the harsh reality of society in the fifties and sixties. Entertainment often portrays the decades as a gleeful time, however, there were plenty of negatives happening in society, many of which had a blind eye turned towards them.

“About A Girl”

One of Nirvana’s biggest hits, “About A Girl”, was written about Cobain’s then-girlfriend, Tracy Marander. She asked Cobain why he had not written a song about her, and this was his response. The song talks about Kurt manning this one-sided relationship, as she would often give him a cold shoulder. He then talks about his desire to stay with her; however, she would have to make sacrifices in scheduling to do so.

“About A Girl” is one of the tamer songs on Bleach, and it is more of a heartfelt song on a darker album. Going back to Marander, she did not even realize the song was written about her for years. It was not until she read Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana that she realized this.

“Negative Creep” & “Scoff”

Both of these tracks are more personal to Cobain, disclosing his own mental ailments. “Negative Creep” details his helplessness and uninterest to his own desires. The title is what he calls himself, showing his feelings of negativity and social detachment. All in all, the track shows Cobain’s loss of innocence, as well as his belief of dullness in his own life.

“Scoff” talks more about Cobain’s childhood, as his parents divorced while he was young. Continually, he delves into the lack of worth in his life, and his only means to cope, alcohol. Alcohol is the looming discussion in the track, as the chorus talks about its abuse to heal pain. The instrumental meets a climax, as Cobain is literally screaming and pleading to obtain his only pain relief back.

The Incredible Debut

All in all, for Cobain’s comments on lack of meaning, upon reading into the lyricism, one can make conclusions on purpose. Most notably, “Floyd the Barber” features most likely the best lyricism on Bleach, making comments on prior lack of attention to social injustices. Most tracks, including the ones not mentioned above, feature some form of a purpose on the project.

It goes without saying that Nirvana has a unique sound on the album. Whether it is the conflicting guitar playing of Krist or Kurt, or the remarkable skill of Channing on sticks, the album rocks the right way. While the project did not find success early, Bleach certainly deserves some recognition as the greatest debut of all time.

Rating: Highly Recommended

Final Notes

As always, take the reviews as opinion pieces. Not everyone will share the same views. These pieces are meant to bring music listeners together. Finally, go give Bleach a listen for yourself and leave your thoughts below.