The classic Nirvana song that Kurt Cobain never got right
(Source: Far Out / Apple Music)
Kurt Cobain might be the harshest critic of his songs. Despite all the recognition he received as one of the greatest voices of his generation, there were just as many moments when he criticized the success of Doesn’t matter, thought he had gone way too poppy when he listened to some of the final mixes. While a song like “Sappy” never made it onto an official album, one of the reasons this absolute hit never saw the light of day was that Cobain never got the sound right.
On the other hand, Cobain’s last attempt to record the song was during the In utero The sessions were always full of excitement. Everyone had their eye on the group to see what they would do next, and yet it was Cobain who tried his best to get as far away from their last album as possible because it sounded so polished.
Enter Steve Albini, who was considered one of the most caustic punk rockers of all time. Apart from being the mastermind behind the first Pixies record, Surfer Pink, Albini was the ideal guy Cobain was looking for to capture the sound of Nirvana live in the studio, which included playing through a version of “Sappy.”
In a later interview for MTV, Cobain felt it was better, but wasn’t ready to put it out there yet. He said, “It’s one of those songs that we’ve been trying to record since we’ve been in a band. Every time we went into the studio, we tried to record the song, and every time it was crap. It was crap, and this time it almost wasn’t.”
In terms of songwriting, however, this might be one of Cobain’s greatest moments in the studio. There were great songs on the last album, like “Lithium” and “Come As You Are,” but the main hook of this song is much catchier than its counterparts. Aside from its pop appeal, this is also thematically one of the more progressive songs Cobain wrote.
Cobain was a lifelong advocate for women’s rights and this is a grim caricature of what the modern housewife should do. Cheerful attitude aside, what Cobain writes about is one of the most demoralizing experiences anyone can go through. He talks about this woman’s husband locking her up and playing the entire song in a laundry room, where she will presumably stay for the rest of her life.
It conveys its message perfectly and even has the In utero taste of production, so why has it not seen the light of day until their box set, With the lights off? Well, perhaps the catchiness was the main problem with the song. Yes, it could have been a great single and had the potential to reach the same heights as other releases like “Heart-Shaped Box”, but since Cobain had avoided anything that was even remotely like Doesn’t matter, It was probably left on the cutting room floor to make room for harder songs like “Scentless Apprentice.”
When it was finally released, “Sappy” was the only reminder of what kind of musician Cobain always was. Whether it made sense or not, he always expressed everything he felt, and considering the subject matter, this call for women’s rights fits perfectly with Nirvana.
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