A lovely image filled with beheaded figures.
Nirvana's songs and album artwork are full of haunting Nightmare Fuel imagery. Kurt Cobain in particular seemed to have a morbid fear and fascination with human biology, pregnancy, sex and diseases, as well as torture, serial murders, rape and self-destructive drug behavior, which all have a repulsive effect on the listener. And then there is of course Kurt's premature death at 27 by suicide, which casts an even darker shadow over most of Nirvana's songs. Cobain flirted with death and suicide throughout his entire career. With titles like "I Hate Myself and Want to Die", it almost seemed inevitable that it would all end tragically.
Bleach:
- "Floyd the Barber": a claustrophobic track in which Floyd the Barber from the jolly sitcom The Andy Griffith Show puts the protagonist in the barber chair. After he has put a wet towel over his head, the client starts to feel scared. Rightfully so, because the next thing you know Floyd, Barney Fife, Opie and Aunt Bee show up and "take turns" raping him and cutting him up till he dies.
- "Paper Cuts" is a less obvious example until you discover the lyrics
(NSFW). Then it becomes almost as disturbing as "Polly"... Almost. Supposedly it's based on a true story, though sources vary as to whether it happened to someone Kurt met or it was a case of child abuse that he once read about in the newspaper.- Plus, the guitar opening sounds like fear itself channeled through a guitar amp.
- "Negative Creep" has a very chilling atmosphere to it, especially since Cobain sings that he is a "stoned, negative creep" and that "daddy's little girl ain't his girl no more", which makes you shiver over the idea of a child/teen and their lost innocence.
Nevermind:
- "Smells Like Teen Spirit", especially the music video, in which the band plays in a darkened high school gym room, where complete mayhem and chaos takes over. Some of Cobain’s close-up stares into the camera are very unnerving.
- In light of his death, it's a little creepy to hear Kurt sing "Come as You Are", especially the ending "And I swear that I don't have a gun, no I don't have a gun".
- "Polly", about a man who kidnaps and rapes a victim named Polly. It's pretty creepy enough on its own, but then you learn the true story that inspired the song, and it takes on a whole new level of disturbing.
- "Drain You" is about the parasitic nature of the relationship that Kurt had with Tobi Vail.I don't care what you think as long as it is about meI feel it is my duty to completely drain you...
- "Something In The Way": Cobain singing about living "under a bridge" where he "traps animals" and lives from the "drippings from the ceiling". It has a very claustrophobic atmosphere and the delivery of the line "it's okay to eat fish/'cause they don't have any feelings" can make very tough people shiver violently when they hear it.
- Even more chilling is the fact that the song was semi-autobiographical. Cobain once lived under a bridge, but it was only for a few days. Additionally, Cobain's astrological sign was Pisces which adds an additional layer of Fridge Horror to the latter line.
- It can be possible to almost fall asleep listening to Nevermind, only to be jarred back awake by "Endless, Nameless".
- In a case of What Could Have Been: Kurt originally wanted the album cover show an underwater birth, complete with all the blood and other slimy mess that goes along with it. Let's say we're thankful that he chose that other album cover.
- You think "Territorial Pissings" is scary? The beginning vocal train wreck Krist gives of "Get Together" is freaky enough.
Incesticide:
- "Aero Zeppelin", which starts out slow and atmospheric, with Kurt singing with an... Oddly warmer tone of voice than normal. It's very strange to hear, especially compared to his standard mode of singing. Then a sudden guitar solo out of nowhere leads into Kurt shouting his brains out for the next verse.
- "Big Long Now", a haunting ballad with bizarre lyrics. It seems to allude to masochism and self-hatred, with lines like "It's not cold enough", and "Can we show our faces now?" against a a mechanical-sounding riff. It's slower than their average song, and Kurt's vocals are absolutely the rawest or second-rawest on the compilation.Endless climb! I am blind! Why can't I leave? Color blind, speaking a phrase...
In Utero:
- "Scentless Apprentice", which is based on the novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Beyond the lyrics, the song just has one VERY unnerving atmosphere, and Kurt's tortured screams that make up the chorus are horrifying.
- The music video for "Heart-Shaped Box". A woman in a human body suit, a young Ku Klux Klan member, fetuses hanging from trees...
- The lyrics are ambiguous, but none of the interpretations (Domestic Abuse, Fate Worse than Death, cancer, etc.) are nice. In fact, a few people see the song as Kurt's ACTUAL suicide note, given that his voice sounds desperate and disjointed throughout.
- "Milk It", mainly for the lyric line "Look on the bright side, suicide", though the rest of the lyrics aren't anymore pleasant.
- "tourette's". Just listen to it.
MTV Unplugged in New York:
- The entire atmosphere of the concert: candles and stuff was intentional. Kurt wanted it to look like "a funeral". Squick.
- "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" is a cover of a folk song (famously recorded by Lead Belly) that features Kurt screaming about a woman running away, her husband getting beheaded by a train, and the implication that she'll die of exposure soon enough herself. While Leadbelly's version has a jolly atmosphere, Nirvana turns it into a haunting torch song.
Other:
- The bonus song "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" from the deluxe edition of In Utero. Difficult not to think about Kurt himself when listening to it, but even if you don't it's disturbing.
