About a Girl (Nirvana song)

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"About a Girl (Unplugged)"
A 20-second sample of "About a Girl" from the live album MTV Unplugged in New York (1994). The slower live rendition features a stripped-down arrangement and tighter, more subdued performance, transforming the song into a moody ballad. [8]
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The MTV Unplugged version of "About a Girl" was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album MTV Unplugged in New York, released the following month. It was the only commercial single released from the album, and featured the Unplugged version of "Something in the Way" as the b-side. Cobain opened the song by saying, "This is off our first record. Most people don't own it."

The performance was released as a music video which peaked at number 2 on MTV's most played videos in the US in December 1994, [35] and was also played on MTV Latino, The Box, and MuchMusic in Canada. [36] It was placed in the Buzz Bin on MTV Europe, [37] before being placed into heavy rotation. [38] It was also played on Video Smash Hits and Rage in Australia. [39]

Reception

Reviewing MTV Unplugged in New York for the NME, John Harris wrote that the song's "musical backdrop suggests The Beatles in 1964, at their lovelorn best: minor-key introspection gives way to regular traces of lightened-up calm, only to regain the upper hand within bars. ... For that reason, encapsulated in the fact that it rides on a divinely simple verse/ chorus/ verse undertow, it may be the most beautiful song here." [40]

Track listings

"About a Girl"
Nirvana about a girl.png
Single by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
B-side "Something in the Way" (live)
ReleasedOctober 24, 1994 (1994-10-24)
RecordedNovember 18, 1993 (1993-11-18)
Genre
Length3:37
Label DGC
Songwriter(s) Kurt Cobain
Producer(s) Nirvana · Scott Litt
Nirvana singles chronology
"Pennyroyal Tea"
(1994)		"About a Girl"
(1994)		"Polly"
(1994)
MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
13 tracks
  1. "About a Girl"
  2. "Come as You Are"
  3. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
  4. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  5. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Polly"
  8. "On a Plain"
  9. "Something in the Way"
  10. "Plateau"
  11. "Oh, Me"
  12. "Lake of Fire"
  13. "All Apologies"
  14. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [84] Platinum70,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [85]
Sales since 2009 		Gold50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [86]
Unplugged version 		Platinum30,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [87] Gold30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [88]
Sales since 2006 		Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

YearPublicationCountryAccoladeRank
1998 Kerrang! United Kingdom20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars [89] 8
2004 Q High Spirits: 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever [22] 2
2011 NME Nirvana: Their 10 Best Tracks [90] 2
2023 The A.V. Club United StatesEssential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked [91] 3

Other releases

Unreleased studio versions

Personnel

Bleach

MTV Unplugged in New York

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References

Notes

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