Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band's prior work. It was recorded at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, and Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, in May and June 1991, and mastered that August at the Mastering Lab in Hollywood, California.
Contrary to the hedonistic themes popular in rock music at the time, writers have observed that Nevermind promoted the image of the sensitive artist in mainstream rock. Written primarily by frontman Kurt Cobain, the album is noted for channeling a range of emotions, being noted as dark, humorous, and disturbing. Its themes include alienation, frustration, anti-establishment and anti-sexist views, and troubled love inspired by Cobain's broken relationship with Bikini Kill's Tobi Vail. A landmark in grunge and alternative rock, the album also features acoustic ballads and punk-inspired hard rock.
Nevermind was an unexpected success, replacing Michael Jackson's Dangerous at the number one spot of the US Billboard 200 in January 1992. The lead single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", reached the Top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and went on to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Three singles "Come as You Are", "Lithium", and "In Bloom" were also successful. Nevermind was voted the best album of the year in Pazz & Jop critics' poll, while "Smells Like Teen Spirit" also topped the single-of-the-year and video-of-the-year polls. It was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Alternative Music Album.
Nevermind brought Nirvana worldwide fame, with Cobain dubbed the "voice of his generation". It brought grunge and alternative rock to a mainstream audience, accelerated the decline of hair metal, and initiated a resurgence of interest in punk culture among teenagers and young adults of Generation X. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums. In 2024, it was certified 13 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Nevermind was added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry in 2004 as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and frequently appears on lists of the greatest albums.
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