In his prime, Kurt Cobain achieved a level of raw intensity that most rock vocalists can only dream of. Even though the rock charts were dominated by hair metal in early 1991, “Nevermind” delivered a fatal blow to the LA rock scene. Cobain’s anguished cries accompanied some of the catchiest rock and roll ever created. Although his voice became an iconic element of his music, he never intended to strain it for an extended period.
From their beginnings in Seattle’s discordant punk scene, Nirvana never thought of themselves as a pop group. While there was some melody in songs like “About a Girl” from their debut album Bleach, songs like “Negative Creep” and “Blew” seemed more to pop out the listener’s eardrums.
But as the group began to polish their sound night after night, Cobain was developing a distinct sound in his mind that was influenced by both The Beatles and Ramones. Nirvana and Butch Vig collaborated to release Nevermind in September 1991. This included Dave Grohl and instantly changed the music industry.
Fans quickly adopted flannel and tried their best to sing with the same passion as Cobain. After hearing nothing but cheap rock and roll on the radio. Nirvana’s sound would eventually rely heavily on that low, grizzly baritone. But Cobain was never happy with the voice that came out of his throat.
Vig recalled that Cobain opposed even recording the vocal takes for the majority of the songs when discussing the recording of Nevermind. Vig recalled a strategy he used to get the most out of Cobain. He recorded every single thing the singer sang into the microphone. This tactic deceived Cobain, making him think a complete vocal take was merely a warm-up.
After the band started touring, Cobain remembered that he wished his voice was more a narrative focused rather than harshly screaming every night. “I don’t know how much longer I can scream at the top of my lungs every night, for an entire year on tour”. The singer said in an interview with Rolling Stone, recalling that Bob Dylan should have been his vocal inspiration. There are moments when I wish I had followed Bob Dylan’s example. And sing songs where my voice wouldn’t break every night so I could pursue a career if I so desired.
However, Dylan’s distinctive nasal twang might seem a little strange coming from Cobain. Dylan’s whine sounded like the exact opposite of what Cobain was doing with his larynx during every Nirvana show. The two singers’ styles might as well be on different planets.
Cobain likely perceived a man sincerely attempting to sing any song that came his way when he listened to any Dylan song. Dylan’s voice has evolved over the years. But fans never imagined that he would release a song in which he purposefully attempted to sound different. Cobain recognised that kind of humanity in his delivery; he was his own unique entity.
While Cobain enjoyed nothing more than to belt out a song live, he also acknowledged that his aggressive style of singing helped to ease his ongoing stomach ache. Dylan’s delivery fascinated Cobain in many ways. But Cobains distinctive “boiling nails” style has been influencing rock fans for many years.
