"Lake of Fire" | ||||
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Single by Meat Puppets | ||||
from the album Meat Puppets II and Too High to Die | ||||
Released | March 12, 1994 | |||
Genre | Cowpunk (1984 version) [1] Hard rock (1994 version) [2] | |||
Length | 1:54 (1984 version) | |||
Label | London Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Curt Kirkwood | |||
Meat Puppets singles chronology | ||||
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"Lake of Fire" is a song by the American alternative rock band the Meat Puppets, written by vocalist and guitarist, Curt Kirkwood. [3] It appears on their second album, Meat Puppets II , released in April 1984. An alternate version appeared as a hidden track on their 1994 album, Too High to Die .
The song gained widespread exposure when it was covered, along with two other songs from Meat Puppets II, by American rock band Nirvana during their MTV Unplugged appearance in November 1993. All three songs during the performance featured Curt on guitar and his brother and Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood on bass and backing vocals.
"Lake of Fire" has been performed at the majority of Meat Puppets concerts, as well as at most of Curt Kirkwood's solo shows.
Curt Kirkwood said, "I lived with [bandmates] Cris and Derrick, and probably Cris' girlfriend, Kelly. ... They went to a Halloween party and I was disgruntled because I thought it was nonsense that adults should callously attempt to alter their appearances, that we are already sufficiently foul. ... I was younger then. I just said, 'Talk about man's fall from grace. This is it.'" He also described the song as a "toss-off" and a "cartoon". [4]
The Too High to Die version was released as a promotional single, and featured three versions of the song.
(All songs by Curt Kirkwood unless otherwise noted)
"Lake of Fire" | ||||
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Promotional single by Nirvana | ||||
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Recorded | November 18, 1993 at Sony Music Studios in New York City | |||
Genre | Acoustic rock [5] | |||
Length | 2:56 | |||
Label | DGC Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Curt Kirkwood | |||
Producer(s) | Alex Coletti, Scott Litt, Nirvana | |||
Nirvana singles chronology | ||||
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MTV Unplugged in New York track listing | ||||
"Lake of Fire" was one of three songs from Meat Puppets II, alongside "Plateau" and "Oh, Me," covered by Nirvana during their MTV Unplugged performance on November 18, 1993 at Sony Music Studios in New York City. All three songs featured Nirvana vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain on lead vocals, Curt Kirkwood on lead guitar, Cris Kirkwood on bass and backing vocals, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic on rhythm guitar, and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl on drums. The show was first broadcast in December 1993, and aired numerous times following Cobain's suicide in April 1994. It was released as an album, MTV Unplugged in New York , in November 1994, which opened at number one on the Billboard 200.
Nirvana's cover of "Lake of Fire" was released as a promotional single in Australia, [6] [7] where it received some radio airplay. [8]
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Contemporary Album Radio ( The Record ) [9] | 31 |
Canada Rock/Alternative ( RPM ) [10] | 17 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [11] | 22 |
US Rock Tracks Top 60 ( Radio & Records ) [12] | 18 |
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Rock Tracks ( Radio & Records ) [13] | 92 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [14] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [15] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood, and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix. The three then moved to Tempe, Arizona, where the Kirkwood brothers purchased two adjacent houses, one of which had a shed in the back where they regularly practiced.
MTV Unplugged in New York is the first live album by the American rock band Nirvana, released by DGC Records on November 1, 1994, nearly seven months following the suicide of Kurt Cobain. It was part of the cable television series MTV Unplugged and features a mostly acoustic performance. It was recorded at Sony Music Studios in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, on November 18, 1993.
"Come as You Are" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by frontman and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third track and the second single from the band's second studio album Nevermind, the single released in March 1992. It was the band's second and final American top 40 hit, reaching number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, and second UK top 10 hit, reaching number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached the top 10 in eight countries and the top 40 in eleven further countries.
"All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the final 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.
Too High to Die is the eighth studio album by American rock band the Meat Puppets. The album was released on January 25, 1994, by London Records. It was produced by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The album's title is a parody of The Ramones' 1984 album Too Tough to Die.
"About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.
"The Man Who Sold the World" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The title track of Bowie's third studio album, it was released in November 1970 in the US and in April 1971 in the UK by Mercury Records. Produced by Tony Visconti, it was recorded at Trident and Advision Studios in London in May 1970, towards the end of the album's sessions; Bowie recorded his vocal on the final day of mixing for the album, reflecting his generally dismissive attitude during the sessions. Musically, it is based around a "circular" guitar riff from Mick Ronson. Its lyrics are cryptic and evocative, being inspired by numerous poems including the 1899 "Antigonish" by William Hughes Mearns. Bowie's vocals are heavily "phased" throughout and have been described as "haunting".
Curtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and primary songwriter for alternative rock group Meat Puppets, and for playing with Nirvana on MTV Unplugged in New York.
"Polly" is a song by the American 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.
"In the Pines" is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back to at least the 1870s. The songs originated in the Southern Appalachian area of the United States in the contiguous areas of East Tennessee and Kentucky, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.
Up on the Sun is the third album by the Meat Puppets, released on March 21, 1985 by SST Records. The album features a cleaner and more technical sound with a more psychedelic rock feel, in contrast to the sloppy punk approach of their first album (1982), while continuing with the mystical, poetic lyrics and country-inflected songwriting of Meat Puppets II (1984).
Meat Puppets II is the second album by the Phoenix, Arizona, band the Meat Puppets, released in 1984 by SST Records.
Huevos is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band the Meat Puppets, released on October 27, 1987 by SST Records. The album title is literally the Spanish word for "eggs," although it carries a slang meaning associated with testicular fortitude. Most of the songs were recorded in one take. The cover art is done by guitarist/vocalist Curt Kirkwood.
"Softer, Softest" is a song by American alternative rock band Hole, written by frontwoman Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson. The song was released as the band's eighth song and fourth and final single from their second studio album, Live Through This, in December 1995. The single was released just as the band finished their extensive touring in 1995.
Mirage is the fourth studio album by the American alternative rock band Meat Puppets. It was released in April 1987 by SST Records.
"Plateau" is a song by alternative rock band the Meat Puppets, written by vocalist and guitarist, Curt Kirkwood. It appears on the band's second album, Meat Puppets II, released by SST Records in April 1984.
"Backwater" is a song recorded by the Meat Puppets. It was released as the first single from the group's album Too High to Die. The single was released in three versions: one promo CDS and two singles. It is the Meat Puppets' most successful single. The highest position in the US was No. 47 in Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, No. 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart. The 3 track single features a cover of the Feederz. They Might Be Giants sing back-up vocals on "White Sport Coat".
Rise to Your Knees is the Meat Puppets' eleventh full-length studio album, released on June 18, 2007 digitally, and physically on July 17, 2007. Not only was it their first studio release since 2000's Golden Lies, it was also their first to feature the original bassist Cris Kirkwood since his departure after the release of 1995's No Joke!. The album was given a one-month advance release on the iTunes Store and eMusic.
Rat Farm is the fourteenth full-length studio album by the Meat Puppets. It was released on April 16, 2013, through Megaforce Records.
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