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{{Infobox album | {{Infobox album | ||
| |
| name = In Utero | ||
| |
| type = studio | ||
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| artist = ] | ||
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| cover = In Utero (Nirvana) album cover.jpg | ||
| alt = An angel-like figure with visible intestines is visible below the band's name. The title of the album, ''In Utero'', appears below the figure. | |||
| Released = {{Start date|1993|9|13|mf=yes}} | |||
| released = {{Start date|1993|9|21|mf=yes}} | |||
| Recorded = February 13–26, 1993 at ] in ], ] | |||
| recorded = February 13–21, 1993<ref>{{cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/nirvana-utero-turns-20-drama-over-kurt-cobain-192427945.html |title=Nirvana's 'In Utero' Turns 20: The Drama Over Kurt Cobain's Last Musical Testament |publisher=Yahoo! Music |date=September 12, 2013 |access-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311230641/http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/nirvana-utero-turns-20-drama-over-kurt-cobain-192427945.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| Genre = ] | |||
*February 22–26, 1993 (mixing)<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Jovanovic | first1 = Rob | title = Nirvana - The Recording Sessions | edition = 1st | publisher = Firefly | year = 2004 | pages = 97 | isbn = 0-946719-60-8}}</ref> | |||
| Length = {{Duration|m=41|s=11}} | |||
| studio = ] (]) | |||
| Label = ] | |||
| genre = <!--Please source genres.-->{{hlist|]<ref>{{cite web|last=Kohrman|first=Miles|title=Reach Creative Nirvana With This Grunge Masterpiece|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3018396/achieve-creative-nirvana-with-this-grunge-masterpiece|website=Fast Company|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020124135/https://www.fastcompany.com/3018396/achieve-creative-nirvana-with-this-grunge-masterpiece|archive-date=October 20, 2020|date=September 27, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>|]<ref>{{cite web|title=Noise Rock Guide: History and Characteristics of Noise Rock|url=https://www.masterclass.com/articles/noise-rock-guide|website=]|access-date=July 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725061931/https://www.masterclass.com/articles/noise-rock-guide|archive-date=July 25, 2021|date=June 24, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>|]<ref>{{cite web|title=10 Essential '90s Alt-Rock Albums|url=https://www.treblezine.com/10-best-alternative-rock-albums-of-the-90s/|website=Treble|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111211540/https://www.treblezine.com/10-best-alternative-rock-albums-of-the-90s/|archive-date=November 11, 2020|date=July 25, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>|{{nowrap|]<ref>{{cite web|last=Blatt|first=Ruth|title=Nirvana's 'In Utero' And The Problem Of Authenticity At Work|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthblatt/2013/09/16/nirvanas-in-utero-and-the-problem-of-authenticity-at-work/|website=Forbes Magazine|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111235622/https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthblatt/2013/09/16/nirvanas-in-utero-and-the-problem-of-authenticity-at-work/|archive-date=November 11, 2020|date=September 16, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>}}}} | |||
| Producer = ] | |||
| length = 41:23 | |||
| Last album = '']''<br />(1992) | |||
| label = ] | |||
| This album = '''''In Utero'''''<br />(1993) | |||
| producer = ] | |||
| Next album = '']'' <br />(1994) | |||
| prev_title = ] | |||
| Misc = | |||
| prev_year = 1992 | |||
{{Singles | |||
| next_title = ] | |||
| Name = In Utero | |||
| |
| next_year = 1994 | ||
| misc = {{Singles | |||
| single 1 = ] | |||
| name = In Utero | |||
| single 1 date = {{Start date|1993|9|mf=yes}} | |||
| type = studio | |||
| single 2 = ]"/"] | |||
| single1 = ] | |||
| single 2 date = {{Start date|1993|12|mf=yes}} | |||
| single1date = August 30, 1993 | |||
| single2 = ]" / "] | |||
| single2date = December 6, 1993 | |||
| single3 = ] | |||
| single3date = April 1994 (canceled)<br>April 19, 2014 (re-release) | |||
}} | }} | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''In Utero''''' is the third and final studio album by the American ] band ], released on September |
'''''In Utero''''' is the third and final ] by the American ] band ], released on September 21, 1993, by ]. After breaking into the mainstream with their previous album, '']'' (1991), Nirvana hired ] 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 ] 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''. | ||
The album was recorded over two weeks in February 1993 at ] in ]. After recording finished, rumors circulated that DGC might not release the album due to Albini's abrasive and uncommercial sound. The album was mastered by ] to achieve a more desirable sound for both Nirvana and their label. The band later hired the producer ] to remix the singles "]", "]" and "]". | |||
''In Utero'' was a major critical and commercial success upon release. Critics praised the album's raw, unconventional sound and Cobain's lyricism. It reached number one on the US ] and ]; "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" reached number one on the '']'' ] chart. The album has been certified ] in the US for 6 million sales and has sold 15 million copies worldwide. It was the final Nirvana album released before ] in 1994, six months after the album's release. "]", planned as a single prior to Cobain's death, was released in 2014 and reached number one on the now-defunct ''Billboard'' ] chart. | |||
Upon release, ''In Utero'' entered the ] chart at number one and received critical acclaim as a drastic departure from ''Nevermind''. The record has been ] five times platinum by the ], and has sold 3.58 million copies in the United States alone. | |||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
] |
] to take ''In Utero’s'' sound in a new direction.]] | ||
Nirvana broke into the |
Nirvana broke into the mainstream with their second album, '']'', in 1991. Despite modest sales estimates,<ref>Cross, 2001. p. 193</ref> ''Nevermind'' was a major commercial success, popularizing the ] movement and ].<ref>]. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323224116/http://www.today.com/popculture/10-years-later-cobain-lives-his-music-wbna4652653 |date=March 23, 2017 }}". MSNBC. April 9, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2007.</ref> Nirvana expressed dissatisfaction with the sound of the album, citing its production as too polished.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 70</ref> Early in 1992, the singer, ], told '']'' that Nirvana's next album would showcase "both of the extremes" of their sound, saying: "It'll be more raw with some songs and more candy pop on some of the others. It won't be as one-dimensional."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last=Azerrad|first=Michael|date=April 16, 1992|title=Nirvana: Inside the Hear and Mind of Kurt Cobain|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/nirvana-inside-the-heart-and-mind-of-kurt-cobain-103770/|access-date=January 9, 2022|magazine=]}}</ref> The producer of ''Nevermind'', ], said later that Cobain had needed to work with a different producer to "reclaim his punk ethics or cred".<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2011-09-20 |title=Nirvana Producer Butch Vig Remembers 'Nevermind' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/nirvana-producer-butch-vig-remembers-nevermind-467504/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=2021-05-01}}</ref> | ||
Cobain wanted to start work in mid-1992, but his bandmates lived in different cities, and Cobain and his wife, ], were expecting the birth of their daughter, ].<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 312</ref> Nirvana's record label, ], had hoped to release a new Nirvana album for the 1992 holiday season; instead, they released the compilation album '']''.<ref name="goldmine">Gaar, Gillian G. "Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana". '']''. February 14, 1997.</ref> | |||
In a '']'' interview published in July 1992, Cobain told the English journalist ] he was interested in recording with ] (who had produced the group's 1989 debut album '']'') and ] (former frontman of the ] band ] and producer for various indie releases). Cobain said he would then choose the best material from the sessions for inclusion on the group's next album.<ref>True, Everett. "Nirvana: Crucified By Success?" ''Melody Maker''. July 25, 1992.</ref> In October 1992, Nirvana recorded several songs (mainly as instrumentals) during a demo session with Endino in Seattle; many of these songs would later be re-recorded for ''In Utero''.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 17</ref> Endino recalled that the band did not ask him to produce its next record, but noted that the band members constantly debated working with Albini.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 21–22</ref> The group recorded another set of demos while on tour in Brazil in January 1993.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 23</ref> One of the recordings from this session, the long improvisational track "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip", was included as a hidden track on non-US copies of ''In Utero''.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 29–30</ref> | |||
In a '']'' interview published in July 1992, Cobain said he was interested in recording with ], who had produced Nirvana's 1989 debut album '']'', and ], the former frontman of the ] band ], who had produced various ] releases.<ref>True, Everett. "Nirvana: Crucified By Success?" ''Melody Maker''. July 25, 1992.</ref> In Seattle in October 1992, Nirvana recorded several demos with Endino, mainly as instrumentals, including songs later rerecorded for ''In Utero''.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 17</ref> Endino recalled that they did not ask him to produce their next record, and that they constantly debated working with Albini.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 21–22</ref> | |||
Nirvana ultimately chose Albini to record its third album. Albini had a reputation as a principled and opinionated individual in the American ] scene. While there was speculation that the band chose Albini to record the album due to his underground credentials, Cobain told ''Request'' magazine in 1993, "For the most part I wanted to work with him because he happened to produce two of my favorite records, which were '']'' ]] and '']'' ]]." Inspired by those albums, Cobain wanted to utilize Albini's technique of capturing the natural ambiance of a room via the usage and placement of several microphones, something previous Nirvana producers had been averse to trying.<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 5–6</ref> Months before the trio had even approached Albini about the recording, rumors circulated that he was slated to record the album. Albini sent a disclaimer to the British music press denying involvement, only to get a call from Nirvana's management a few days later about the project.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 313</ref> Although he considered the group to be "] with a ]" and "an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound", Albini told Nirvana biographer ] he accepted because he felt sorry for the band members, whom he perceived to be "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with", at the mercy of their record company.<ref name="caya 314">Azerrad, 1994. p. 314</ref> Before the start of recording sessions, the band sent Albini a tape of the demos it had made in Brazil. In return, Albini sent Cobain a copy of the ] album '']'' to give him an idea of what the studio where they would record at sounded like.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 39</ref> | |||
Nirvana recorded another set of demos while on tour in Brazil in January 1993.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 23</ref> "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was recorded by ] at BMG Ariola Ltda in ], during the three-day demo session. It was originally titled "I'll Take You Down to the Pavement", a reference to an argument between Cobain and the ] singer ] at the ].<ref name="Gaar">{{cite book |last1=Gaar |first1=Gillian G |date=2006 |title=Nirvana's In Utero |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u92Yi61DRpoC&q=Gallons+of+rubbing+alcohol+flow+through+the+strip&pg=PT31 |location=United States |publisher=] |pages=26–27 |isbn=9781441193643 |access-date=March 26, 2020}}</ref> | |||
Nirvana chose Albini to record their third album.<ref name="AllMusic review" /> Cobain said he chose Albini because he had produced two of his favorite records, '']'' (1988) by the ] and '']'' (1990) by ]. Cobain wanted to use Albini's technique of capturing the natural ] of a room via the placement of several microphones, something previous Nirvana producers had been averse to trying.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
Albini was known in the American independent music scene for his criticism of the mainstream music industry and had a strict preference for analog recording rather than digital.<ref name=":2">DeRogatis, 2003. p. 5–6</ref> He sent a disclaimer to the British music press denying rumors of his involvement with Nirvana, only to receive a call from Nirvana's management a few days later.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 313</ref> Albini dismissed Nirvana as "] with a ]" and "an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound". However, he accepted the job because he felt sorry for them, perceiving them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with," at the mercy of their record company.<ref name="caya 314">Azerrad, 1994. p. 314</ref> | |||
Before recording began, Nirvana sent Albini a tape of the demos they had made in Brazil. In return, Albini sent Cobain a copy of the ] album '']'' (1993) to give him an idea of the acoustics at the studio where they would record.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 39</ref> | |||
==Recording== | ==Recording== | ||
Nirvana and Albini set a two-week deadline for recording. At the suggestion of Albini, who was wary of interference from DGC, Nirvana paid for the sessions with their own money. Studio fees totaled ]24,000, while Albini took a flat fee of $100,000. Though he stood to earn about $500,000 from royalties, Albini refused to accept them,<ref name="Cameron">Cameron, Keith. "This Is Pop". ''Mojo''. May 2001.</ref> as he considered taking royalties immoral and "an insult to the artist".<ref name="caya 314" /> | |||
] | |||
In February 1993, Nirvana traveled to ] in ].<ref name="Gaar40">Gaar, 2006. p. 40</ref> Albini did not meet them until the first day of recording, though he had spoken to them beforehand about the type of album they wanted to make; he observed that "they wanted to make precisely the sort of record that I'm comfortable doing".<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 36–37</ref> The group stayed in a house on the studio grounds. Novoselic compared the isolated conditions to a ]; he said, "There was snow outside, we couldn't go anywhere. We just worked."<ref name="Gaar40" /> For most of the sessions, only the band, Albini, and the technician ] were present.<ref name="Azerrad315" /><ref>Azerrad credits Weston as "assistant engineer", but the album liner notes list him as "technician".</ref> Nirvana made it clear to DGC and their management company Gold Mountain that they wanted no intrusion, and did not play their work in progress for their ] representative.<ref name="Azerrad315">Azerrad, 1994. p. 315</ref> Albini instituted a policy of ignoring everyone except for the band members; he said that everyone associated with Nirvana were "the biggest pieces of shit I ever met".<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 16–17</ref> | |||
Nirvana arrived at Pachyderm Studio without their equipment and spent much of the first three days waiting for it to arrive by mail. Once recording began, on February 13, work moved quickly.<ref name="Gaar40" /><ref name="Azerrad315" /> On most days, the group began work around midday, took breaks for lunch and dinner, and worked until midnight.<ref name="Cameron" /> For most songs, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl recorded their basic instrumental tracks together as a band.<ref name="Azerrad315" /> For faster songs, such as "Very Ape" and "Tourette's", the drums were recorded separately in a kitchen for its natural ]. Albini surrounded Grohl's drum kit with about 30 microphones.<ref name="Cameron" /> Cobain added additional guitar tracks to about half of the songs, then guitar solos, and finally vocals. The band did not discard takes and kept virtually everything they recorded.<ref name="Azerrad315" /> | |||
Albini saw himself more as an engineer than a producer; despite his personal opinions, he let the band choose takes.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 316</ref> He said, "Generally speaking, knows what he thinks is acceptable and what isn't acceptable He can make concrete steps to improve things that he doesn't think are acceptable."<ref name="Azerrad317">Azerrad, 1994. p. 317</ref> Cobain reportedly recorded all his vocal tracks in six hours.<ref name="Gaar61">Gaar, 2006. p. 61</ref> Albini said that Cobain, who had struggled with drug addiction, was focused and sober in the studio.<ref name="Cameron" /> | |||
Recording was completed in six days; Cobain had anticipated disagreements with Albini, whom he had heard "was supposedly this sexist jerk", but called the process "the easiest recording we've ever done, hands down".<ref name="Azerrad315" /> The only disruption occurred a week into the sessions, when Love arrived because she missed Cobain. Weston's girlfriend, the studio's chef, said that Love created tension by criticizing Cobain's work and was confrontational with everyone present.<ref name="Cameron" /> | |||
The initial ] of ''In Utero'' took five days.<ref name="Gaar61" /> This was quick by Nirvana's standards, but not for Albini, who was used to mixing albums in a day or two. When work on a mix was not producing desired results, the band and Albini took the rest of the day off to watch nature videos, set things on fire and make prank calls.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 318–19</ref> The sessions were completed on February 26.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 64</ref> "]" was omitted from the album as Cobain felt it already contained too many "noise" songs.<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 6</ref> | |||
===Production and mixing dispute=== | |||
After the recording sessions ended, Nirvana sent unmastered tapes of the album to several individuals, including Gold Mountain and Ed Rosenblatt, the president of DGC's parent company, ]. When asked about the feedback he received, Cobain told ], "The grown-ups don't like it." He said he was told his songwriting was "not up to par", the sound was "unlistenable", and that there was uncertainty that mainstream radio would accept Albini's production.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 331</ref> Few at Geffen or Gold Mountain had wanted Nirvana to record with Albini, and Cobain felt he was receiving an unstated message to scrap the sessions and start again.<ref name=":1" /> | |||
Cobain was upset and said to Azerrad, "I should just re-record this record and do the same thing we did last year because we sold out last year—there's no reason to try and redeem ourselves as artists at this point. I can't help myself—I'm just putting out a record I would like to listen to at home." However, a number of Nirvana's friends liked the album, and by April, Nirvana was intent on releasing ''In Utero'' as it was. According to Cobain, "Of course, they want another ''Nevermind'', but I'd rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning."<ref name=":1">Azerrad, 1994. p. 332</ref> | |||
The band began to have doubts about the record. Cobain said, "The first time I played it at home, I knew there was something wrong. The whole first week I wasn't really interested in listening to it at all, and that usually doesn't happen. I got no emotion from it, I was just numb."<ref>Mothersole, Ben. "Nirvana's Kurt Cobain: Getting to Know Utero". ''Circus''. November 30, 1993.</ref> The group concluded that the bass and lyrics were inaudible and asked Albini to remix the album. He declined; as he recalled, " wanted to make a record that he could slam down on the table and say, 'Listen, I know this is good, and I know your concerns about it are meaningless, so go with it.' And I don't think he felt he had that yet ... My problem was that I feared a slippery slope."<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 69</ref> The band attempted to address their concerns during the ] process with ] at his studio in ]. Novoselic was pleased with the results, but Cobain still did not feel it was perfect.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 336</ref> | |||
] (pictured in 2008) was recruited to help make the album sound acceptable to DGC Records.]] | |||
Soon afterward, in April 1993, Albini told the '']'' that he doubted Geffen would release the album.<ref>]. "Record Label Finds Little Bliss in Nirvana's Latest". ''Chicago Tribune''. April 19, 1993.</ref> Years later, Albini said: "I wasn't there when the band was having their discussions with the record label. All I know is ... we made a record, everybody was happy with it. A few weeks later I hear that it's unreleasable and it's all got to be redone."<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 66</ref> While Albini's remarks in the article drew no reply from Nirvana or Geffen, '']'' ran a similar article soon afterwards that did.<ref>Goodman, Fred. "Nirvana to 'Newsweek': Drop dead". ''Rolling Stone''. June 24, 1993.</ref> Nirvana wrote a letter to ''Newsweek'' denying any pressure to change the album and saying the author had "ridiculed our relationship with our label based on totally erroneous information". The band reprinted the letter in a full-page ad in '']''. Rosenblatt insisted in a press release that Geffen would release anything Nirvana submitted, and the label founder, ], made the unusual move of calling ''Newsweek'' to complain.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 336–37</ref> | |||
In February 1993, Nirvana traveled to ] in ], ] to record the album.<ref name="Gaar40">Gaar, 2006. p. 40</ref> Albini did not meet the band members until the first day of recording, though he had spoken to them beforehand about the type of album they wanted to make. Albini observed that "they wanted to make precisely the sort of record that I'm comfortable doing".<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 36–37</ref> The group stayed in a house located on the studio grounds during the recording sessions. Novoselic compared the isolated conditions to a ]; he added, "There was snow outside, we couldn't go anywhere. We just worked."<ref name="Gaar40" /> For most of the sessions, the only people present were the band members, Albini, and technician ].<ref name="Azerrad315" /><ref>Azerrad credits Weston as "assistant engineer", but the album liner notes list him as "technician"</ref> The band made it clear to DGC and Gold Mountain that it did not want any intrusion during the album production, going as far as not playing any of the work in progress for its record label ] representative.<ref name="Azerrad315">Azerrad, 1994. p. 315</ref> To prevent the group's managers and label from interfering, Albini instituted a strict policy of ignoring everyone except for the band members; the producer explained that everyone associated with the group aside from the musicians themselves were "the biggest pieces of shit I ever met".<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 16–17</ref> | |||
Nirvana considered working with the producer ] and remixing some tracks with ], who had mixed ''Nevermind''. Albini vehemently disagreed, and said the band had agreed not to modify the tracks without his involvement. He initially refused to give the ] to Gold Mountain, but relented after a phone call from Novoselic. The band eventually had Litt remix songs intended as singles; "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" were remixed at Seattle's ] in May 1993.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 337–38</ref> | |||
The album sessions began slowly but would ultimately gain momentum; the band arrived at Pachyderm Studio without their equipment, and spent much of the first three days there waiting for it to arrive by mail. However, once recording began on February 13, work moved quickly.<ref name="Gaar40" /><ref name="Azerrad315" /> On most days the group began work around midday, took breaks for lunch and dinner, and continued work through midnight.<ref name="Cameron" /> Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl recorded their basic instrumental tracks together as a band.<ref name="Azerrad315" /> The group utilized this setup on all songs except for faster compositions like "Very Ape" and "tourette's", where the drums were recorded separately in a nearby kitchen due to its natural ]. Albini surrounded Grohl's drum kit with approximately 30 microphones.<ref name="Cameron" /> Cobain added additional guitar tracks to about half the songs, then added guitar solos, and finally vocals. The band did not discard takes, and kept virtually everything it captured on tape.<ref name="Azerrad315" /> Albini felt he was more an engineer than a producer; despite his personal opinions, he ultimately let the band judge which were decent takes.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 316</ref> He said, "Generally speaking, knows what he thinks is acceptable and what isn't acceptable He can make concrete steps to improve things that he doesn't think are acceptable."<ref name="Azerrad317">Azerrad, 1994. p. 317</ref> Cobain reportedly recorded all his vocal tracks in six hours.<ref name="Gaar61">Gaar, 2006. p. 61</ref> The band completed recording in six days; Cobain had originally anticipated disagreements with Albini, whom the singer heard "was supposedly this ] jerk", but called the process "the easiest recording we've ever done, hands down".<ref name="Azerrad315" /> The only disruption occurred a week into the sessions, when Courtney Love arrived because she missed Cobain. The band, Love, and Albini refused to go into specifics, but Weston's girlfriend—who served as the studio's chef—stated that Love created tension by criticizing Cobain's work and being confrontational with everyone present.<ref name="Cameron" /> | |||
The rest of the album was left unaltered aside from a remastering.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 338</ref> Albini was critical of the final mix; he said, "The record in the stores doesn't sound all that much like the record that was made, though it's still them singing and playing their songs, and the musical quality of it still comes across."<ref name="goldmine" /> According to Albini, ''In Utero'' made him unpopular with major record labels, and he faced problems finding work in the year following its release.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Steve Albini: "I realised that other people's opinions of me had no power over me… I still don't give a shit if I get judged"|url=https://www.kerrang.com/features/steve-albini-i-realised-that-other-peoples-opinions-of-me-had-no-power-over-me-i-still-dont-give-a-sh-t-if-i-get-judged/|access-date=2021-05-02|website=Kerrang!|date=January 25, 2021 }}</ref> | |||
The ] process for the album was completed over the course of five days.<ref name="Gaar61" /> This rate was quick by Nirvana's standards, but not for Albini, who was used to mixing entire albums in a day or two. On occasions when work on a song mix was not producing desired results, the band and Albini took the rest of the day off to watch nature videos, set things on fire, and make prank phone calls for amusement.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 318–19</ref> The sessions were completed on February 26.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 64</ref> | |||
==Music and lyrics== | ==Music and lyrics== | ||
Line 51: | Line 82: | ||
|title = "Milk It" | |title = "Milk It" | ||
|description = "Milk It" displays the aggressive and more experimental sound Nirvana explored on ''In Utero''. | |description = "Milk It" displays the aggressive and more experimental sound Nirvana explored on ''In Utero''. | ||
|filename2 = Nirvana - Rape Me from In Utero.ogg | |||
|title2 = "Rape Me" | |||
|description2 = "Rape Me" is an anti-rape song with direct lyrics. | |||
}} | }} | ||
Albini sought to produce a record that sounded nothing like ''Nevermind''.<ref name="caya 314" /> He felt the sound of ''Nevermind'' was "sort of a standard hack recording that has been turned into a very, very controlled, compressed radio-friendly mix That is not, in my opinion, very flattering to a rock band." Instead, |
Albini sought to produce a record that sounded nothing like ''Nevermind''.<ref name="caya 314" /> He felt the sound of ''Nevermind'' was "sort of a standard hack recording that has been turned into a very, very controlled, compressed radio-friendly mix That is not, in my opinion, very flattering to a rock band." Instead, he intended to capture a more natural and visceral sound.<ref name="Azerrad317" /> Albini refused to ] Cobain's vocals and instead recorded him singing in a resonant room.<ref name="Azerrad317" /> He noted the intensity of Cobain's vocals on some tracks; he said, "There's a really dry, really loud voice at the end of 'Milk It' ... that was also done at the end of ']', where wanted the sound of him screaming to just overtake the whole band."<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 45</ref> Albini achieved the sparse drum sound by placing several microphones around Grohl, picking up the natural ] of the room. Albini said, "If you take a good drummer and put him in front of a drum kit that sounds good acoustically and just record it, you've done your job."<ref name="Azerrad317" /> | ||
Azerrad asserted in his 1993 biography '']'' that |
Azerrad asserted in his 1993 biography '']'' that ''In Utero'' showcased divergent sensibilities of abrasiveness and accessibility that reflected the upheavals Cobain experienced prior to the album's completion. He wrote, "The ] 'Dumb' happily coexists beside the all-out frenzied ] graffiti of 'Milk It,' while 'All Apologies' is worlds away from the apoplectic '].' It's as if has given up trying to meld his punk and pop instincts into one harmonious whole. Forget it. This is war." Cobain believed, however, that ''In Utero'' was not "any harsher or any more emotional" than any of Nirvana's previous records.<ref name="Azerrad321">Azerrad, 1994. p. 321</ref> Novoselic agreed that the album leaned more towards the band's "arty, aggressive side"; he said, "There's always been songs like ']' and there's always been songs like 'Paper Cuts'... ''Nevermind'' came out kind of 'About a Girl'-y and this came out more 'Paper Cuts'".<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 332–33</ref> Cobain cited "Milk It" as an example of the more experimental and aggressive direction in which the band's music had been moving in the months prior to the sessions at Pachyderm Studio.<ref name="Azerrad323">Azerrad, 1994. p. 323</ref> Novoselic viewed the album's singles "]" and "]" as "gateways" to the more abrasive sound of the rest of the album, telling the journalist ] that once listeners played the record, they would discover "this aggressive wild sound, a true alternative record".<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 18</ref> | ||
Several |
Several songs on ''In Utero'' were written years prior to recording; some dated to 1990.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 3</ref> Cobain favored long song titles, such as "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", in reaction to contemporary alternative rock bands that used single-word titles.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 326–27</ref> He continued to work on the lyrics while recording.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 41</ref> He told ] in '']'' in 1993 that, in contrast to ''Bleach'' and ''Nevermind'', the lyrics were "more focused, they're almost built on themes".<ref name="smashing">Steinke, Darcey. "Smashing Their Heads on That Punk Rock". ''Spin'': pp. 42–49. October 1993.</ref> Azerrad asserted that the lyrics were less impressionistic and more straightforward than in previous Nirvana songs. Azerrad also noted that "virtually every song contains some image of sickness and disease".<ref name="Azerrad321" /> In a number of songs, Cobain made reference to books; "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" was inspired by '']'', a 1978 biography of actress ], with whom Cobain had been fascinated ever since he read the book in high school.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 50–51</ref> "Scentless Apprentice" was written about '']'', a historical horror novel about a perfumer's apprentice who attempts to create the ultimate perfume by killing virgin women and taking their scent.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 42–43</ref> | ||
According to the psychologist ], it is clear that suicide was on Cobain's mind as he worked on the album, with its lyrics illustrating "the merging of death with themes of nurturance and life, sometimes in stark and disturbing ways." Examples include the song "Milk It", with the phrase "I am my own parasite", which according to Joiner is a "succinct and even sublime way to combine urges toward death and life." The words "Her milk is my shit, My shit is her milk" demonstrate that "Cobain clearly had a penchant for disturbing imagery in which themes of nurturance are merged with themes of disease and waste." Another example is Cobain's referral to an "umbilical noose" in the song "Heart Shaped Box".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Joiner |first1=Thomas |title=Why People Die By Suicide |date=2005 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=0-674-01901-6 |page=88}}</ref> | |||
Cobain stated in a 1993 interview with '']'' that "for the most part 's very impersonal".<ref>Savage, Jon. "Sounds Dirty: The Truth About Nirvana". ''The Observer''. August 15, 1993.</ref> The songwriter also told '']'' that year that the abundance of infant and childbirth imagery on the album and his newfound fatherhood were coincidental.<ref>Sutcliffe, Phil. "Kurt Cobain: King of Pain". ''Q''. October 1993.</ref> However, Azerrad argued that much of the album contains personal themes, noting that Grohl held a similar view. Grohl said, "A lot of what he has to say is related to a lot of the shit he's gone through. And it's not so much teen angst anymore. It's a whole different ball game: rock star angst."<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 322</ref> Cobain downplayed recent events ("I really haven't had that exciting a life") and told Azerrad that he didn't want to write a track that explicitly expressed his anger at the media, but the author countered that "Rape Me" seemed to deal with that very issue. While Cobain said the song was written long before his troubles with drug addiction became public, he agreed that the song could be viewed in that light.<ref>Azerrad, 1994, p. 322–23</ref> "Serve the Servants" contains comments about Cobain's life, both as a child and as an adult. The opening lines "Teenage angst has paid off well/Now I'm bored and old" were a reference to Cobain's state of mind in the wake of Nirvana's success.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 325</ref> Cobain dismissed the media attention given to the effect his parents' divorce had on his life with the line "That legendary divorce is such a bore" from the chorus, and directly addressed his father with the lines "I tried hard to have a father/But instead I had a dad/I just want you to know that I don't hate you anymore/There is nothing I could say that I haven't thought before". Cobain said he wanted his father to know he didn't hate him, but had no desire to talk to him.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 326</ref> | |||
Cobain described ''In Utero'' as "very impersonal".<ref>Savage, Jon. "Sounds Dirty: The Truth About Nirvana". ''The Observer''. August 15, 1993.</ref> He also told '']'' that the infant and childbirth imagery on the album and his newfound fatherhood were coincidental.<ref>Sutcliffe, Phil. "Kurt Cobain: King of Pain". ''Q''. October 1993.</ref> However, Azerrad argued that much of the album contains personal themes, noting that Grohl held a similar view. Grohl said, "A lot of what he has to say is related to a lot of the shit he's gone through. And it's not so much teen angst any more. It's a whole different ball game: rock star angst."<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 322</ref> Cobain downplayed recent events and told Azerrad that he did not want to write a track that explicitly expressed his anger at the media; Azerrad countered that "Rape Me" seemed to deal with that very issue. While Cobain said the song was written long before his addiction problems became public, he agreed that the song could be viewed in that light.<ref>Azerrad, 1994, p. 322–23</ref> "Serve the Servants" comments on Cobain's life. The opening lines "Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I'm bored and old" were a reference to Cobain's state of mind in the wake of Nirvana's success.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 325</ref> Cobain dismissed the media attention given to the effect his parents' divorce had on his life with the line "That legendary divorce is such a bore" from the chorus, and directly addressed his father with the lines "I tried hard to have a father / But instead I had a dad / I just want you to know that I don't hate you any more / There is nothing I could say that I haven't thought before". Cobain said he wanted his father to know he did not hate him, but had no desire to talk to him.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 326</ref> | |||
==Packaging and title== | |||
Cobain originally wanted to name the album ''I Hate Myself and I Want to Die'', a phrase that had originated in his journals in mid-1992.<ref>Cross, 2001. p. 277</ref> At the time, the singer used the phrase as a response whenever someone asked him how he was doing. Cobain intended the album title as a joke; he stated he was "tired of taking this band so seriously and everyone else taking it so seriously".<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 330</ref> Novoselic convinced Cobain to change the title due to fear that it could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band then considered using ''Verse Chorus Verse''—a title taken from its song "Verse Chorus Verse", and an earlier working title of "Sappy"—before eventually settling on ''In Utero''. The final title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love.<ref>Cross, 2001. p. 278</ref> | |||
According to the journalist Gillian G. Gaar, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was the kind of improvisational jam Nirvana frequently performed in the studio, but had rarely recorded during earlier sessions, when the priority had been to record as quickly as possible.<ref name="Gaar"/> She wrote that it featured "Cobain alternating between seemingly disconnected singing and spoken-words sections, with Novoselic and Grohl providing a steady background accompaniment, punctuated by bursts of noisy guitar."<ref name="Gaar"/> Journalist ] described the song's mood as "playful", with "the instruments engaging in a game of cat and mouse, almost daring each other to explode in fury".<ref>{{cite book |last1=True |first1=Everett |author-link=Everett True|title=Nirvana: The Biography |date=March 13, 2007 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0306815546 |url=https://archive.org/details/nirvanabiography00true }}</ref> Novoselic said it was an example of the band "just fucking around".<ref name="Gaar"/> | |||
The art director for ''In Utero'' was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that " would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'"<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 79</ref> The cover of the album is an image of a ], with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover, which he described as "Sex and woman and ''In Utero'' and vaginas and birth and death", that consists of model fetuses and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by ] after an unexpected call from Cobain.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 83</ref> The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from ]'s ''The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects'' were then positioned around the edge of the collage.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 84</ref> | |||
== |
==Title and packaging== | ||
After the recording sessions were completed, Nirvana sent unmastered tapes of the album to several individuals, including the president of DGC's parent company ] Ed Rosenblatt and the group's management company Gold Mountain. When asked about the feedback he received, Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "The grown-ups don't like it." He said he was told his songwriting was "not up to par", the sound was "unlistenable", and that there was uncertainty that mainstream radio would welcome the sound of Albini's production.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 331</ref> There were few people at Geffen or Gold Mountain who wanted the band to record with Albini to begin with, and Cobain felt he was receiving an unstated message to scrap the sessions and start all over again. Cobain was upset and said to Azerrad, "I should just rerecord this record and do the same thing we did last year because we sold out last year—there's no reason to try and redeem ourselves as artists at this point. I can't help myself—I'm just putting out a record I would like to listen to at home." However, a number of the group's friends liked the album, and by April 1993 Nirvana was intent on releasing ''In Utero'' as it was. According to Cobain, "Of course, they want another ''Nevermind'', but I'd rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning."<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 332</ref> | |||
] | |||
The band members began to have doubts about the record's sound. During this time Cobain admitted, "The first time I played it at home, I knew there was something wrong. The whole first week I wasn't really interested in listening to it at all, and that usually doesn't happen. I got no emotion from it, I was just numb."<ref>Mothersole, Ben. "Nirvana's Kurt Cobain: Getting to Know Utero". ''Circus''. November 30, 1993.</ref> The group concluded that the bass and lyrics were inaudible and approached Albini to remix the album. The producer declined; as he recalled, " wanted to make a record that he could slam down on the table and say, 'Listen, I know this is good, and I know your concerns about it are meaningless, so go with it.' And I don't think he felt he had that yet My problem was that I feared a slippery slope."<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 69</ref> The band attempted to fix its concerns with the record during the ] process with ] at his studio in ]. Novoselic was pleased with the results, but Cobain still did not feel the sound was perfect.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 336</ref> | |||
Cobain originally wanted to name the album ''I Hate Myself and I Want to Die'', a phrase that had originated in his journals in mid-1992.<ref>Cross, 2001. p. 277</ref> At the time, he used the phrase as a response whenever someone asked him how he was doing. Cobain intended the album title as a joke; he stated he was "tired of taking this band so seriously and everyone else taking it so seriously".<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 330</ref> Novoselic convinced Cobain to change the title due to fear that it could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band then considered using ''Verse Chorus Verse''—a title taken from its song "Verse Chorus Verse", and a (at the time current) working title of "]"—before eventually settling on ''In Utero''. The final title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love.<ref>Cross, 2001. p. 278</ref> | |||
Soon afterward, in April 1993 Albini remarked to the '']'' that he doubted Geffen would release the completed album.<ref>]. "Record Label Finds Little Bliss in Nirvana's Latest". ''Chicago Tribune''. April 19, 1993.</ref> Albini commented years later that in a sense he felt he spoke about the situation "from a position of ignorance, because I wasn't there when the band was having their discussions with the record label. All I know is we made a record, everybody was happy with it. A few weeks later I hear that it's unreleasable and it's all got to be redone".<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 66</ref> While Albini's remarks in the article drew no immediate reply from the group or its label, '']'' ran a similar article soon afterwards that did.<ref>Goodman, Fred. "Nirvana to 'Newsweek': Drop dead". ''Rolling Stone''. June 24, 1993.</ref> Nirvana denied there was any pressure from its label to change the album's sound, sending a letter to ''Newsweek'' that said that the article's author "ridiculed our relationship with our label based on totally erronous {{sic}} information"; the band also reprinted the letter in a full-page ad in '']''. Rosenblatt insisted in a press release that Geffen would release anything the band submitted, and label founder ] made the unusual move of personally calling ''Newsweek'' to complain about the article.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 336–37</ref> | |||
The art director for ''In Utero'' was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that " would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'"<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 79</ref> The cover of the album is an image of a ], with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover which he described as "Sex and woman and ''In Utero'' and vaginas and birth and death", consisting of model fetuses, a turtle shell and models of turtles, and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by ] after an unexpected call from Cobain.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 83</ref> The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from ]'s ''The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects'' were then positioned around the edge of the collage.<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 84</ref> | |||
Nirvana wanted to do further work on the recorded tracks, and considered working with producer ] and remixing some tracks with Andy Wallace (who had mixed ''Nevermind''). Albini vehemently disagreed, and claimed he had an agreement with the band that it would not modify the tracks without his involvement. Albini initially refused to give the album master tapes to Gold Mountain, but relented after a phone call from Novoselic. The band decided against working with Wallace and chose to remix and augment the songs "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" with Litt at Seattle's ] in May 1993.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 337–38</ref> One song, "]", was omitted from the final track listing as Cobain felt there were too many "noise" songs on the album.<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 6</ref> The rest of the album was left unaltered aside from a remastering which sharpened the bass guitar sound and increased the volume of the vocals by approximately three ]s.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 338</ref> Albini was critical of the album's final mix; he said, "The end result, the record in the stores doesn't sound all that much like the record that was made. Though it's still them singing and playing their songs, and the musical quality of it still comes across."<ref name="goldmine" /> | |||
Mannequins of the angel-winged anatomical figure were used as stage props on Nirvana's concert tour supporting ''In Utero''. One such mannequin later featured at the ] museum's exhibition "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses", which ran from April 2011 through 2013 and showcased memorabilia celebrating the band's music and history.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=]|date=October 14, 2010|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/emp-stage-world-s-most-extensive-nirvana-exhibit|title=EMP to Stage World's Most Extensive Nirvana Exhibit|access-date=March 26, 2020|archive-date=March 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326070133/https://www.guitarworld.com/news/emp-stage-world-s-most-extensive-nirvana-exhibit|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Release and reception== | |||
To avoid over-hyping the album, DGC Records took a low-key approach to promoting ''In Utero''; the company's head of marketing told ''Billboard'' before the album's release that the label was taking a promotional strategy similar to that of ''Nevermind'', and explained that the label would "set things up, duck, and get out of the way". The label aimed its promotion at alternative markets and press, and released the album on ] as part of this strategy.<ref name="Rosen">Rosen, Craig. "Nirvana Set Has Smell of Success". ''Billboard''. September 25, 1993.</ref> In contrast to the previous album, the label did not release any of ''In Utero'''s singles commercially in the United States.<ref name="goldmine" /> DGC sent promo copies of the album's first single "Heart-Shaped Box" to American ], ], and ] radio stations in early September, but the label did not target ] radio.<ref name="Rosen" /> Despite the label's promotion, the band was convinced that ''In Utero'' would not be as successful as ''Nevermind''. Cobain told Jim DeRogatis, "We're certain that we won't sell a quarter as much, and we're totally comfortable with that because we like this record so much."<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 4</ref> | |||
==Marketing and sales== | |||
''In Utero'' was released on September 13, 1993 in the United Kingdom, and on September 14 in the United States; it was initially only available in vinyl record and ] formats, with the American vinyl pressing limited to 25,000 copies.<ref name="Gaar97">Gaar, 2006. p. 97</ref><ref>"". ''Entertainment Weekly''. October 15, 1993. Retrieved on August 29 2012.</ref> Although the album was issued on ] in the UK on September 14, a full domestic release did not occur until September 21.<ref name="Gaar97" /> ''In Utero'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart,<ref name="Uno">"". ''Entertainment Weekly''. October 8, 1993. Retrieved on December 1, 2008. Archived from on January 16, 2010.</ref> selling 180,000 copies in its first week of release.<ref name="Gaar, 2006. p. 98">Gaar, 2006. p. 98</ref> Meanwhile, retail chain stores ] and ] refused to sell the album. According to '']'', Wal-Mart claimed it did not carry the album due to lack of consumer demand, while Kmart representatives explained that the album "didn't fit within our merchandise mix".<ref>]. "". ''The New York Times''. November 14, 1993. Retrieved on February 25, 2008.</ref> In truth, both chains feared that customers would be offended by the artwork on the album's back cover. DGC issued a new version of the album with reworked packaging to the stores in March 1994. This version featured edited album artwork, and listed the name of "Rape Me" as "Waif Me".<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 87</ref> A spokesperson for Nirvana explained that the band decided to edit the packaging because as kids Cobain and Novoselic were only able to buy music from the two chain stores; as a result they "really want to make their music available to kids who don't have the opportunity to go to mom-and-pop stores".<ref>Gordinier, Jeff. "". ''Entertainment Weekly''. April 8, 1994. Retrieved on January 20, 2009.</ref> | |||
To avoid over-hyping the album, DGC Records took a low-key approach to promoting ''In Utero''; their head of marketing told ''Billboard'' before the album's release that they were planning a campaign similar to that of ''Nevermind'', and the label would "set things up, duck, and get out of the way". The label aimed its promotion at alternative markets and press, and released the album on ] as part of this strategy.<ref name="Rosen">Rosen, Craig. "Nirvana Set Has Smell of Success". ''Billboard''. September 25, 1993.</ref> In contrast to ''Nevermind'', DGC did not release any of ''In Utero'''s singles commercially in the United States.<ref name="goldmine" /> DGC sent promo copies of the album's first single, "Heart-Shaped Box", to American ], ], and ] radio stations in early September, but did not target ] radio.<ref name="Rosen" /> The band was convinced that ''In Utero'' would not be as successful as ''Nevermind''. Cobain told Jim DeRogatis, "We're certain that we won't sell a quarter as much, and we're totally comfortable with that because we like this record so much."<ref>DeRogatis, 2003. p. 4</ref> | |||
''In Utero'' was released on September 13, 1993, on CD, vinyl record and ] in the United Kingdom, and on September 14 on vinyl in the United States, with the American vinyl pressing limited to 25,000 copies.<ref name="Gaar97">Gaar, 2006. p. 97</ref><ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010090236/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,308376,00.html |date=October 10, 2014 }}". ''Entertainment Weekly''. October 15, 1993. Retrieved August 29, 2012.</ref> It was issued on CD and in other formats on September 21 in the US.<ref name="Gaar97" /> European and Australian versions of ''In Utero'' released that same month included "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" as a hidden bonus track,<ref name="BV188">Borzillo-Vrenna, 2003. p. 188</ref> with a sticker on the cover reading "Exclusive International Bonus Track",<ref name="LiveNirvana">{{cite web |url=https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/gallons-of-rubbing-alcohol-flow-through-the-strip.html |title=Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip |website=livenirvana.com |access-date=March 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801204726/https://www.livenirvana.com/songguide/gallons-of-rubbing-alcohol-flow-through-the-strip.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although the booklet referred to the song as a "Devalued American Dollar Purchase Incentive Track". According to Novoselic, DGC did not want the European version to compete with the US version, and so added the extra track.<ref name="Gaar"/> | |||
''In Utero'' received acclaim from critics, although some reviews were mixed.<ref name="Gaar, 2006. p. 98"/> '']''{{'}}s ] stated in his review of the album, "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana."<ref name="Time review">Farley, Christopher John. "." ''Time''. September 20, 1993. Retrieved on July 19, 2011.</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' reviewer ] gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "''In Utero'' is a lot of things – brilliant, corrosive, enraged and thoughtful, most of them all at once. But more than anything, it's a triumph of the will."<ref name="RS review">Fricke, David. . ''Rolling Stone''. September 16, 1993. Retrieved on January 20, 2012.</ref> '']'' reviewer ] (who gave the album a rating of B+) commented "Kurt Cobain hates it all", and noted that the sentiment pervades the record. Browne argued, "The music is often mesmerizing, cathartic rock & roll, but it is rock & roll without release, because the band is suspicious of the old-school rock cliches such a release would evoke."<ref name="EW review">Browne, David. "". ''Entertainment Weekly''. September 24, 1993. Retrieved on February 25, 2008.</ref> '']'' gave the album an eight out of ten rating. However, reviewer John Mulvey had doubts about the record; he concluded, "As a document of a mind in flux — dithering, dissatisfied, unable to come to terms with sanity — Kurt should be proud of . As a follow-up to one of the best records of the past ten years it just isn't quite there."<ref name="NME review">Mulvey, John. . ''NME''. September 4, 1993. Retrieved on February 25, 2008.</ref> Ben Thompson of '']'' commented that in spite of the album's more abrasive songs, "''In Utero'' is beautiful far more often than it is ugly", and added, "Nirvana have wisely neglected to make the unlistenable punk-rock nightmare they threatened us with."<ref>Thompson, Ben. ''In Utero'' (review). ''Independent on Sunday''. September 1993.</ref> In his consumer guide for '']'', critic ] gave ''In Utero'' an {{Rating-Christgau|A-}} rating that he later changed to an {{Rating-Christgau|A}},<ref>Christgau, Robert. . '']''. October 19, 1993. Retrieved on August 13, 2010.</ref> indicating "a record that rarely flags for more than two or three tracks. Not every listener will feel what it's trying to do, but anyone with ears will agree that it's doing it".<ref>Christgau, Robert. . ]. Retrieved on 2009-06-15.</ref> Several critics ranked ''In Utero'' as one of the best releases of the year. It placed first and second in the album categories of the ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Village Voice'' ] year-end critics' polls, respectively.<ref>Fricke, David. "Kurt Cobain: The Rolling Stone Interview". ''Rolling Stone''. January 27, 1994.</ref><ref name="PazzJop">Christgau, Robert. "". ''Village Voice''. March 1, 1994. Retrieved on December 13, 2008.</ref> Additionally, ''The New York Times'' included it on its list of the top ten albums of the year.<ref>Pareles, Jon. "". ''The New York Times''. January 5, 1994. Retrieved on December 13, 2008.</ref> The album was nominated for ] at the ].<ref>Rule, Sheila. "". ''The New York Times''. January 7, 1994. Retrieved on December 13, 2008.</ref> | |||
''In Utero'' debuted at number one on the US ],<ref name="Uno">"". ''Entertainment Weekly''. October 8, 1993. Retrieved December 1, 2008. Archived from on January 16, 2010.</ref> selling 180,000 copies.<ref name="Gaar, 2006. p. 98">Gaar, 2006. p. 98</ref> The retail chain stores ] and ] refused to sell it; according to '']'', Wal-Mart said this was due to lack of consumer demand, while Kmart representatives said the album did not fit with their "merchandise mix".<ref>]. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308234804/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/14/arts/pop-music-nirvana-the-band-that-hates-to-be-loved.html |date=March 8, 2021 }}". ''The New York Times''. November 14, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2008.</ref> In truth, both chains feared that customers would be offended by the artwork on the back cover. DGC issued a new version to the stores in March 1994, with edited album artwork, "Rape Me" retitled "Waif Me", and the Scott Litt remix of "Pennyroyal Tea".<ref>Gaar, 2006. p. 87</ref> A spokesperson for Nirvana explained that the band decided to edit the packaging because they wanted their music available to "kids who don't have the opportunity to go to mom-and-pop stores".<ref>Gordinier, Jeff. " ". ''Entertainment Weekly''. April 8, 1994. Retrieved January 20, 2009.</ref> ''In Utero'' also debuted at number one in the United Kingdom where according to '']'', "Nirvana confirmed their status as the seminal band of the time".<ref>{{cite book |title=30 Years of The NME Album Chart |url=https://postimg.cc/DmSfQ7r2 |year=1995 |location=London |publisher=] |page=415 |isbn=0752208241 |access-date=June 17, 2022}}</ref> | |||
That October, Nirvana embarked on its first American tour in two years to promote the album.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 352</ref> A second single, a split release that featured "All Apologies" and "Rape Me", was issued in December in the United Kingdom.<ref name="goldmine" /> The band began a six-week European leg of the tour in February 1994, but it was cancelled after Cobain suffered a drug overdose in Rome on March 6.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 344, 354</ref> Cobain agreed to enter ], but the singer went missing soon afterwards, and on April 8 he was found dead in his Seattle home as the result of suicide by a shotgun blast.<ref>]; Foege, Alec. "". ''Rolling Stone''. June 2, 1994. Retrieved on September 1, 2011.</ref> The intended third single from ''In Utero'', "]", was cancelled in the wake of Cobain's death and the subsequent dissolution of Nirvana; limited promotional copies were released in Britain.<ref name="goldmine" /> Three days after Cobain's body was discovered, ''In Utero'' moved back up the ''Billboard'' charts, from number 72 to number 27.<ref>Pareles, Jon. "". ''The New York Times''. April 17, 1994. Retrieved on January 21, 2009.</ref> | |||
In October 1993, Nirvana began their first American tour in two years to promote the album.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 352</ref> A second single, a split release that featured "All Apologies" and "Rape Me", was issued in December in the United Kingdom.<ref name="goldmine" /> The band began a six-week European leg in February 1994, but it was canceled partway through after Cobain suffered a drug overdose in Rome on March 6.<ref>Azerrad, 1994. p. 344, 354</ref> Cobain agreed to enter ], but went missing soon afterward. On April 8, ] in his Seattle home, having shot himself.<ref>]; Foege, Alec. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202052015/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kurt-cobains-downward-spiral-rolling-stones-1994-feature-20110405 |date=February 2, 2013 }}". ''Rolling Stone''. June 2, 1994. Retrieved September 1, 2011.</ref> A third single from ''In Utero'', "]", was canceled in the wake of Cobain's death and the subsequent dissolution of Nirvana; limited promotional copies were released in Britain.<ref name="goldmine" /> Three days after Cobain's body was discovered, ''In Utero'' moved from number 72 to number 27 on the ''Billboard'' charts,<ref>Pareles, Jon. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308234806/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/17/weekinreview/the-nation-music-confers-an-afterlife-as-cacophony-lingers-on.html |date=March 8, 2021 }}". ''The New York Times''. April 17, 1994. Retrieved January 21, 2009.</ref> with a 122% sales increase of 40,000 copies sold compared to 18,000 in the week before.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Rosen |first1=Craig |last2=Morris |first2=Chris |author-link2=Chris Morris (music writer) |date=April 23, 1994 |title=Cobain Death Spurs Rush at Retail |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-04-23-Billboard-Page-0011.pdf |magazine=] |page=9 |access-date=May 30, 2021}}</ref> | |||
In the ensuing years, ''In Utero'' has continued to perform commercially and gather critical praise. In a 2003 '']'' article that commemorated the tenth anniversary of the album's release, Cobain biographer ] argued that ''In Utero'' was "a far better record and one that only 10 years later seems to be an influential seed spreader, judging by current bands. If it is possible for an album that sold four million copies to be overlooked, or underappreciated, then ''In Utero'' is that lost pearl."<ref>Cross, Charles R. "Bollocks to Nevermind...Here's In Utero". ''Guitar World''. October 2003.</ref> That same year, ] placed ''In Utero'' at number 13 on its list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s.<ref>Pitchfork Media staff. "". Pitchfork.com. November 17, 2003. Retrieved on October 9, 2011.</ref> In 2004 '']'' ranked it at number 94 in its "100 Greatest American Albums of All Time" list,<ref>"". ''Blender''. 2004. Retrieved on January 25, 2009. {{dead link|date=June 2011}}</ref> while in 2005, ''Spin'' placed it at number 51 on its "100 Greatest Albums 1985–2005" retrospective.<ref>Brod, Doug. "Nirvana – ''In Utero''". ''Spin''. July 2005.</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' has ranked it at number 439 on its list "]".<ref>"". ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on July 19, 2011.</ref> ''In Utero'' has been certified five times platinum by the ] for shipments of over five million units,<ref name="UScert">. RIAA.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> and has sold 3.58 million copies in the United States, according to ].<ref name="SoundScan sales">Basham, David. "". MTV.com. December 20, 2001. Retrieved on January 20, 2012.</ref> | |||
''In Utero'' was certified ] in the US for shipments of over five million units.<ref name="UScert"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181243/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=4&table=tblTop100&action= |date=October 18, 2015 }}. RIAA.com. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> It has sold 4,258,000 copies in the United States, according to ].<ref name="yahoo2013">{{cite web | url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-sept-29-2013-albums-drake-cher-022609358.html | title=Week Ending Sept. 29, 2013. Albums: Drake, Cher Set Records | author=Grein, Paul | work=Chart Watch | publisher=] | date=October 1, 2013 | access-date=October 11, 2013 | archive-date=October 12, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012111209/http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-sept-29-2013-albums-drake-cher-022609358.html | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Track listing== | |||
*All songs written by ] except where noted. | |||
{{Track listing | |||
| title1 = Serve the Servants | |||
| note1 = | |||
| length1 = 3:36 | |||
===Reissues=== | |||
| title2 = Scentless Apprentice | |||
| extra2 = Cobain, ], ] | |||
| length2 = 3:48 | |||
For its 20th anniversary, DGC reissued ''In Utero'' in several formats in September 2013, including the '']'' show on DVD.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.spin.com/2013/09/nirvanas-in-utero-20th-anniversary-box-set/ | title=Nirvana's 'In Utero' Turns 20: Is the Box Set Worth $125? | author=Aswad, Jem | work=Spin | date=September 23, 2013 | access-date=October 13, 2015 | archive-date=October 18, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181243/http://www.spin.com/2013/09/nirvanas-in-utero-20th-anniversary-box-set/ | url-status=live }}</ref> For the album's 30th anniversary, DGC re-issued ''In Utero'' in several formats on October 27, 2023, which included the full December 30, 1993 show at the ] in Los Angeles and the January 7, 1994 show at the ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Deaux |first=John |date=September 5, 2023 |url=https://allabouttherock.co.uk/nirvana-in-utero-30th-anniversary-multi-format-reissues-arrive-october-27-2023/ |title=Nirvana In Utero: 30th anniversary multi-format reissues arrive October 27, 2023 |work=allabouttherock.co.uk |access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref> | |||
| title3 = ] | |||
| note3 = | |||
| length3 = 4:41 | |||
==Critical reception== | |||
| title4 = ] | |||
{{Music ratings | |||
| note4 = | |||
| MC = 90/100<br />{{small|(20th anniversary)}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/in-utero-20th-anniversary-edition/nirvana |title=In Utero by Nirvana Reviews and Tracks |website=] |access-date=26 September 2021}}</ref> | |||
| length4 = 2:50 | |||
| rev1 = ] | |||
| rev1score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic review">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-utero-mw0000097301 |title=In Utero – Nirvana |publisher=] |access-date=June 1, 2016 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |archive-date=June 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615001749/http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-utero-mw0000097301 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| rev2 = '']'' | |||
| rev2Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Back Catalogue: Nirvana |journal=] |issue=68 |location=New York |date=April 2008 |last=Wolk |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Wolk |pages=88–89}}</ref> | |||
| rev3 = '']'' | |||
| rev3score = {{rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4187080.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119064044/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4187080.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |title=Here They Are Now . . . Nirvana |work=] |date=August 29, 1993 |access-date=October 17, 2016 |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |url-access=subscription }}</ref> | |||
| rev4 = '']'' | |||
| rev4score = A<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Nirvana: ''In Utero'' |chapter-url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2587 |page=227 |access-date=August 14, 2016 |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |year=2000 |title=] |publisher=] |isbn=0-312-24560-2 |archive-date=November 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129170255/http://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=2587 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| rev5 = '']'' | |||
| rev5score = B+<ref name="EW review">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/09/24/utero/|title=In Utero |magazine=] |location=New York |date=September 24, 1993 |access-date=June 1, 2016 |last=Browne |first=David |author-link=David Browne (journalist)}}</ref> | |||
| rev6 = '']'' | |||
| rev6score = {{rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-19-ca-36628-story.html |title=Nirvana's Brash Punk With Spunk |work=] |date=September 19, 1993 |access-date=June 1, 2016 |last=Willman |first=Chris |archive-date=August 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811093102/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-09-19/entertainment/ca-36628_1_punk-nirvana-spunk |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| rev7 = '']'' | |||
| rev7score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Martin|last=Aston|title=Market Preview: Alternative — Pick of the Week|magazine=]|date=September 4, 1993|page=17|accessdate=February 1, 2023|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-09-04.pdf}}</ref> | |||
| rev8 = '']'' | |||
| rev8score = 8/10<ref name="NME review">{{cite journal |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/nirvana/7373 |title=Nirvana : In Utero |journal=] |location=London |date=September 4, 1993 |access-date=February 25, 2008 |last=Mulvey |first=John |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202043123/http://www.nme.com/reviews/nirvana/7373 |archive-date=February 2, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
| rev9 = '']'' | |||
| rev9score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18517-nirvana-in-utero-20th-anniversary-edition/ |title=Nirvana: In Utero: 20th Anniversary Edition Album Review |work=] |date=24 September 2013 |access-date=26 September 2021 |last=Berman |first=Stuart}}</ref> | |||
| rev10 = '']'' | |||
| rev10Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Qmag93">{{cite journal |title=Nirvana: In Utero |journal=] |issue=85 |location=London |date=October 1993 |page=114}}</ref> | |||
| rev11 = '']'' | |||
| rev11score = {{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="RS review">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/in-utero-19930916 |title=In Utero |magazine=] |location=New York |date=September 16, 1993 |access-date=June 1, 2016 |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507012904/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/in-utero-19930916 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| rev12 = '']'' | |||
| rev12score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Hell-Shaped Womb |journal=] |issue=40 |location=London |date=October 1993 |last=Cavanagh |first=David |pages=86–87}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
Although not as successful as ''Nevermind'', ''In Utero'' received widespread acclaim from critics.<ref name="Gaar, 2006. p. 98"/> '']''{{'}}s ] stated in his review, "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana."<ref name="Time review">Farley, Christopher John. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424063121/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C979260%2C00.html |date=April 24, 2011 }}." ''Time''. September 20, 1993. Retrieved July 19, 2011.</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' reviewer ] said that the album is "a lot of things – brilliant, corrosive, enraged and thoughtful, most of them all at once. But more than anything, it's a triumph of the will."<ref name="RS review"/> '']'' reviewer ] commented "Kurt Cobain hates it all", and noted that the sentiment pervades the record. Browne argued, "The music is often mesmerizing, cathartic rock & roll, but it is rock & roll without release, because the band is suspicious of the old-school rock clichés such a release would evoke."<ref name="EW review"/> | |||
'']'' writer John Mulvey had doubts about the record; he concluded, "As a document of a mind in flux – dithering, dissatisfied, unable to come to terms with sanity – Kurt should be proud of . As a follow-up to one of the best records of the past ten years it just isn't quite there."<ref name="NME review" /> Ben Thompson of '']'' commented that in spite of the more abrasive songs, "''In Utero'' is beautiful far more often than it is ugly ... Nirvana have wisely neglected to make the unlistenable punk-rock nightmare they threatened us with."<ref>Thompson, Ben. ''In Utero'' (review). ''Independent on Sunday''. September 1993.</ref> '']'' felt that the album showcases Cobain's songwriting abilities and wrote, "If this is how Cobain is going to develop, the future is lighthouse-bright."<ref name="Qmag93" /> | |||
| title5 = Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle | |||
| note5 = | |||
| length5 = 4:09 | |||
Several critics ranked ''In Utero'' one of the best releases of the year; it placed first and second in the album categories of the ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Village Voice'' ] year-end critics' polls.<ref>Fricke, David. "Kurt Cobain: The Rolling Stone Interview". ''Rolling Stone''. January 27, 1994.</ref><ref name="PazzJop">Christgau, Robert. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606142124/http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres93.php |date=June 6, 2011 }}". ''The Village Voice''. March 1, 1994. Retrieved December 13, 2008.</ref> ''The New York Times'' included it on its list of the top ten albums of the year.<ref>Pareles, Jon. "". ''The New York Times''. January 5, 1994. Retrieved December 13, 2008.</ref> It was nominated for ] at the ].<ref>Rule, Sheila. "". ''The New York Times''. January 7, 1994. Retrieved December 13, 2008.</ref> The guitar riff from "Very Ape" was ] by British electronic band ] for their 1994 single "]".<ref>{{cite book |last=Moy |first=Ron |year=2015 |title=Authorship Roles in Popular Music: Issues and Debates |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rabwCQAAQBAJ&q=Authorship+Roles+in+Popular+Music:+Issues+and+Debates |publisher=] |page= |isbn=9781317672746 |access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=James |first=Martin |year=2015 |title=Dave Grohl - Times Like His: Foo Fighters, Nirvana & Other Misadventures |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lya3DwAAQBAJ&q=Nirvana+Very+Ape+The+Prodigy |publisher=] |page= |isbn=9781784187637 |access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref> | |||
| title6 = Dumb | |||
| note6 = | |||
| length6 = 2:32 | |||
=== Reappraisal === | |||
| title7 = Very Ape | |||
''In Utero'' has continued to perform commercially and gather critical praise. In a 2003 '']'' article for the album's tenth anniversary, Cobain biographer ] argued that ''In Utero'' was "a far better record than and one that only 10 years later seems to be an influential seed spreader, judging by current bands. If it is possible for an album that sold four million copies to be overlooked, or underappreciated, then ''In Utero'' is that lost pearl."<ref>Cross, Charles R. "Bollocks to Nevermind...Here's in Utero". ''Guitar World''. October 2003.</ref> That year, '']'' named ''In Utero'' the 13th best album of the 1990s.<ref>Pitchfork Media staff. " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228232545/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/ |date=February 28, 2016 }}". ''Pitchfork Media''. November 17, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2011.</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 435 on its list ],<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820062716/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/nirvana-in-utero-20120525 |date=August 20, 2017 }}". ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved July 22, 2013.</ref> and 173 in its 2020 updated list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=2020-09-22|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2020-10-11|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922163403/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|url-status=live}}</ref> It also ranked it the seventh best album of the 90s.<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505133939/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-albums-of-the-90s-152425/nirvana-in-utero-2-168595/ |date=May 5, 2021 }}". ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved October 7, 2013.</ref> | |||
| note7 = | |||
| length7 = 1:56 | |||
In 2004, '']'' named ''In Utero'' the 94th greatest American album,<ref>"". ''Blender''. 2004. Retrieved January 25, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018184459/http://www.blender.com/Channel/94NirvanaInUteroDGC1993/slideshow/42678/4262.aspx |date=October 18, 2008 }}</ref> and in 2005, ''Spin'' named it the 51st best album of the previous 20 years.<ref>Brod, Doug. "Nirvana – ''In Utero''". ''Spin''. July 2005.</ref> In 2005, ''In Utero'' was ranked number 358 in ''Rock Hard's'' book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=]|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=66}}</ref> In 2013, '']'' ranked it at number 35 on its list "]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-100-1-1426116|title=The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 100-1 {{!}} NME|date=2013-10-25|website=NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs {{!}} NME.COM|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-02|archive-date=May 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502124345/https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-100-1-1426116|url-status=live}}</ref> The album was also included in the book '']''.<ref>{{cite book|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Universe|isbn=978-0-7893-2074-2}}</ref> In May 2017, '']'' ranked it at number six on its list "The 30 Best Grunge Albums of All Time".<ref>{{cite web|title=The 30 Best Grunge Albums of All Time|url=https://loudwire.com/top-grunge-albums-all-time/|website=]|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917142706/https://loudwire.com/top-grunge-albums-all-time/|archive-date=September 17, 2020|date=May 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2019, ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at number eight on its 50 Greatest Grunge Albums list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-grunge-albums-798851/|title=50 Greatest Grunge Albums|date=April 1, 2019|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 3, 2019|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403080245/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-grunge-albums-798851/|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2023, the ] revealed that ''In Utero'' was the fifth most streamed album from the 1990s in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ainsley |first=Helen |date=October 6, 2023 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/national-album-day-2023-most-streamed-albums-90s/ |title=BBC Radio 2 announces the Official Most Streamed 90s Albums Chart for National Album Day |work=] |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=KA |date=October 7, 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/radio-2-official-most-streamed-90s-albums-chart-national-album-day |title=Oasis win the Streaming Chart Battle of the 1990s as BBC Radio 2 announces the Official Most Streamed 90s Albums Chart for National Album Day |work=] |access-date=October 9, 2023}}</ref> | |||
| title8 = Milk It | |||
| note8 = | |||
| length8 = 3:55 | |||
==Track listing== | |||
| title9 = ] | |||
| note9 = | |||
| length9 = 3:37 | |||
| title10 = Radio Friendly Unit Shifter | |||
| note10 = | |||
| length10 = 4:51 | |||
| title11 = tourette's | |||
| note11 = | |||
| length11 = 1:35 | |||
| title12 = ] | |||
| note12 = | |||
| length12 = 3:51 | |||
}} | |||
{{Track listing | {{Track listing | ||
| all_writing = ], except track 2 written with ] and ].<ref name=linernotes>{{Cite AV media notes |title=In Utero |others=] |year=1993 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| headline = Bonus track | |||
| total_length = 41:23 | |||
| collapsed = no | |||
| title1 = ] | |||
| title13 = Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip | |||
| length1 = 3:36 | |||
| note13 = Cobain, Grohl, Novoselic | |||
| title2 = ] | |||
| length13 = 7:28 | |||
| length2 = 3:48 | |||
| title3 = ] | |||
| length3 = 4:41 | |||
| title4 = ] | |||
| length4 = 2:50 | |||
| title5 = ] | |||
| length5 = 4:09 | |||
| title6 = ] | |||
| length6 = 2:32 | |||
| title7 = Very Ape | |||
| length7 = 1:56 | |||
| title8 = Milk It | |||
| length8 = 3:55 | |||
| title9 = ] | |||
| length9 = 3:37 | |||
| title10 = Radio Friendly Unit Shifter | |||
| length10 = 4:51 | |||
| title11 = Tourette's | |||
| length11 = 1:35 | |||
| title12 = ] | |||
| note12 ={{refn|group=note|Original non-US CD pressings of the album include "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" as a hidden track. It is listed on the back cover as track 13, but is heard after approximately 20 minutes of silence on track 12 following "All Apologies", beginning at 24:00.}} | |||
| length12 = 3:51 | |||
}} | }} | ||
*This song is included on non-US pressings of the album. | |||
'''Notes''' | |||
{{reflist|group=note}} | |||
==Personnel== | ==Personnel== | ||
Personnel adapted from ''In Utero'' ]s <ref name =linernotes /> | |||
;Nirvana | |||
{{col-begin}} | |||
* ] – ], vocals, art direction, design, photography | |||
{{col-2}} | |||
* ] – ] | |||
'''Nirvana''' | |||
* ] – ] | |||
* ] – vocals, guitars, art direction, design, photography | |||
* ] – bass guitar | |||
* ] – drums | |||
'''Other musicians''' | |||
;Additional personnel | |||
* Kera Schaley – cello on "]" and "]" | |||
* ] – ], ] | |||
{{col-2}} | |||
* Robert Fisher – art direction, design, photography | |||
'''Technical''' | |||
* ] – illustrations | |||
* ] – ], ], ] | |||
* Adam Kasper – second engineer | |||
* ] |
* Robert Fisher – ], design, photography | ||
* ] – illustrations | |||
* ] – ] | |||
* ] |
* ] – photography | ||
* ] – ] on "]" and "All Apologies" on original release plus “]” on deluxe edition | |||
* Karen Mason – photography | |||
* ] – second engineer to Scott Litt | |||
* ] – photography | |||
* ] – ] | |||
* Kera Schaley – ] on "]" and "Dumb" | |||
* |
* Karen Mason – photography | ||
* ] – photography | |||
* ] – technician | |||
* Neil Wallace – photography | |||
* ] – technician | |||
{{col-end}} | |||
==Charts== | |||
==Sales chart positions== | |||
{{col-begin}} | |||
===Album=== | |||
{{col-2}} | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
=== Original release === | |||
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | |||
|+Weekly chart performance for the original release for ''In Utero'' | |||
! Chart (1993) | ! Chart (1993) | ||
! Peak<br />position | ! Peak<br />position | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Australia|2|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref name="australian_charts">. Australian-charts.com. Retrieved on January 23, 2009.</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Australian Alternative Albums (])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 3, 1993 |magazine=] |title=ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20 |url=https://i.postimg.cc/VvsdZw9P/ARIA-Alternative-Charts-3rd-October-1993.jpg |issue=191 |page=11 |access-date=November 22, 2021}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | |||
|- | |||
{{Album chart|Austria|8|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Belgian Albums (])<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Last Week's Position|date=November 20, 1993|title=Hits of the world - Continued|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1993/1993-11-20-Billboard-Page-0051.pdf|publisher=]|page=53|access-date=July 29, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 30, 1993 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-10-30.pdf |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |magazine=] |page=18 |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|4 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Buenos Aires Albums (])<ref>{{cite news |date=October 8, 1993 |title=Discos mas populares de Latinoamerica |url=https://postimg.cc/YGrjJ00V |work=] |agency=] |page=39 |access-date=April 14, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 16, 1993 |title=Discos mas populares de Latinoamerica |url=https://postimg.cc/mP9c9KKd |work=] |agency=] |page=48 |access-date=April 14, 2023}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|6 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Canada Albums ('']'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 23, 1993 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1993/1993-10-23-Billboard-Page-0074.pdf |title=Hits of the World - Canada |magazine=] |page=82 |access-date=April 16, 2023}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
|- | |||
{{Album chart|Canada|3|chartid=2262|access-date=October 18, 2019|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Danish Albums (])<ref name="Musiic&MediaOct9.1993">{{cite magazine |date=October 9, 1993 |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |url=https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/93/MM-1993-10-09-OCR-Page-0013.pdf#search=%22top%2010%20sales%20in%20europe%20nirvana%20in%20utero%201993%22|magazine=]| page=13 |access-date=July 28, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|5 | |||
|- | |||
{{Album chart|Netherlands|4|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|] ('']'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 23, 1993 |title=Hits of the World - Eurochart Hot 100 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1993/1993-10-23-Billboard-Page-0074.pdf |magazine=] |page=82 |access-date=July 28, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 16, 1993 |title=European Top 100 Albums |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/93/MM-1993-10-16-OCR-Page-0020.pdf |magazine=]| page=20 |access-date=July 28, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| French Albums (])<ref name="snep"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918064233/http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Liste_Selection2.php?Lettre=N |date=September 18, 2017 }}. Infodisc.fr. Retrieved October 10, 2012. NB user has to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Germany4|14|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=27 February 2021|id=1684|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref>. Austriancharts.at (in Austrian German). Retrieved on November 19, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Hungary|40|year=1993|week=48|access-date=26 February 2021|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref name="dutch_charts">. Dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved on January 23, 2009.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"| Icelandic Albums (])<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410052020/http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=194975&pageId=2617749&lang=is&q=Nirvana |date=April 10, 2017 }} timarit.is. Retrieved March 9, 2017.</ref> | |||
| ]<ref name="snep">. Infodisc.fr. Retrieved on October 10, 2012. NB user has to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | ||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"| Irish Albums (])<ref name="Musiic&MediaOct9.1993"/> | |||
| ]<ref>. Musicline.de (in German). Retrieved on November 19, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| Italian Albums ('']'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title=M & D |website=musicaedischi.it |language=it |access-date=March 21, 2023 |quote=User must do a "albums" search for "Nirvana"}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 14 | | style="text-align:center;"| 14 | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|New Zealand|3|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref>. ] (in Hungarian). Retrieved on November 20, 2008. NB user needs to enter "In Utero" in "Eloadó/cím", select "dal/album cím", and click "Keresés".</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 40 | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Norway|7|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref name="NZ_charts">. Charts.org.nz. Retrieved on January 4, 2010.</ref> | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 23, 1993 |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |url=https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/93/M&M-1993-10-23-OCR-Page-0024.pdf#search=%22top%2010%20sales%20in%20europe%20nirvana%20%20in%20utero%201993%22|magazine=]| page=24 |access-date=July 28, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | ||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"| Spanish Albums (])<ref>{{cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002|edition=1st |date=September 2005|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|location=Spain|isbn=84-8048-639-2}}</ref> | |||
| ]<ref>. Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| |
| style="text-align:center;"|13 | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Sweden|1|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref name="swedish_charts">. Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Switzerland|16|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref>. Swisscharts.com. Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"| UK ] (])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 2, 1993 |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/93/MM-1993-10-02-OCR-Page-0014.pdf#search=%22nirvana%20mrib%22 |magazine=] |page=14 |access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> | |||
| ]<ref name="guinness_book">Roberts, David (ed.). ''British Hit Singles & Albums''. 19th edition. HIT Entertainment, 2006. ISBN 978-1-904994-10-7, p. 396</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| |
| style="text-align:center;"|1 | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|UK|1|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ]<ref name="Uno" /> | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | |||
{{Album chart|Billboard200|1|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
|} | |||
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | |||
|- | |- | ||
! Chart (1995) | ! Chart (1995) | ||
! Peak<br />position | ! Peak<br />position | ||
|- | |- | ||
{{Album chart|Wallonia|47|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=8 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
| ] (])<ref>. Ultratop.be (in French). Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 47 | |||
|} | |} | ||
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | |||
===Singles=== | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |- | ||
! Chart (2021–2022) | |||
!rowspan="2"| Year | |||
! Peak<br />position | |||
! style="width:160px;" rowspan="2"| Single | |||
!colspan="13"| Peak positions | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|Greek Albums ('']'')<ref name="Greece">{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/nirvana/chart-history/gra/ |title=Nirvana - Greece Albums |publisher=] |access-date=December 8, 2021 |archive-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813152733/https://www.billboard.com/music/Nirvana/chart-history/GRA |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="NIRVANA.US.AIRPLAY">. billboard.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2012.</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="Billboard singles">. ''Allmusic''. Retrieved on November 13, 2010.</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="Billboard singles" /> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="australian_charts" /> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="NIRVANA.BELGIUM.ULTRATOP">. ultratop.be/nl. Retrieved on September 18, 2012.</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref>. Lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved on November 20, 2008.</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref>. IrishChart.ie. Retrieved on November 20, 2008. NB user needs to enter "Nirvana" in "Search by artist" and click "search". {{WebCite|url=http://www.webcitation.org/5hFf8iFDu|date = June 3, 2009|dateformat=mdy}}</ref> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="dutch_charts" /> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="NZ_charts" /> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="swedish_charts" /> | |||
!style="width:3em;font-size:75%"| ]<br /><ref name="guinness_book" /> | |||
|- | |||
|rowspan="2"| 1993 | |||
|"]" | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| — | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| 21 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 31 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 37 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 36 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{album chart|Poland|26|id=1458|rowheader=true|access-date=September 22, 2022}} | |||
|"]"/"]" | |||
|} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 45 | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | |||
=== 20th anniversary edition === | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| — | |||
|+Weekly chart performance for the 20th anniversary release of ''In Utero'' | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 43 | |||
!Chart (2013–2014) | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 | |||
!Peak<br />position | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 20 | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| — | |||
{{album chart|Wallonia|21|M|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/694/Nirvana-In-Utero|title=Wallonian charts|rowheader=true}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 32 | |||
|- | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| — | |||
{{album chart|Flanders|27|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|rowheader=true}} | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 32 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Greek Albums ('']'')<ref name="Greece"/><br /><small>''Super Deluxe Edition''</small> | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Italy|30|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|access-date=25 July 2020|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Oricon|40|M|artist=Nirvana|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/120707/products/1039377/1/|title=Nirvana – In Utero|publisher=Oricon ME Inc.|access-date=September 14, 2016|note=Super Deluxe Edition|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Portugal|8|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Scotland|28|date=20130929|rowheader=true|access-date=October 31, 2021}} | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Billboard200|46|M|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/312336/nirvana/chart?page=1&f=305|title=Billboard 200|note=Deluxe Edition|refname=Billboard200|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
{{album chart|Billboard200|112|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero Super Deluxe|refname=Billboard200|note=Super Deluxe Edition|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |||
{{Album chart|BillboardCatalog|1|artist=Nirvana|access-date=9 May 2016|rowheader=true}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{album chart|BillboardRock|36|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero: 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe|note=Super Deluxe Edition|rowheader=true}} | |||
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center; font-size:8pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
|} | |} | ||
=== 30th anniversary edition === | |||
==Certifications== | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" | ||
|+Weekly chart performance for the 30th anniversary release of ''In Utero'' | |||
!scope=row|Country | |||
!Chart (2023) | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
!Peak<br />position | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{album chart|Wallonia|10|M|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|url=http://www.ultratop.be/fr/album/694/Nirvana-In-Utero|title=Wallonian charts 2023|rowheader=true}} | |||
!scope=row|Austria | |||
|Gold<ref> (in Austrian German). IFPI.at. Retrieved on July 20, 2012. NB user needs to enter "In Utero" in "Titel" and click "Suchen".</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
{{album chart|Portugal|3|artist=Nirvana|album=In Utero|title=Portuguese charts|rowheader=true}} | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
|} | |||
|Gold<ref name="ABPD"> (in Portuguese). APBD.org.br. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. NB user has to type in "Nirvana" in the search field and press enter.</ref> | |||
{{col-2}} | |||
=== Year-end charts === | |||
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center" | |||
|+Year-end chart performance for ''In Utero'' | |||
! scope="col"| Chart (1993) | |||
! scope="col"| Position | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2332&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=4dp17sl7hp9qmhhj3vmcenr836|title=Top 100 Albums of 1993|work=RPM|access-date=October 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216173806/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.2332&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=4dp17sl7hp9qmhhj3vmcenr836|archive-date=December 16, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
|22 | |||
|6× Platinum<ref>. MusicCanada.com. Retrieved on July 20, 2012.</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| Eurochart Hot 100 Albums (])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 18, 1993 |title=1993 Year-End Sales Charts - Eurochart Hot 100 Albums 1993 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-12-18.pdf |magazine=] |page=15 |access-date=October 6, 2018 |archive-date=August 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819013401/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-12-18.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
| 49 | |||
|Platinum<ref name="snep">. Infodisc.fr. Retrieved on October 14, 2012. NB user need to select "Nirvana" from the drop down list and click "OK".</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1993.php |title=Les Albums (CD) de 1993 par InfoDisc|language=fr |work=InfoDisc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223005010/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1993.php |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
| 16 | |||
|Gold<ref> (in German). Musikindustrie.de. Retrieved on July 20, 2012.</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|New Zealand (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1993-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1993|publisher=RIANZ|access-date=October 13, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304104122/http://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=3882|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|Norway | |||
|38 | |||
|Gold<ref> (in Norwegian). IFPI.no. Retrieved on July 20, 2012. NB user needs to enter "Nirvana" in "Søk artist i trofélister" and click "Søk".</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201993.html |title=Najlepiej sprzedające się albumy w W.Brytanii w 1993r |language=pl |publisher=Z archiwum...rocka |access-date=October 13, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927003211/http://uktop40.republika.pl/najlep%20sprzalbumy%20uk%201993.html |archive-date=September 27, 2012 }}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
|46 | |||
|Gold<ref>. BPI.co.uk. Retrieved on July 20, 2012. NB user needs to enter "In Utero" in "Search", select "Title", and click "Go".</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1993/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 1993|magazine=]|access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref> | |||
!scope=row|] | |||
|74 | |||
|5× Platinum<ref name="UScert" /> | |||
|} | |} | ||
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col"| Chart (1994) | |||
! scope="col"| Position | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)<ref name=aria94>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102014251/http://i.imgur.com/3GuDxzg.jpg |title=The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1994 |url=http://i.imgur.com/3GuDxzg.jpg|archive-date=November 2, 2015 |access-date=May 19, 2022 |publisher=Australian Record Industry Association Ltd.}}</ref> | |||
|99 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Canada Top Albums/CDs (''RPM'')<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.2686&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=RPM Top 100 Albums of 1994 |magazine=RPM |date=1994-12-12 |access-date=2013-12-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311083738/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.2686&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |archive-date=March 11, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> | |||
|58 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1994&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten - Album 1994|publisher=Hung Medien|language=nl|access-date=October 13, 2015|archive-date=September 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920112251/http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1994&cat=a|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|93 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259376-Classements-Annuels.html?year=1994&type=2|title=Classement Albums – année 1994|publisher=SNEP|language=fr|access-date=October 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315041257/http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259376-Classements-Annuels.html?year=1994&type=2|archive-date=March 15, 2012}}</ref> | |||
|25 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)<ref name="UKYearend">{{cite web | |||
|url=http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html | |||
|title=Complete UK Year-End Album Charts | |||
|access-date=April 29, 2012 | |||
|url-status=dead | |||
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519050548/http://chartheaven.9.forumer.com/a/complete-uk-yearend-album-charts_post21.html | |||
|archive-date=May 19, 2012 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
|92 | |||
|- | |||
! scope="row"| US '']'' Pop Albums<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 31, 1994 |title=Top 50 Pop Albums - Cashbox Year-End Awards |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/90s/1994/CB-1994-12-31-OCR-Page-0011.pdf#search=%22nirvana%22 |magazine=] |page=11 |access-date=January 27, 2019}}</ref> | |||
| 32 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums|title=1994: Billboard 200 Albums|magazine=Billboard|date=January 2, 2013|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-date=May 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506060446/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
|33 | |||
|} | |||
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" | |||
|- | |||
!scope="col"|Chart (2002) | |||
!scope="col"|Position | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040902000408/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_alt2.html|archive-date=September 2, 2004|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_alt2.html|title=Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002|website=]|access-date=March 28, 2022}}</ref> | |||
|align=center|163 | |||
|- | |||
!scope="row"|Canadian Metal Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040812035533/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_metal.html|archive-date=August 12, 2004|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_metal.html|title=Top 100 Metal Albums of 2002|website=]|access-date=March 23, 2022}}</ref> | |||
|align=center|82 | |||
|} | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col"| Chart (2018) | |||
! scope="col"| Position | |||
|- | |||
! scope="row"| Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2018/vinyl-albums-chart |title=2018 ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart |publisher=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321113207/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2018/vinyl-albums-chart |access-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 21, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| 49 | |||
|} | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col"| Chart (2019) | |||
! scope="col"| Position | |||
|- | |||
! scope="row"| Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2019/vinyl-albums-chart |title=2019 ARIA Vinyl Albums Chart |publisher=] |access-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200321113207/https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2019/vinyl-albums-chart |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| 99 | |||
|} | |||
===Decade-end charts=== | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | |||
|- | |||
! scope="col"| Chart (2010-2019) | |||
! scope="col"| Position | |||
|- | |||
! scope="row"|UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-top-100-biggest-selling-vinyl-albums-of-the-decade__27798/ |title=Official Top 100 biggest selling vinyl albums of the decade |publisher=] |access-date=March 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200310033722/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/official-top-100-biggest-selling-vinyl-albums-of-the-decade__27798/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
|77 | |||
|} | |||
{{col-end}} | |||
==Certifications== | |||
{{certification Table Top}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Argentina|award=Platinum|certyear=2011|relyear=1993|certref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |title=Discos de oro y platino |language=es |access-date=September 16, 2012 |publisher=] |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1996|relyear=1993|access-date=July 13, 2021}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Austria|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1994|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Belgium|award=Platinum|relyear=1993|certyear=1995}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Brazil|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1998|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Canada|award=Platinum|number=6|relyear=1993|certyear=2001|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=France|award=Platinum|certyear=1995|relyear=1993|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Germany|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1995|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Italy|award=Platinum|relyear=1993|certyear=2023|note=Units sold since 2009|id=10732|access-date=March 27, 2023}} | |||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|type=album|title=イン・ユーテロ|artist=ニルヴァーナ|award=Platinum|certyear=2000|certmonth=2|relyear=1993|access-date=August 2, 2013}} | |||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Mexico|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1993|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Netherlands|artist=Nirvana|title=In Utero|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1994}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero |artist=Nirvana |type=album|region=New Zealand |award=Platinum |number=3|source=archive| certyear=2010|relyear=1993|access-date=August 23, 2022}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Norway|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1995|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Poland|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1997|certmonth=12|relmonth=8|access-date=May 4, 2019}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|artist=Nirvana|title=In Utero|type=album|relyear=1993|certyear=1994|region=Spain|award=Gold|certref=<ref name="Spanish certifications 1991-1995">{{cite book|url=http://www.mediafire.com/view/vqzno2c0fe48zam|title=Solo Exitos 19592002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1991–1995|year=2005|publisher=Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano|isbn=8480486392|access-date=February 2, 2014|archive-date=April 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404203541/http://www.mediafire.com/view/vqzno2c0fe48zam|url-status=live}}</ref>}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=Sweden|award=Gold|relyear=1993|certyear=1993}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=3|certyear=2024|id=3315-602-2|access-date=November 1, 2024}} | |||
{{certification Table Entry|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana|type=album|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=6|relyear=1993|certyear=2024|access-date=December 9, 2024}} | |||
{{certification Table Bottom | streaming=true}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
*Azerrad, Michael. ''Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana''. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8 | |||
*Cameron, Keith. "This Is Pop". '']''. May 2001. | |||
*Cross, Charles R. ''Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain''. Hyperion, 2001. ISBN 0-7868-8402-9 | |||
*DeRogatis, Jim. ''Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's''. Da Capo, 2003. ISBN 0-306-81271-1 | |||
*Gaar, Gillian G. ''In Utero''. Continuum, 2006. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0 | |||
*Rocco, John (editor). ''The Nirvana Companion: Two Decades of Commentary''. Schirmer, 1998. ISBN 0-02-864930-3 | |||
== |
==Further reading== | ||
*{{cite book |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Azerrad |year=1994 |title=Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana |publisher=] |isbn=0-385-47199-8 }} | |||
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Borzillo-Vrenna |first=Carrie |author-link=Carrie Borzillo |year=2003 |title=Nirvana: The Day to Day Illustrated Journals |publisher=] |isbn=9780760748930 |edition=Reprint |url=https://archive.org/details/nirvanadaytodayi0000borz |via=] {{registration required}} }} | |||
*{{cite magazine |last=Cameron |first=Keith |date=May 2001 |title=This Is Pop |magazine=] }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Cross |first=Charles R. |author-link=Charles R. Cross |year=2001 |title=Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain |publisher=] |isbn=0-7868-8402-9 }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=DeRogatis |first=Jim |author-link=Jim DeRogatis |year=2003 |title=Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90s |publisher=] |isbn=0-306-81271-1 }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Gaar |first=Gillian G. |title=In Utero |year=2006 |publisher=] |isbn=0-8264-1776-0 |series=] |volume=34 }} | |||
*{{cite book |editor-last=Rocco |editor-first=John |year=1998 |title=The Nirvana Companion: Two Decades of Commentary |publisher=Schirmer |isbn=0-02-864930-3 }} | |||
*{{cite book |last=Young |first=Charles M. |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-last=Hoard |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |chapter=Nirvana |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA589 |url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac }} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Wikiquote}} | |||
* '''' at ] | |||
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* | |||
* | |||
* {{MusicBrainz release|id=cc8a35fc-ef70-40b5-b410-c1b5a029a866}} | |||
* {{Discogs master|type=album|13859|name=In Utero}} | |||
* {{MusicBrainz release group|id=2a0981fb-9593-3019-864b-ce934d97a16e}} | |||
{{Nirvana (band)}} | {{Nirvana (band)}} | ||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{featured article}} | {{featured article}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 06:25, 17 December 2024
1993 studio album by NirvanaIn Utero | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Nirvana | ||||
Released | September 21, 1993 (1993-09-21) | |||
Recorded | February 13–21, 1993
| |||
Studio | Pachyderm (Cannon Falls, Minnesota) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | DGC | |||
Producer | Steve Albini | |||
Nirvana chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from In Utero | ||||
| ||||
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.
The album was recorded over two weeks in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. After recording finished, rumors circulated that DGC might not release the album due to Albini's abrasive and uncommercial sound. The album was mastered by Bob Ludwig to achieve a more desirable sound for both Nirvana and their label. The band later hired the producer Scott Litt to remix the singles "All Apologies", "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Pennyroyal Tea".
In Utero was a major critical and commercial success upon release. Critics praised the album's raw, unconventional sound and Cobain's lyricism. It reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart; "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The album has been certified 6x Platinum in the US for 6 million sales and has sold 15 million copies worldwide. It was the final Nirvana album released before Cobain's suicide in 1994, six months after the album's release. "Pennyroyal Tea", planned as a single prior to Cobain's death, was released in 2014 and reached number one on the now-defunct Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.
Background
Nirvana broke into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind, in 1991. Despite modest sales estimates, Nevermind was a major commercial success, popularizing the grunge movement and alternative rock. Nirvana expressed dissatisfaction with the sound of the album, citing its production as too polished. Early in 1992, the singer, Kurt Cobain, told Rolling Stone that Nirvana's next album would showcase "both of the extremes" of their sound, saying: "It'll be more raw with some songs and more candy pop on some of the others. It won't be as one-dimensional." The producer of Nevermind, Butch Vig, said later that Cobain had needed to work with a different producer to "reclaim his punk ethics or cred".
Cobain wanted to start work in mid-1992, but his bandmates lived in different cities, and Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love, were expecting the birth of their daughter, Frances Bean. Nirvana's record label, DGC Records, had hoped to release a new Nirvana album for the 1992 holiday season; instead, they released the compilation album Incesticide.
In a Melody Maker interview published in July 1992, Cobain said he was interested in recording with Jack Endino, who had produced Nirvana's 1989 debut album Bleach, and Steve Albini, the former frontman of the noise rock band Big Black, who had produced various independent releases. In Seattle in October 1992, Nirvana recorded several demos with Endino, mainly as instrumentals, including songs later rerecorded for In Utero. Endino recalled that they did not ask him to produce their next record, and that they constantly debated working with Albini.
Nirvana recorded another set of demos while on tour in Brazil in January 1993. "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was recorded by Craig Montgomery at BMG Ariola Ltda in Rio de Janeiro, during the three-day demo session. It was originally titled "I'll Take You Down to the Pavement", a reference to an argument between Cobain and the Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
Nirvana chose Albini to record their third album. Cobain said he chose Albini because he had produced two of his favorite records, Surfer Rosa (1988) by the Pixies and Pod (1990) by the Breeders. Cobain wanted to use Albini's technique of capturing the natural ambience of a room via the placement of several microphones, something previous Nirvana producers had been averse to trying.
Albini was known in the American independent music scene for his criticism of the mainstream music industry and had a strict preference for analog recording rather than digital. He sent a disclaimer to the British music press denying rumors of his involvement with Nirvana, only to receive a call from Nirvana's management a few days later. Albini dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" and "an unremarkable version of the Seattle sound". However, he accepted the job because he felt sorry for them, perceiving them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with," at the mercy of their record company.
Before recording began, Nirvana sent Albini a tape of the demos they had made in Brazil. In return, Albini sent Cobain a copy of the PJ Harvey album Rid of Me (1993) to give him an idea of the acoustics at the studio where they would record.
Recording
Nirvana and Albini set a two-week deadline for recording. At the suggestion of Albini, who was wary of interference from DGC, Nirvana paid for the sessions with their own money. Studio fees totaled US$24,000, while Albini took a flat fee of $100,000. Though he stood to earn about $500,000 from royalties, Albini refused to accept them, as he considered taking royalties immoral and "an insult to the artist".
In February 1993, Nirvana traveled to Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Albini did not meet them until the first day of recording, though he had spoken to them beforehand about the type of album they wanted to make; he observed that "they wanted to make precisely the sort of record that I'm comfortable doing". The group stayed in a house on the studio grounds. Novoselic compared the isolated conditions to a gulag; he said, "There was snow outside, we couldn't go anywhere. We just worked." For most of the sessions, only the band, Albini, and the technician Bob Weston were present. Nirvana made it clear to DGC and their management company Gold Mountain that they wanted no intrusion, and did not play their work in progress for their A&R representative. Albini instituted a policy of ignoring everyone except for the band members; he said that everyone associated with Nirvana were "the biggest pieces of shit I ever met".
Nirvana arrived at Pachyderm Studio without their equipment and spent much of the first three days waiting for it to arrive by mail. Once recording began, on February 13, work moved quickly. On most days, the group began work around midday, took breaks for lunch and dinner, and worked until midnight. For most songs, Cobain, Novoselic, and Grohl recorded their basic instrumental tracks together as a band. For faster songs, such as "Very Ape" and "Tourette's", the drums were recorded separately in a kitchen for its natural reverb. Albini surrounded Grohl's drum kit with about 30 microphones. Cobain added additional guitar tracks to about half of the songs, then guitar solos, and finally vocals. The band did not discard takes and kept virtually everything they recorded.
Albini saw himself more as an engineer than a producer; despite his personal opinions, he let the band choose takes. He said, "Generally speaking, knows what he thinks is acceptable and what isn't acceptable He can make concrete steps to improve things that he doesn't think are acceptable." Cobain reportedly recorded all his vocal tracks in six hours. Albini said that Cobain, who had struggled with drug addiction, was focused and sober in the studio.
Recording was completed in six days; Cobain had anticipated disagreements with Albini, whom he had heard "was supposedly this sexist jerk", but called the process "the easiest recording we've ever done, hands down". The only disruption occurred a week into the sessions, when Love arrived because she missed Cobain. Weston's girlfriend, the studio's chef, said that Love created tension by criticizing Cobain's work and was confrontational with everyone present.
The initial mix of In Utero took five days. This was quick by Nirvana's standards, but not for Albini, who was used to mixing albums in a day or two. When work on a mix was not producing desired results, the band and Albini took the rest of the day off to watch nature videos, set things on fire and make prank calls. The sessions were completed on February 26. "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" was omitted from the album as Cobain felt it already contained too many "noise" songs.
Production and mixing dispute
After the recording sessions ended, Nirvana sent unmastered tapes of the album to several individuals, including Gold Mountain and Ed Rosenblatt, the president of DGC's parent company, Geffen Records. When asked about the feedback he received, Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "The grown-ups don't like it." He said he was told his songwriting was "not up to par", the sound was "unlistenable", and that there was uncertainty that mainstream radio would accept Albini's production. Few at Geffen or Gold Mountain had wanted Nirvana to record with Albini, and Cobain felt he was receiving an unstated message to scrap the sessions and start again.
Cobain was upset and said to Azerrad, "I should just re-record this record and do the same thing we did last year because we sold out last year—there's no reason to try and redeem ourselves as artists at this point. I can't help myself—I'm just putting out a record I would like to listen to at home." However, a number of Nirvana's friends liked the album, and by April, Nirvana was intent on releasing In Utero as it was. According to Cobain, "Of course, they want another Nevermind, but I'd rather die than do that. This is exactly the kind of record I would buy as a fan, that I would enjoy owning."
The band began to have doubts about the record. Cobain said, "The first time I played it at home, I knew there was something wrong. The whole first week I wasn't really interested in listening to it at all, and that usually doesn't happen. I got no emotion from it, I was just numb." The group concluded that the bass and lyrics were inaudible and asked Albini to remix the album. He declined; as he recalled, " wanted to make a record that he could slam down on the table and say, 'Listen, I know this is good, and I know your concerns about it are meaningless, so go with it.' And I don't think he felt he had that yet ... My problem was that I feared a slippery slope." The band attempted to address their concerns during the mastering process with Bob Ludwig at his studio in Portland, Maine. Novoselic was pleased with the results, but Cobain still did not feel it was perfect.
Soon afterward, in April 1993, Albini told the Chicago Tribune that he doubted Geffen would release the album. Years later, Albini said: "I wasn't there when the band was having their discussions with the record label. All I know is ... we made a record, everybody was happy with it. A few weeks later I hear that it's unreleasable and it's all got to be redone." While Albini's remarks in the article drew no reply from Nirvana or Geffen, Newsweek ran a similar article soon afterwards that did. Nirvana wrote a letter to Newsweek denying any pressure to change the album and saying the author had "ridiculed our relationship with our label based on totally erroneous information". The band reprinted the letter in a full-page ad in Billboard. Rosenblatt insisted in a press release that Geffen would release anything Nirvana submitted, and the label founder, David Geffen, made the unusual move of calling Newsweek to complain.
Nirvana considered working with the producer Scott Litt and remixing some tracks with Andy Wallace, who had mixed Nevermind. Albini vehemently disagreed, and said the band had agreed not to modify the tracks without his involvement. He initially refused to give the master tapes to Gold Mountain, but relented after a phone call from Novoselic. The band eventually had Litt remix songs intended as singles; "Heart Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" were remixed at Seattle's Bad Animals Studio in May 1993.
The rest of the album was left unaltered aside from a remastering. Albini was critical of the final mix; he said, "The record in the stores doesn't sound all that much like the record that was made, though it's still them singing and playing their songs, and the musical quality of it still comes across." According to Albini, In Utero made him unpopular with major record labels, and he faced problems finding work in the year following its release.
Music and lyrics
"Milk It" "Milk It" displays the aggressive and more experimental sound Nirvana explored on In Utero."Rape Me" "Rape Me" is an anti-rape song with direct lyrics.
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Albini sought to produce a record that sounded nothing like Nevermind. He felt the sound of Nevermind was "sort of a standard hack recording that has been turned into a very, very controlled, compressed radio-friendly mix That is not, in my opinion, very flattering to a rock band." Instead, he intended to capture a more natural and visceral sound. Albini refused to double-track Cobain's vocals and instead recorded him singing in a resonant room. He noted the intensity of Cobain's vocals on some tracks; he said, "There's a really dry, really loud voice at the end of 'Milk It' ... that was also done at the end of 'Rape Me', where wanted the sound of him screaming to just overtake the whole band." Albini achieved the sparse drum sound by placing several microphones around Grohl, picking up the natural reverberation of the room. Albini said, "If you take a good drummer and put him in front of a drum kit that sounds good acoustically and just record it, you've done your job."
Azerrad asserted in his 1993 biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana that In Utero showcased divergent sensibilities of abrasiveness and accessibility that reflected the upheavals Cobain experienced prior to the album's completion. He wrote, "The Beatlesque 'Dumb' happily coexists beside the all-out frenzied punk graffiti of 'Milk It,' while 'All Apologies' is worlds away from the apoplectic 'Scentless Apprentice.' It's as if has given up trying to meld his punk and pop instincts into one harmonious whole. Forget it. This is war." Cobain believed, however, that In Utero was not "any harsher or any more emotional" than any of Nirvana's previous records. Novoselic agreed that the album leaned more towards the band's "arty, aggressive side"; he said, "There's always been songs like 'About a Girl' and there's always been songs like 'Paper Cuts'... Nevermind came out kind of 'About a Girl'-y and this came out more 'Paper Cuts'". Cobain cited "Milk It" as an example of the more experimental and aggressive direction in which the band's music had been moving in the months prior to the sessions at Pachyderm Studio. Novoselic viewed the album's singles "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies" as "gateways" to the more abrasive sound of the rest of the album, telling the journalist Jim DeRogatis that once listeners played the record, they would discover "this aggressive wild sound, a true alternative record".
Several songs on In Utero were written years prior to recording; some dated to 1990. Cobain favored long song titles, such as "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", in reaction to contemporary alternative rock bands that used single-word titles. He continued to work on the lyrics while recording. He told Darcey Steinke in Spin in 1993 that, in contrast to Bleach and Nevermind, the lyrics were "more focused, they're almost built on themes". Azerrad asserted that the lyrics were less impressionistic and more straightforward than in previous Nirvana songs. Azerrad also noted that "virtually every song contains some image of sickness and disease". In a number of songs, Cobain made reference to books; "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" was inspired by Shadowland, a 1978 biography of actress Frances Farmer, with whom Cobain had been fascinated ever since he read the book in high school. "Scentless Apprentice" was written about Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, a historical horror novel about a perfumer's apprentice who attempts to create the ultimate perfume by killing virgin women and taking their scent.
According to the psychologist Thomas Joiner, it is clear that suicide was on Cobain's mind as he worked on the album, with its lyrics illustrating "the merging of death with themes of nurturance and life, sometimes in stark and disturbing ways." Examples include the song "Milk It", with the phrase "I am my own parasite", which according to Joiner is a "succinct and even sublime way to combine urges toward death and life." The words "Her milk is my shit, My shit is her milk" demonstrate that "Cobain clearly had a penchant for disturbing imagery in which themes of nurturance are merged with themes of disease and waste." Another example is Cobain's referral to an "umbilical noose" in the song "Heart Shaped Box".
Cobain described In Utero as "very impersonal". He also told Q that the infant and childbirth imagery on the album and his newfound fatherhood were coincidental. However, Azerrad argued that much of the album contains personal themes, noting that Grohl held a similar view. Grohl said, "A lot of what he has to say is related to a lot of the shit he's gone through. And it's not so much teen angst any more. It's a whole different ball game: rock star angst." Cobain downplayed recent events and told Azerrad that he did not want to write a track that explicitly expressed his anger at the media; Azerrad countered that "Rape Me" seemed to deal with that very issue. While Cobain said the song was written long before his addiction problems became public, he agreed that the song could be viewed in that light. "Serve the Servants" comments on Cobain's life. The opening lines "Teenage angst has paid off well / Now I'm bored and old" were a reference to Cobain's state of mind in the wake of Nirvana's success. Cobain dismissed the media attention given to the effect his parents' divorce had on his life with the line "That legendary divorce is such a bore" from the chorus, and directly addressed his father with the lines "I tried hard to have a father / But instead I had a dad / I just want you to know that I don't hate you any more / There is nothing I could say that I haven't thought before". Cobain said he wanted his father to know he did not hate him, but had no desire to talk to him.
According to the journalist Gillian G. Gaar, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was the kind of improvisational jam Nirvana frequently performed in the studio, but had rarely recorded during earlier sessions, when the priority had been to record as quickly as possible. She wrote that it featured "Cobain alternating between seemingly disconnected singing and spoken-words sections, with Novoselic and Grohl providing a steady background accompaniment, punctuated by bursts of noisy guitar." Journalist Everett True described the song's mood as "playful", with "the instruments engaging in a game of cat and mouse, almost daring each other to explode in fury". Novoselic said it was an example of the band "just fucking around".
Title and packaging
Cobain originally wanted to name the album I Hate Myself and I Want to Die, a phrase that had originated in his journals in mid-1992. At the time, he used the phrase as a response whenever someone asked him how he was doing. Cobain intended the album title as a joke; he stated he was "tired of taking this band so seriously and everyone else taking it so seriously". Novoselic convinced Cobain to change the title due to fear that it could potentially result in a lawsuit. The band then considered using Verse Chorus Verse—a title taken from its song "Verse Chorus Verse", and a (at the time current) working title of "Sappy"—before eventually settling on In Utero. The final title was taken from a poem written by Courtney Love.
The art director for In Utero was Robert Fisher, who had designed all of Nirvana's releases on DGC. Most of the ideas for the artwork for the album and related singles came from Cobain. Fisher recalled that " would just give me some loose odds and ends and say 'Do something with it.'" The cover of the album is an image of a Transparent Anatomical Manikin, with angel wings superimposed. Cobain created the collage on the back cover which he described as "Sex and woman and In Utero and vaginas and birth and death", consisting of model fetuses, a turtle shell and models of turtles, and body parts lying in a bed of orchids and lilies. The collage had been set up on the floor of Cobain's living room and was photographed by Charles Peterson after an unexpected call from Cobain. The album's track listing and re-illustrated symbols from Barbara G. Walker's The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects were then positioned around the edge of the collage.
Mannequins of the angel-winged anatomical figure were used as stage props on Nirvana's concert tour supporting In Utero. One such mannequin later featured at the Experience Music Project museum's exhibition "Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses", which ran from April 2011 through 2013 and showcased memorabilia celebrating the band's music and history.
Marketing and sales
To avoid over-hyping the album, DGC Records took a low-key approach to promoting In Utero; their head of marketing told Billboard before the album's release that they were planning a campaign similar to that of Nevermind, and the label would "set things up, duck, and get out of the way". The label aimed its promotion at alternative markets and press, and released the album on vinyl as part of this strategy. In contrast to Nevermind, DGC did not release any of In Utero's singles commercially in the United States. DGC sent promo copies of the album's first single, "Heart-Shaped Box", to American college, modern rock, and album-oriented rock radio stations in early September, but did not target Top 40 radio. The band was convinced that In Utero would not be as successful as Nevermind. Cobain told Jim DeRogatis, "We're certain that we won't sell a quarter as much, and we're totally comfortable with that because we like this record so much."
In Utero was released on September 13, 1993, on CD, vinyl record and cassette tape in the United Kingdom, and on September 14 on vinyl in the United States, with the American vinyl pressing limited to 25,000 copies. It was issued on CD and in other formats on September 21 in the US. European and Australian versions of In Utero released that same month included "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" as a hidden bonus track, with a sticker on the cover reading "Exclusive International Bonus Track", although the booklet referred to the song as a "Devalued American Dollar Purchase Incentive Track". According to Novoselic, DGC did not want the European version to compete with the US version, and so added the extra track.
In Utero debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 180,000 copies. The retail chain stores Wal-Mart and Kmart refused to sell it; according to The New York Times, Wal-Mart said this was due to lack of consumer demand, while Kmart representatives said the album did not fit with their "merchandise mix". In truth, both chains feared that customers would be offended by the artwork on the back cover. DGC issued a new version to the stores in March 1994, with edited album artwork, "Rape Me" retitled "Waif Me", and the Scott Litt remix of "Pennyroyal Tea". A spokesperson for Nirvana explained that the band decided to edit the packaging because they wanted their music available to "kids who don't have the opportunity to go to mom-and-pop stores". In Utero also debuted at number one in the United Kingdom where according to NME, "Nirvana confirmed their status as the seminal band of the time".
In October 1993, Nirvana began their first American tour in two years to promote the album. A second single, a split release that featured "All Apologies" and "Rape Me", was issued in December in the United Kingdom. The band began a six-week European leg in February 1994, but it was canceled partway through after Cobain suffered a drug overdose in Rome on March 6. Cobain agreed to enter drug rehabilitation, but went missing soon afterward. On April 8, he was found dead in his Seattle home, having shot himself. A third single from In Utero, "Pennyroyal Tea", was canceled in the wake of Cobain's death and the subsequent dissolution of Nirvana; limited promotional copies were released in Britain. Three days after Cobain's body was discovered, In Utero moved from number 72 to number 27 on the Billboard charts, with a 122% sales increase of 40,000 copies sold compared to 18,000 in the week before.
In Utero was certified five times platinum in the US for shipments of over five million units. It has sold 4,258,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Reissues
For its 20th anniversary, DGC reissued In Utero in several formats in September 2013, including the Live and Loud show on DVD. For the album's 30th anniversary, DGC re-issued In Utero in several formats on October 27, 2023, which included the full December 30, 1993 show at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles and the January 7, 1994 show at the Seattle Centre Arena.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 90/100 (20th anniversary) |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Chicago Sun-Times | |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
Los Angeles Times | |
Music Week | |
NME | 8/10 |
Pitchfork | 10/10 |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
Select |
Although not as successful as Nevermind, In Utero received widespread acclaim from critics. Time's Christopher John Farley stated in his review, "Despite the fears of some alternative-music fans, Nirvana hasn't gone mainstream, though this potent new album may once again force the mainstream to go Nirvana." Rolling Stone reviewer David Fricke said that the album is "a lot of things – brilliant, corrosive, enraged and thoughtful, most of them all at once. But more than anything, it's a triumph of the will." Entertainment Weekly reviewer David Browne commented "Kurt Cobain hates it all", and noted that the sentiment pervades the record. Browne argued, "The music is often mesmerizing, cathartic rock & roll, but it is rock & roll without release, because the band is suspicious of the old-school rock clichés such a release would evoke."
NME writer John Mulvey had doubts about the record; he concluded, "As a document of a mind in flux – dithering, dissatisfied, unable to come to terms with sanity – Kurt should be proud of . As a follow-up to one of the best records of the past ten years it just isn't quite there." Ben Thompson of The Independent commented that in spite of the more abrasive songs, "In Utero is beautiful far more often than it is ugly ... Nirvana have wisely neglected to make the unlistenable punk-rock nightmare they threatened us with." Q felt that the album showcases Cobain's songwriting abilities and wrote, "If this is how Cobain is going to develop, the future is lighthouse-bright."
Several critics ranked In Utero one of the best releases of the year; it placed first and second in the album categories of the Rolling Stone and Village Voice Pazz & Jop year-end critics' polls. The New York Times included it on its list of the top ten albums of the year. It was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards. The guitar riff from "Very Ape" was sampled by British electronic band the Prodigy for their 1994 single "Voodoo People".
Reappraisal
In Utero has continued to perform commercially and gather critical praise. In a 2003 Guitar World article for the album's tenth anniversary, Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross argued that In Utero was "a far better record than and one that only 10 years later seems to be an influential seed spreader, judging by current bands. If it is possible for an album that sold four million copies to be overlooked, or underappreciated, then In Utero is that lost pearl." That year, Pitchfork named In Utero the 13th best album of the 1990s. Rolling Stone ranked it number 435 on its list The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and 173 in its 2020 updated list. It also ranked it the seventh best album of the 90s.
In 2004, Blender named In Utero the 94th greatest American album, and in 2005, Spin named it the 51st best album of the previous 20 years. In 2005, In Utero was ranked number 358 in Rock Hard's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. In 2013, NME ranked it at number 35 on its list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In May 2017, Loudwire ranked it at number six on its list "The 30 Best Grunge Albums of All Time". In April 2019, Rolling Stone placed it at number eight on its 50 Greatest Grunge Albums list. In October 2023, the Official Charts Company revealed that In Utero was the fifth most streamed album from the 1990s in the United Kingdom.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kurt Cobain, except track 2 written with Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Serve the Servants" | 3:36 |
2. | "Scentless Apprentice" | 3:48 |
3. | "Heart-Shaped Box" | 4:41 |
4. | "Rape Me" | 2:50 |
5. | "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" | 4:09 |
6. | "Dumb" | 2:32 |
7. | "Very Ape" | 1:56 |
8. | "Milk It" | 3:55 |
9. | "Pennyroyal Tea" | 3:37 |
10. | "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" | 4:51 |
11. | "Tourette's" | 1:35 |
12. | "All Apologies" () | 3:51 |
Total length: | 41:23 |
Notes
- Original non-US CD pressings of the album include "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" as a hidden track. It is listed on the back cover as track 13, but is heard after approximately 20 minutes of silence on track 12 following "All Apologies", beginning at 24:00.
Personnel
Personnel adapted from In Utero liner notes
Nirvana
Other musicians
|
Technical
|
Charts
Original release
20th anniversary edition
30th anniversary edition
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) | Platinum | 60,000 |
Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 140,000 |
Austria (IFPI Austria) | Gold | 25,000 |
Belgium (BEA) | Platinum | 50,000 |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | Gold | 100,000 |
Canada (Music Canada) | 6× Platinum | 600,000 |
France (SNEP) | Platinum | 300,000 |
Germany (BVMI) | Gold | 250,000 |
Italy (FIMI) Units sold since 2009 |
Platinum | 50,000 |
Japan (RIAJ) | Platinum | 200,000 |
Mexico (AMPROFON) | Gold | 100,000 |
Netherlands (NVPI) | Gold | 50,000 |
New Zealand (RMNZ) | 3× Platinum | 45,000 |
Norway (IFPI Norway) | Gold | 25,000 |
Poland (ZPAV) | Gold | 50,000 |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Gold | 50,000 |
Sweden (GLF) | Gold | 50,000 |
United Kingdom (BPI) | 3× Platinum | 900,000 |
United States (RIAA) | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000 |
Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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{{cite AV media notes}}
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Further reading
- Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
- Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (2003). Nirvana: The Day to Day Illustrated Journals (Reprint ed.). Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 9780760748930 – via Internet Archive (registration required).
- Cameron, Keith (May 2001). "This Is Pop". Mojo.
- Cross, Charles R. (2001). Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain. Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-8402-9.
- DeRogatis, Jim (2003). Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90s. Da Capo. ISBN 0-306-81271-1.
- Gaar, Gillian G. (2006). In Utero. 33⅓. Vol. 34. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0.
- Rocco, John, ed. (1998). The Nirvana Companion: Two Decades of Commentary. Schirmer. ISBN 0-02-864930-3.
- Young, Charles M. (2004). "Nirvana". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
External links
- Live Nirvana Companion to Official Releases – In Utero
- In Utero at Discogs (list of releases)
- In Utero at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
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