Nirvana discography | |
---|---|
Studio albums | 3 |
EPs | 2 |
Live albums | 5 |
Compilation albums | 4 |
Singles | 21 |
Video albums | 7 |
Music videos | 8 |
Miscellaneous | 17 |
The discography of Nirvana, an American rock band, consists of three studio albums, twenty-one singles, five live albums, two extended plays, four compilation albums, and three box sets.
Nirvana was formed in 1987 by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic, with the position of drummer being filled by various musicians. The band released its debut album, Bleach , in 1989 on independent label Sub Pop. After being joined by final drummer Dave Grohl and signing to Geffen Records subsidiary DGC Records, the band released its second studio album, Nevermind , which became one of the best selling alternative albums of the 1990s [1] [2] and popularized the Seattle grunge movement and alternative music. [3] The band's third album, In Utero , was also a commercial and critical success, though it did not match the sales precedent set by Nevermind—as the members of the band expected. [4] Nirvana disbanded in 1994 after the death of Cobain; since then several posthumous releases have been issued from the band, which once resulted in a legal conflict between Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, and the surviving members of the band over the release of the song "You Know You're Right". [5] In 2006, Love sold a significant share of the rights to Cobain's song catalog to Primary Wave Music Publishing. [6] Since its debut, the band has sold 27.6 million albums in the United States alone, [7] and over 75 million records worldwide. [8]
Title | Album details | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | AUS [10] | AUT [11] | CAN [12] | FIN [13] | NLD [14] | NZ [15] | SWE [16] | SWI [17] | UK [18] | ||||
Bleach | 89 | 34 | 26 | — | 22 | — | 30 | — | — | 33 |
| ||
Nevermind |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||
In Utero |
| 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 1 | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | AUS [10] | AUT [11] | CAN [12] | FIN [13] | NLD [14] | NZ [15] | SWE [16] | SWI [17] | UK [18] | ||||
MTV Unplugged in New York |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah |
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| |
Live at Reading |
| 37 | — | 28 | 17 | — | 64 | 33 | — | 97 | 32 |
| |
Live at the Paramount | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
Live and Loud |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | AUS [10] | AUT [11] | CAN [12] | FIN [13] | NLD [14] | NZ [15] | SWE [16] | SWI [17] | UK [18] | ||||
Incesticide |
| 39 | 22 | 10 | 21 | 16 | 31 | — | 27 | 18 | 14 |
| |
Nirvana |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| |
Sliver: The Best of the Box |
| 21 | 95 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | 56 |
| |
Icon |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | Album details | Chart positions | Sales | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | AUT [11] | CAN [12] | DEN [42] | FRA [43] | JPN [44] | NLD [14] | NZ [15] | SWI [17] | UK [18] | ||||
Singles |
| — | — | — | 5 | 17 | — | — | — | — | 101 | ||
With the Lights Out | 19 | 34 | 10 | — | 20 | 16 | 65 | 39 | 28 | 56 |
| ||
Nevermind: The Singles |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | EP details | Chart positions | Comments | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [10] | JPN [44] | UK Indie [45] [46] | |||
Blew | — | — | 15 | Blew was intended to be released to promote an upcoming European tour, but this plan was scrapped, and the EP ended up being released exclusively in the UK shortly after its completion. [47] | |
Hormoaning |
| 2 | 67 | — | Hormoaning was released only in Australia and Japan, with two different covers accompanying the release in each country, to promote the band's tour of the Pacific Rim. [48] Hormoaning was re-released for Record Store Day 2011, as a limited edition. |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Song | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [49] | AUS [10] | BEL [50] | FIN [51] | FRA [43] | IRE [52] | NZ [15] | PT [53] | SWE [54] | UK [55] | ||||
"Love Buzz" [A] | 1988 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bleach | |
"Sliver" [B] | 1990 | — [C] | — [D] | — | — | — | 23 | — | — | — | 77 | Non-album single | |
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" | 1991 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | Nevermind | |
"Come as You Are" | 1992 | 32 | 25 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 9 | ||
"Lithium" | 64 | 53 | 18 | 1 | — [E] | 5 | 28 | 4 | — [F] | 11 | |||
"In Bloom" | — [G] | 73 | — | 16 | — | 7 | 20 | 10 | 30 | 28 | |||
"Heart-Shaped Box" | 1993 | — [H] | 21 | 18 | 9 | 37 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 5 | In Utero | |
"All Apologies"/ "Rape Me" [I] | — [J] | 58 | 30 | — | 20 | 20 | 32 | — [K] | — | 32 | |||
"Pennyroyal Tea" | 1994 | — [L] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 121 [M] |
| |
"About a Girl" [N] | — [O] | 4 | 12 | 8 | 23 | — | — | — [P] | 20 | 185 [Q] | MTV Unplugged in New York | ||
"You Know You're Right" [R] | 2002 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — [S] | Nirvana | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
Song | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Air [66] | US Main [64] | US Alt [76] | BEL [77] | CAN [78] | EU Air [79] | FIN Air [13] | FRA Air [80] | SPN Air [81] | UK Rock [82] | ||||
"On a Plain" [A] | 1991 | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nevermind |
"Molly's Lips" [B] | 1992 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Incesticide | |
"Dumb" | 1994 | — | — | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In Utero | |
"All Apologies" [83] [84] [85] [86] | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | MTV Unplugged in New York | ||
"Polly" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"The Man Who Sold the World" | 1995 | 39 | 12 | 6 | 24 | 22 | 29 | — | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| |
"Where Did You Sleep Last Night" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Lake of Fire" | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Aneurysm" | 1996 | 63 | 11 | 13 | — | 49 | — | 40 | — | — | — | From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah | |
"Drain You" | — | — | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
"Endless, Nameless" [C] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Nevermind | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
Single | Year | Other artist | Peak positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS Alt [89] | EU [90] | UK [91] | |||||
"Candy" / "Molly's Lips" | 1991 | The Fluid | — | — | — | ||
"Here She Comes Now" / "Venus in Furs" | Melvins | — | — | — | |||
"Puss" / "Oh, the Guilt" | 1993 | The Jesus Lizard | 3 | 36 | 12 | ||
"About a Girl" / "Blind Man" [A] | 1994 | Aerosmith | — | — | — | ||
"The Man Who Sold the World" / "Walk on Water" [B] | 1995 | — | — | — | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
Song | Year | Peak positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [49] | AUS [92] | CAN [78] | GRE [93] | HUN [94] | IRE [95] | LTU [96] | NZ [97] | UK [98] | WW [99] | ||||
"Been a Son" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Blew | |
"Breed" | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Nevermind | |
"Lounge Act" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ||
"Something in the Way" | 46 | 22 | 34 | 8 | 25 | 47 | 34 | 40 | 76 | 23 | |||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Director(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"In Bloom" (Sub Pop version) | 1990 | Steve Brown [101] | Sub Pop Video Network Program 1 |
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" | 1991 | Samuel Bayer [102] | Nevermind |
"Come as You Are" | 1992 | Kevin Kerslake [103] | |
"Lithium" | |||
"In Bloom" | |||
"Sliver" | 1993 | Incesticide | |
"Heart-Shaped Box" | Anton Corbijn [104] | In Utero | |
"You Know You're Right" | 2002 | Chris Hafner [105] | Nirvana |
"Dumb" | 2023 | RuffMercy [106] | In Utero |
Title | Video album details | Chart positions | Certifications | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [107] | AUS [108] | UK [109] | |||
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! | 1 | 9 | 2 | ||
With the Lights Out | 3 | N/A | N/A |
| |
Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind |
| 4 | 13 | 6 | |
MTV Unplugged in New York |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | |
Live at Reading |
| 1 | 4 | — [a] |
|
Live at the Paramount |
| 1 | 1 | 4 |
|
Live and Loud |
| 1 | 2 | 7 | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Notes
Song | Year | Album | US [115] | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Spank Thru" [116] | 1988 | Sub Pop 200 | — | A re-recording of a song first performed on the 1985 Illiteracy Will Prevail demo by members of Nirvana as Fecal Matter. |
"Mexican Seafood" [117] | 1989 | Teriyaki Asthma, Vol. 1 | — | Later released on Incesticide. |
"Beeswax" [118] | 1991 | Kill Rock Stars | — | |
"Dive" [119] | The Grunge Years | — | ||
"Do You Love Me?" [120] | 1990 | Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation | — | Cover of a 1976 Kiss song. |
"Here She Comes Now" | Heaven & Hell: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground | — | Cover of a 1968 Velvet Underground song. Previously released on the split single "Here She Comes Now/Venus in Furs" in 1991, it was later released on With the Lights Out in 2004 and on the Nevermind 20th anniversary deluxe editions in 2011. | |
"Return of the Rat" [121] | 1993 | Eight Songs for Greg Sage and The Wipers | — | Cover of a 1979 Wipers song. Later released on With the Lights Out. |
"Sappy" [122] | No Alternative | 56 | Nirvana's contribution to the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series was an uncredited and a secret track. [123] The song was originally titled "Sappy", but was renamed prior to release on No Alternative. It was later released on With the Lights Out in 2004 as "Sappy" and on the In Utero 20th anniversary deluxe editions as "Sappy" in 2013 . | |
"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" [124] | The Beavis and Butt-head Experience | 5 | The first song on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience, it was recorded during the sessions for In Utero. This version of "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" was included as a B-side on the cancelled "Pennyroyal Tea" single but is different from the version found on With the Lights Out. | |
"Pay to Play" [125] | 1994 | DGC Rarities Vol. 1 | 139 | This is an early version of "Stay Away" which was a song on Nevermind. "Pay to Play" was the first new Nirvana song to be released after Cobain's death but its inclusion on the compilation album had been agreed to before he died. [126] "Pay to Play" was later released on With the Lights Out in 2004 and on the Nevermind 20th anniversary deluxe editions in 2011. |
"Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" [127] [128] | 1996 | Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense | — | Live version from a Grenoble, France concert in 1994. It received some airplay on alternative and active rock radio. [129] |
"Rape Me" [130] | 1999 | Saturday Night Live: The Musical Performances Vol. 2 | — | Live version from an appearance on Saturday Night Live . It was also released as a music video on MTV. [131] |
Courtney Love stated in May 2002 that she owned 109 unreleased tapes made by Cobain, with or without the other members of Nirvana. [132] Of these songs, many were released on the 61 song box set With the Lights Out in 2004, with three "freshly unearthed" songs appearing on the compilation Sliver: The Best of the Box in 2005. [133] More unreleased Nirvana tracks were released on the deluxe and super deluxe 20th anniversary editions of the Nevermind and In Utero albums in 2011 and 2013 respectively. [134] [135] [136] Many more unreleased songs were released on Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings in 2015 which was the companion soundtrack to the film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck . [137] Brett Morgen stated that in Cobain's archive he discovered over 200 hours of audio on over 108 cassettes and that he thought the solo album "would be a nice complement to the film". [137]
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled Nevermind to the top of several albums charts at the start of 1992, an event often marked as the point when grunge entered the mainstream. It was Nirvana's biggest hit, charting high on music industry charts around the world in 1991 and 1992, and was number one on the charts in Belgium, France, New Zealand and Spain. It was met with wide critical acclaim, and described as an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X. Although Nirvana grew uncomfortable with the mainstream and commercial attention the song brought to them, listeners and critics continue to praise "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as one of the greatest songs of all time. Having sold over 13 million units worldwide, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is one of the best selling songs of all time.
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band's prior work. It was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in May and June 1991, and mastered that August at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California.
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.
Incesticide is a compilation album by the American rock band Nirvana. It consists of their 1990 non-album single "Sliver", B-sides, demos, outtakes, cover versions, and radio broadcast recordings, and as such is not the official follow-up to the band's breakthrough album, Nevermind. The album was released on December 14, 1992, in Europe, and December 15, 1992, in the United States. It eventually reached number 39 on the Billboard 200.
Bleach is the debut studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on June 15, 1989, by Sub Pop. After the release of their debut single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop in November 1988, Nirvana rehearsed for two to three weeks in preparation for recording a full-length album. The main recording sessions for Bleach took place at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington between December 1988 and January 1989. It is the only Nirvana album released on the Sub Pop label and their only studio album to feature drummer Chad Channing.
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on October 1, 1996 by DGC Records. It features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994.
Nirvana is a greatest hits album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on October 29, 2002. It was the third Nirvana album released following the death of lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain in 1994.
In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their previous album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound that was reminiscent of their work prior to Nevermind. Although the singer and primary songwriter 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 prevalent on Nevermind.
With the Lights Out is a box set by the American rock band Nirvana, released on November 23, 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".
"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.
"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released by DGC Records in September 1993. It was one of two songs on In Utero remixed by Scott Litt prior to the album's release, due to the band's dissatisfaction with the original mixing by producer Steve Albini. The Litt remix also featured additional vocal harmonies and guitar by Cobain, which were the only elements on the album's 12 main tracks not recorded during the original sessions with Albini in February 1993.
"In Bloom" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the second track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Lithium" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It appears as the fifth track on the band's second album, Nevermind, released by DGC Records in September 1991.
"Sliver" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. It was first released as a non-album single by the band's then record label, Sub Pop, in the United States in September 1990, and by Tupelo in Britain in January 1991. The same recording was re-released on the compilation album Incesticide by DGC in December 1992, and a new music video, directed by Kevin Kerslake, was released in May 1993.
"Something in the Way" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the 12th song on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. It is the final listed song on the album, although most copies of Nevermind also feature the hidden track "Endless, Nameless", which occupies the same track as "Something in the Way" and begins after approximately 10 minutes of silence.
"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.
Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is a live video by the American rock band Nirvana, directed by Kevin Kerslake, and released on November 15, 1994, on VHS and laserdisc. It was re-released on DVD on November 7, 2006.
Live at Reading is a live CD/DVD by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 2, 2009. It features the band's headlining performance at the Reading Festival in Reading, England, on August 30, 1992. Bootlegged for years, the new issues present the performance for the first time mastered and color corrected.
Live at the Paramount is a live video and album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc as part of the 20th anniversary of the band's second album and mainstream breakthrough, Nevermind.
Live and Loud is a live video by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 23, 2013. It was released as part of the 20th anniversary of the band's third and final studio album, In Utero.
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has generic name (help)Gaar, Gillian (1997). 'Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana'. Goldmine .
Gaar, Gillian (1997). 'Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana'. Goldmine .
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