Do Re Mi (Nirvana song)

Last updated
"Do Re Mi"
Song by Nirvana
from the album With the Lights Out
ReleasedNovember 23, 2004
RecordedJanuary 1994
Length4:24 (Sliver: The Best of the Box)
10:11 (Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings)
Label DGC
Songwriter(s) Kurt Cobain
Producer(s) Kurt Cobain

"Do Re Mi" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It first appeared on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out , released in November 2004. A second version appears on the deluxe edition of Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings , released in November 2015.

Contents

Origin and release

Originally titled "Dough, Ray and Me" and then "Me and my IV", the song officially released as "Do Re Mi" is one of the last-known Cobain compositions. Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, began mentioning the song in interviews shortly after Cobain's death in April 1994, naming it as one of his "three completed, finished" unrecorded songs, along with "Opinion" and "Talk to Me". [1] In a 1994 Rolling Stone interview, she told interviewer David Fricke:

"The third one, I can't sing. It's too fucking good. Every part of it is really catchy. He was calling it 'Dough, Ray and Me.' I thought it was a little corny. It was the last thing he wrote on our bed. The chorus was 'Dough, Ray and me/Dough, Ray and me,' and then it was 'Me and my IV.' I had asked him after [Cobain's suicide attempt in Rome, Italy] to freeze his sperm. So there's this whole thing about freezing your uterus." [1]

In 2002, Jim DeRogatis was allowed to listen to the song and other unreleased recordings in Love's living room, and described it as boasting "a beautiful, Beatlesesque melody in the tradition of 'About a Girl'; a standout track from Bleach . In addition to an endearingly rough guitar solo, its other outstanding feature is the moaned/whined/chanted repetition of "Dough/Ray/Me, Do/Re/Mi" over and over during a long and climactic finale". [2] In addition to the "solo acoustic demo taped in [Cobain's] bedroom" that he heard and described in the article, DeRogatis stated that a four track version, featuring Cobain on drums and vocals, Nirvana second guitarist Pat Smear on guitar, and Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson on bass, was also recorded. [2]

The solo acoustic demo of the song was released, under the title "Do Re Mi", on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004. The same version was re-released on the band's compilation album Sliver: The Best of the Box in November 2005.

A medley of previously unreleased demo versions, over 10 minutes long, appears on the deluxe edition of Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings , released in November 2015.

To date, no version of the song featuring the re-written "Me and my IV" lyrics has been released.

Reception

Dan Weiss of Spin described "Do Re Mi" as Cobain's "best posthumously released song—take that 'You Know You're Right.'" [3] Collin Brennan of Consequence of Sound called it "the finest Cobain composition that never saw the light of day during his lifetime" and wrote, "If Paul McCartney was born a few decades later and opted for dirty flannel instead of a moptop, this is the kind of tune he might have spawned." [4]

Recording and release history

Date recordedStudioProducer/recorderReleasesPersonnel
Early 1994Cobain residence, SeattleKurt Cobain Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (2015)
Early 1994Bedroom, Cobain residence, SeattleKurt Cobain With the Lights Out (2004)
Sliver: The Best of the Box (2005)
  • Kurt Cobain - vocals, guitar
March 1994Basement, Cobain residence, SeattleKurt CobainUnreleased
March 25, 1994Basement, Cobain residence, SeattleKurt CobainUnreleased
  • Kurt Cobain - vocals, guitar
  • Pat Smear - guitar

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Cobain</span> American rock musician (1967–1994)

Kurt Donald Cobain was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona, Cobain's compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock. He was heralded as a spokesman of Generation X and is considered one of the most influential musicians in the history of alternative rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirvana (band)</span> 1980s and 1990s American rock band

Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Founded by lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, the band went through a succession of drummers, most notably Chad Channing, and then recruited Dave Grohl in 1990. Nirvana's success popularized alternative rock, and they were often referenced as the figurehead band of Generation X. Their music maintains a popular following and continues to influence modern rock culture.

<i>In Utero</i> 1993 studio album by Nirvana

In Utero is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana. It was released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound that was also reminiscent of their debut album, Bleach (1989). Although frontman and lyricist Kurt Cobain claimed that the album was “very impersonal”, many of its songs contain heavy allusions to his personal life and struggles, expressing feelings of angst that were common on Nevermind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Know You're Right</span> 2002 single by Nirvana

"You Know You're Right" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by lead vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the first song on the band's self-titled greatest hits album, and the last song the band recorded before Cobain's death in April 1994. Released officially on October 2, 2002, via DGC Records—eight years after the song was recorded—it is the final single credited to the band.

<i>With the Lights Out</i> 2004 compilation box set by Nirvana

With the Lights Out is a box set by the American rock band Nirvana released in November 2004. It contains three CDs and one DVD of previously rare or unreleased material, including B-sides, demos, and rehearsal and live recordings. The title comes from the lyrics of Nirvana's 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit". The box set was planned for release in 2001, but was delayed by a legal battle with Courtney Love, the widow of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. As of 2016, With the Lights Out had sold 546,000 copies in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape Me</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Rape Me" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On a Plain</span> Song by Nirvana

"On a Plain" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the 11th track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Apologies</span> Song by Nirvana

"All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the 12th track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song closes the American version of the album, while non-US versions of In Utero feature an additional song, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip," which begins after approximately 20 minutes of silence on the same track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly (Nirvana song)</span> Original song was written and composed by Kurt Cobain

"Polly" is a song by the American alternative rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the sixth song on their second album Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.

"Been a Son" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It was originally released on the Blew EP in November 1989, which charted at number 15 on the UK Indie Singles chart.

"Sappy" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It was first released as a hidden track on the AIDS-benefit compilation album, No Alternative, in October 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serve the Servants</span> 1993 song by Nirvana

"Serve the Servants" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the first track on their third and final studio album In Utero, released in September 1993.

"Opinion" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. Never performed in concert and not confirmed to have been recorded in the studio, the song was initially survived only by a heavily-bootlegged solo acoustic version, recorded by Cobain during his appearance on the KAOS (FM) Boy Meets Girl radio show on September 25, 1990. in 2015, a brief clip of a second version, believed to be a demo, appeared in the Cobain documentary Montage of Heck, directed by Brett Morgan.

Talk to Me is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Age (song)</span> 1993 song by Nirvana (re-recorded by Hole)

"Old Age" is a song first released by the American rock band Hole, written by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana with lyrics later written by Courtney Love. At the time of Hole's recording of the song, Love was married to Cobain.

"Spank Thru" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears on the compilation album Sub Pop 200, released in December 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Hate Myself and Want to Die</span> Nirvana song

"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It was first released in November 1993 as the first track on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience compilation album which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck</i> 2015 American film about Kurt Cobain. The guitarist, singer, and frontman of Nirvana

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a 2015 American documentary film about Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain. The film was directed by Brett Morgen and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical release worldwide and premiered on television in the United States on HBO on May 4, 2015. The documentary chronicles the life of Kurt Cobain from his birth in Aberdeen, Washington in 1967, through his troubled early family life and teenage years and rise to fame as frontman of Nirvana, up to his suicide in April 1994 in Seattle at the age of 27.

<i>Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings</i> 2015 soundtrack album by Kurt Cobain

Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings is a compilation of home recordings by Kurt Cobain that were used as the soundtrack to the film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, released posthumously on November 13, 2015 by Universal Music. The album was released as a standard 13-track CD, a 31-track deluxe album, and an audio cassette. The 13-track standard version focuses on the music found on Cobain's personal cassettes and the 31-track deluxe version showcases tracks from the documentary including spoken word, demos and full songs.

<i>The Songs of Kurt Cobain</i> 2007 box set by Nirvana

The Songs of Kurt Cobain is a 5-disc CD box set of music by the American rock band Nirvana, released as a promo only in 2007. The first three CDs feature songs by Nirvana themselves, while the last two discs feature covers by 11 other artists as well as seven "lullaby" and six "string" renditions of the band's songs.

References

  1. 1 2 Courtney Love: Life Without Kurt rollingstone.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. 1 2 A piece of Kurt Cobain - BY JIM DeROGATIS POP MUSIC CRITIC, March 10, 2002 jimdero.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ Weiss, Dan (November 10, 2015). "Review: 'Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings' Is a Reminder That Kurt Cobain Is Dead". Spin.
  4. ↑ Brennan, Collin (November 10, 2015). "Kurt Cobain – Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings". Consequence of Sound.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Nirvana Wars". Spin . SPIN Media LLC. June 2002. p. 72. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.