Billboard Beatdown: Nirvana - “Marigold”
I’ve had this one written for awhile, but decided to hold off on any Nirvana-speak until after the anniversary of his death had passed. I did listen to some Nirvana as well as some Alice in Chains around that time, but I did that of my own accord. Now that some time has passed, here is one of the songs I listened to.
It is a bit of a misnomer to call this a Nirvana song. It is, afterall, the only Nirvana song not to feature Kurt Cobain on lead vocal. For that matter, it might not feature Kurt Cobain at all. “Marigold” might well have been the first Foo Fighter song Dave Grohl ever released, but it was first brought to the world as a b-side for the In Utero single “Heart-Shaped Box.” The song later surfaced on the Nirvana box set With The Lights Out.
I didn’t hear this song for the first time until years after Cobain’s death. My girlfriend (now TheWifeToWhomI’mMarried) bought me the Nirvana singles box set as a birthday present. I think that was the only good birthday present I got that year.
Nirvana was not a great b-sides band in the traditional sense like Oasis and The Cure. “Marigold” is one of the interesting cuts from the handful of singles released during the band’s run. The release of With The Lights Out and Incesticide prior to that reveals there were some great Nirvana songs that never made it on one of the their three albums, but those songs rarely ended up as b-sides.
Musically, the song is about as unvarnished as they come. A simple guitar-bass-drum combo with a simple chord progression. The guitar sound is interesting because it does have a very Nirvana sound, something Grohl has mainly shied away from with FF. The lyrics are as opaque as most of Cobain’s lyrics.
The key to the song is Grohl’s tentative vocal and overdubbed, two-part harmony in the chorus. He never sounded this sweet or unaffected again.
Filed under: Billboard Beatdown, Nirvana
Kurt actually played drums on this track, FYI.
do you consider Grohl’s voice affected on that tune FF did for the “Ed” tv show? nuts, can’t rmember the name….something about “next year”.
Turlian, I’ve heard that before but never found a good source. There are people out there on the ‘net who think Kurt sings the song, and that he’s just singing very softly.
The song is called “Next Year” and it’s on the There is Nothing Left To Lose album. That’s a good example, he’s not real affected on that one, either. I can probably give you that one. That’s a good tune.
that’s a great tune. damn, i really loved that show too.
The album is OK, but that song really is a good one.
I never got into the show, but only watched a handful of episodes.
Best Nirvana B-Side Ever: “Moist Vagina”… and I’m not just saying that because I’m a big fan… of NIrvana.
Wouldn’t Incesticide be considered Nirvana’s fourth album *or* a collection of B sides, Josh?
In any event, Marigold is one of a number of true jewels that came out of Nirvana’s closet on the box set. I swear I listened to Verse Chorus Verse so many times over a few weeks that I questioned what the hell was wrong with me.
Yeah, I had a typo in there, EB. I consider it their B-sides and rarities disc.
“Marigold” is probably my favorite B-side. “Aneurysm,” which was released as a B-side and on Incesitcide in a different version is another favorite.
Incesticide came out before In Utero, so either way you look at it they had 4 “studio” albums: Bleach, Nevermind, Incesticide, and In Utero. Right? Right.
Ty, I don’t see it that way. Incesticide is a compilation, not a studio album. In my mind, there is a difference.