Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

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"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by The Vaselines
from the EP Dying for It
Released1987
Genre Indie pop
Length3:31
Label 53rd & 3rd
Songwriters Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
"Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
Released1 November 1994
Recorded18 November 1993
Venue Sony Music Studios, New York City
Genre Grunge
Length4:37
Label DGC
Songwriters Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
Producers Alex Coletti, Scott Litt, Nirvana
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"

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by the Scottish alternative band the Vaselines. It was later covered by American rock band Nirvana in 1993 who renamed it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam".

History

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by the Scottish alternative band the Vaselines for their EP Dying for It . [1] It is a parody of the Christian children's hymn "I'll Be a Sunbeam", which has the opening line "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam." The Vaselines re-released the song in 1992 on the compilation albums The Way of The Vaselines: A Complete History , [2] and All the Stuff and More.

Two more versions were released by Nirvana on their 2004 box set With the Lights Out . These were an acoustic version recorded in Portugal in 1994, and a live electric performance on the DVD section of the box set that was recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on 31 October 1991. [3] This version was re-released in 2011 as a bonus track on the 20th anniversary edition of the Nevermind album and on the Live at the Paramount DVD and Blu-ray. [4]

In the version featured on the MTV Unplugged in New York album, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain refers to the song as "a rendition of an old Christian song, I think. But we do it the Vaselines' way." [5] At a Nirvana concert that took place on 30 December 1993, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, Cobain dedicated the song to the recently deceased River Phoenix. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Alexander, Phil (April 5, 2019). "Kurt Cobain's 50 favourite albums". Kerrang! . Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ Scott, Jerry (30 June 2013). "The Vaselines - Complete History". obatik.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ Furniss, Matthew. Nirvana Uncensored On the Record. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN   9781781580059.
  4. ↑ Appelo, Tim (September 26, 2011). "'Nirvana Live at the Paramount' DVD Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  5. ↑ Kurt Cobain, Nov. 18, 1993. MTV Unplugged in New York , DGC Records, released Nov. 1, 1994.
  6. ↑ Borzillo, Carrie (April 23, 1994). "Cobain Death Spurs Rush at Retail" (PDF). Billboard . p. 102. Retrieved December 24, 2021.


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