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, [34] and was also played on MTV Latino, The Box, and MuchMusic in Canada. [35] It was placed in the Buzz Bin on MTV Europe, [36] before being placed into heavy rotation. [37] It was also played on Video Smash Hits and Rage in Australia. [38]

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." [39]

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) [79] Platinum70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [80]
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 [81] 8
2004 Q High Spirits: 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever [22] 2
2011 NME Nirvana: Their 10 Best Tracks [82] 2
2023 The A.V. Club United StatesEssential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked [83] 3

Other releases

Unreleased studio versions

Personnel

Bleach

MTV Unplugged in New York

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ Stephen Thomas, Erlewine. "AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums". NME. No. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Rytlewski, Evan (10 September 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (1994), Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana
  5. ↑ Nash, Rob (19 November 2004). "No less dangerous". The Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Luerssen, John D. (2014). Nirvana FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important Band of the 1990s. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-1-61713-588-0.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cobain, Kurt. "Nirvana 'About a Girl' Sheet Music in E Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. BMG Rights Management . Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Huey, Steve. "Nirvana – About a Girl Song Review by Steve Huey". AllMusic . Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ Golsen, Tyler (May 17, 2023). "The early Nirvana "pop tune" that made Kurt Cobain nervous". Music Industry How To. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ Krist Novoselic (2009-10-28). "Bleach: Krist Novoselic Interviews Chad Channing - Page 1 - Music - Seattle". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  11. ↑ Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 100. ISBN   0-385-47199-8.
  12. ↑ "LiveNIRVANA.com Interview Archive | 1993 | October 25, 1993 - Chicago, IL, US". Live Nirvana. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  13. ↑ "Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". NME . March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ True, Everett (13 March 2007). Nirvana: The Biography . Da Capo Press. p.  116. ISBN   9780306815546.
  15. ↑ "Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". NME . March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  16. ↑ True, Everett (18 March 1989). "Sup Pop. Seattle: Rock City". Melody Maker.
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  19. ↑ Bryant, Will (14 November 2002). "Nirvana: Nirvana". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ↑ "Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums". NME. No. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  21. ↑ "Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". NME . March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  22. 1 2 "123: High Spirits - 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". Q . 2004. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
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  25. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (20 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  26. ↑ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen (21 September 2023). "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Nirvana songs listed by BMI. bmi.com Retrieved on December 26, 2012.
  28. ↑ Muther, Christopher (20 February 2014). "NBC's 'About a Boy' reboots Hornby novel". Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  29. ↑ Hartmann, Graham. "Puddle of Mudd Go Viral for Heavily Criticized Nirvana Cover". Loudwire.
  30. ↑ Smith-Engelhardt, Joe. "SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY PUDDLE OF MUDD'S NIRVANA COVER IS GETTING ATTENTION". Alternative Press. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  31. ↑ Matami, Jo. "Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin Goes Viral With Beautifully WTF Cover of Nirvana's 'About a Girl'". UltimateGuitar.com. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Paige, Gawley (27 April 2020). "Post Malone's Nirvana Tribute Concert Raises More Than $4 Million for Coronavirus Relief". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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  46. ↑ "Contemporary Album Radio". The Record . December 19, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved October 5, 2023. LW
  47. ↑ Schlüter, Johan (January 6, 1995). "Official Danish Singles Top 50". IFPI Danmark Report. No. Week 1. IFPI Danmark, AC/ Nielsen Marketing Research.
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  51. ↑ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . January 7, 1995. p. 15. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media . November 19, 1994. p. 26. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  53. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . Otava Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN   951-1-21053-X.
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  62. ↑ "New Entries Spotlight". UKChartsPlus . No. 661. Official Charts Company. April 26, 2014. p. 29. Retrieved May 26, 2020. The "About a Girl" single charted in the UK based solely on import sales and did not receive a UK release.
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