Performer: Nirvana
Songwriter: Curt Kirkwood
Original Release: Meat Puppets II (Meat Puppets)
Year: 1983
Definitive Version: MTV Unplugged in New York, 1994
I guess it doesn’t matter, but I’m something of a perfectionist. OK, there’s no something about it: I’m a compulsive t-crosser and i-dotter. That’s what makes me a good copy editor, I guess. But I’m a bit perplexed about how to handle the above data for cover versions of songs. In most cases, it’s simple: The original version is the version that the performer in question realsed. But others are a bit iffy. You might know that during their Unplugged performance, Nirvana had the Meat Puppets out to play a few songs with them, this being one of the them. So, this is the original release, at least as far as Nirvana is concerned. But because the Meat Puppets played with Nirvana, it’s kind of their song but with Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl guesting on vocals and drums, respectively. Like I said, it doesn’t really matter either way, but I thought I should at least point out that I recognize the seeming inconsistency and try to explain why.
OK, that’s enough of a digression for today. When MTV Unplugged came out, I bought it immediately. I saw the performance when it aired in the fall of 1993, and quite a bit had changed since then. When I taped the show for my later frequent listening pleasure, I was living in a one-room apartment in Grand Blanc. When the recording was officially released one year later, I was living in a two-bedroom townhouse in German Village in Columbus. In between, I had changed jobs, moved (obviously) back home to one of my favorite neighborhoods and began to date Debbie.
And, of course, Nirvana had ceased to exist.
Even though I had my own place, I was spending a lot of time at Debbie’s, so when I hear this song, I think of the two locations and how much things can quickly change.
One more thing: As you read this, you should know that El Capitan is to my left and Half Dome to my right. That seems appropriate today.
No comments:
Post a Comment