Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of Nirvana, is regarded as one of the most distinctive and important musicians in rock history because of his angst-infused lyrics and anti-establishment persona, which were key components in crafting the band’s unique sound.
Kurt Cobain was a major fan of heavy metal and hard rock bands from the 1970s. Such as Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC, is well known. Nirvana occasionally covered songs by these bands. In fact, the group wrote a song called “Aero Zeppelin” in honour of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith for their compilation album, ‘Incesticide.’
The lead singer of Nirvana once admitted that, despite his respect and admiration for Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, he didn’t like the lyrics that band chose. Kurt claims that both bands’ depictions of s*x in their lyrics were sexist. Let’s examine Cobain’s claims about two of the best bands in the annals of rock & roll in more detail.
Nirvana addressed social and political issues in the lyrics of their songs during the short seven-year duration of their career. The iconic song “Rape Me,” opposing rape and written from the victim’s point of view, is one such example. The song was a fantastic illustration of Kurt Cobain’s innovative approach to music.
The following is what Cobain said to SPIN:
She seems to be saying, “Go ahead, rape me, beat me. I won’t ever die from you. I’ll get through this, and one day I’ll fu*king rape you and you won’t even know it.
Excessively driven to emphasise important issues via his music, Kurt Cobain once talked about his favourite bands, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, in a Rolling Stone interview from 1992. The frontman of Nirvana apparently thought their lyrics were sexist and offensive, especially the ones about having s*x.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Cobain stated:
I listened to Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin and really liked some of their songs. And, it took me a long time to understand that sexism was a big part of it. The way they simply wrote about getting sx and having dcks. I was only beginning to realise what was really bothering me so much during my final years of high school.
Former Nirvana co-manager Danny Goldberg discussed Kurt Cobain’s remarks in a 2019 interview with Forbes. Goldberg claims that although the frontman of Nirvana enjoyed the music of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, he was uncomfortable with their lyrics.
Forbes quotes Danny Goldberg as saying: To start with, I concurred with him on that point. Second, I believe he was conflicted. I believe he enjoyed the music. He enjoyed both AC/DC and Led Zeppelin’s music. However, for precisely the reasons you mentioned, he did not feel comfortable with the lyrics. It’s important to who he was as an artist. And, I believe I quote him saying something along those lines in the book.
Kurt Cobain was, after all, greatly influenced by bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC. They popularised the kind of hard rock and heavy metal that ultimately made the lead singer of Nirvana fall in love with music. The fact that the Nirvana singer felt compelled to address these issues in his own music thrilled Cobain’s fans, even though he wasn’t a huge fan of their approach to social issues like gender equality.
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