Why Nirvana’s “Nevermind” is One of the Best Albums of all Time
When I think about the greatest premiers of all time, I don’t think of classical music. I’m not sure if this is just because I grew up playing world music and funk, but I’ve never really felt a connection to anything an old white guy wrote in the 1700s. When I think of world-changing premiers, I think Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Madonna… these are artists that will never be forgotten. One of the most important ones to me, however, is Nirvana’s “Nevermind”.
My generation grew up listening to this album because all of our parents listened to it. I can’t imagine being around when this album exploded; is just seems so unlikely. Even though it’s a masterpiece, a bunch of “misfits” made this album and its still surprising to me that it became popular because of that.
“A big factor has been a lot of political and social discontent,” says Novoselic. “When we went to make this record, I had such a feeling of us versus them. All those people waving the flag and being brainwashed, I really hated them. And all of a sudden, they’re all buying our record, and I just think, ‘You don’t get it at all.’” — Rolling Stone Magazine, 1992
This album perfectly portrays the anger and discontent the band felt, and it’s a pretty violent album. One super important thing about this album is that it mainly sold to young people. Young people have the passion for change, and our parents were those young people trying to change the world. I think growing up listening to things like Nirvana and old school hip hop really drove my passion for social justice, and I think that’s true among my generation. The commentary on this album may have gone over a lot of people’s heads, as Novoselic pointed out, but those who understood it passed the message on and helped create social change.
Of course there have been may albums that have created social change, and these artists and their causes change with time times. Nirvana’s Nevermind paved the way for 90’s punk to become popular, and that’s one reason why it’s so important. I know my generation will be passing this music down to our children, and hopefully they’ll pass it down to theirs.
