Nirvana conquered the music market in the early 1990s with the release of Nevermind ( 1991), which sold over thirty million copies worldwide. Their next album, their third and final one, was the intriguing and abrasive In Utero . Contradicting the more polished sound of Nevermind , as Kurt Cobain , Krist Novoselic , and Dave Grohl described it, In Utero addressed more personal – and painful – aspects of Cobain's life, as he struggled with physical and mental pain and couldn't accept the band's success.
The musician, who only sought to have a band and make music, quickly became one of the biggest icons of the time and was interviewed by the major media outlets of the moment. Fame was something Kurt never coveted, and when he achieved it, he rejected it. While he was considered this almost heroic musician, he suffered from serious stomach pains, drug addiction, and a tumultuous marriage with Courtney Love . All of this served as inspiration for the creation of the band's last album.
In Utero
Released in September 1993, In Utero was produced by Steve Albini , who helped the band find the more abrasive sound they were looking for and work on the album in a record time of six days, something almost impossible for the group.
The band didn't want to work with Butch Vig , the producer of Nevermind , again, precisely to seek a different sound. They believed his replacement needed to be Jack Endino —who recorded Bleach (1989), Nirvana's debut—or Albini.
After several phone calls during which Cobain described his plans for In Utero , Albini wrote him a letter outlining the terms for accepting the job. “I only want to work on records that genuinely reflect the band’s own perception of its music and existence. If you commit to having that as the foundation of your recording methodology, then I will work very hard for you.”
In an interview with Music Radar , Albini spoke about the plan presented by the group: “In In Utero they wanted to make an intentionally more primitive album, and by 'primitive' I don't mean rudimentary, I mean an album in which the band's sound was completely unvarnished.”
Themes from In Utero
Cobain stated in a 1993 interview with The Observer that "most of [ In Utero ] is very impersonal." However, friends and colleagues of the musician argue that this was indeed a personal album for him. "Rape Me," for example, expresses his indignation towards the media and its behavior.
"Serve the Servants" contains commentary on 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 at the height of Nirvana's success. Cobain sparked media interest in the effects his parents' divorce had on his life with the refrain "That legendary divorce is such a bore."
Nirvana and In Utero in Brazil
During a break between shows at the Hollywood Rock festival in Brazil in January 1993, the band played in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and took the opportunity to record some demos for In Utero . These demos were later taken to the remote Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, to record the album.
While still in Brazil, some of these demos came to life on stage for the first time during a show at Praça da Apoteose in Rio de Janeiro. On January 23, 1993, Nirvana played two songs from In Utero : "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Scentless Apprentice".
In Utero recording
The band recorded In Utero in six days. Cobain had originally anticipated disagreements with Albini, whom the vocalist heard was "supposedly this sexist idiot," but called the process "the easiest recording we've ever done."
The album mixing process was completed in five days. This was fast by Nirvana standards, but not for Albini, who was used to mixing entire albums in a day or two.
Dissatisfaction with the recording
Despite their collaborative work, the group wasn't entirely satisfied with the sound Albini had captured and asked the producer to tweak some tracks. He, however, refused.
In an interview, Kurt Cobain said: “The first time I played the album at home, I knew something was wrong. For the entire first week, I wasn’t really interested in listening to it – and that usually doesn’t happen. I didn’t feel any emotion about it, I was apathetic.”
The band approached Scott Litt to make minor changes to the album's sound and to the remixes of the singles "Heart-Shaped Box" and "All Apologies".
Album title and cover
Initially, the album was going to be called I Hate Myself and I Want to Die, a phrase Kurt wrote in his diary in mid-1992. He used this phrase whenever someone asked him how he was doing. Cobain said the title was meant to be a joke about the situation, but Novoselic convinced the vocalist that it wouldn't be a good title.
In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he said: “I’m seen as this schizophrenic, whiny, complaining, weirdo who wants to kill himself all the time. And I thought it was a funny title. But I knew most people wouldn’t understand.”
The band then decided on " In Utero ," a term taken from a poem written by Courtney Love.
In addition to the shocking name, Nirvana prepared an equally shocking cover for the album. Most of the ideas for the album and single artwork came from Kurt and were designed by Robert Fisher.
Fisher recalled that “[Cobain] would just give me some pointers and conclusions and say, ‘Do something with this.’” The album cover is an image of a transparent anatomical mannequin with superimposed angel wings. 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 models of fetuses and body parts lying on a bed of orchids and lilies.
Kurt was always fascinated by anatomy. “I think I secretly always wanted to be a doctor or something,” he said in a 1993 interview. “I always liked anatomy… And since I became a big rock star and made a lot of money, I found this place in the Mall of America in Minneapolis that sells nothing but medical supplies.” He remembers frequently scouring the store for medical charts and anatomical figures similar to those found on the cover of In Utero . “It was like a dream come true,” he said.
Media reception of the album
Upon its release, the album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and received critical acclaim as a drastic departure from Nevermind . The album was certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling over 15 million copies worldwide and approximately over five million units in the United States alone.
The album appeared in 1993 as the 74th album of the year on the Billboard 200 chart, but regained popularity after Kurt Cobain's death and was the 33rd album on Billboard's year-end 200 chart in 1994.
Although it didn't sell as much as Nevermind , In Utero was a huge commercial success. To this day, it is considered one of the most daring albums ever made by a mainstream rock band.
The end of Nirvana.
Unfortunately, the album's tour was marked by yet another relapse for Kurt. After an overdose on March 4, 1994, during a tour in Europe, he began to isolate himself more and more.
When he returned to the United States, the musician entered a rehabilitation clinic, but ended up escaping. After more than a week of being searched for by Courtney, managers, band members and friends, Kurt was found dead in the greenhouse of his home in Seattle, a victim of suicide.
30 years of In Utero
In 2023, the album will be celebrating its 30th anniversary, and to commemorate this milestone, a special edition will be released.
The new release will feature 53 unreleased tracks, including previously unreleased live recordings, as well as remastered versions of classic songs from the album. The commemorative edition will include the complete Nirvana Live in Los Angeles , recorded in 1993, and the band's final performance in Seattle the following year.
Seattle producer and engineer Jack Endino – who worked on the band's 1988 debut album, Bleach – reconstructed the live tracks from stereo mixing console tapes for this year's reissue.
Furthermore, the 12 original songs from In Utero, along with five bonus tracks and B-sides, were recently remastered from the original analog stereo master tapes by Bob Weston of Chicago Mastering Services – who assisted Albini as the only other engineer on the original sessions.
The new edition will arrive on October 27th in various formats, including a limited edition 8-LP Super Deluxe Box Set, a 5-CD Super Deluxe Box Set, an LP + 10″ edition, a 2CD Deluxe Edition, and a Digital Super Deluxe Edition.
Pre-save and pre-order for Nirvana's 30th Anniversary In Utero are now available at this link.