Source: Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, portrait during an interview in Roppongi Prince Hotel, Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 18, 1992. (Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
Kurt Cobain, born on Feb. 20, 1967, would’ve turned 58 today. His impact on rock music and the rise of grunge as the prominent sub genre of the early 1990s can’t be overstated.
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Despite the short time Cobain was on Earth, he and Nirvana not only revolutionized music, but impacted pop culture, counterculture and fashion. Scott Sparks says it best: “The second Smells Like Teen Spirit came out, music and fashion changed: From the Sunset Strip and hair metal to Seattle and grunge in an instant.”
Hits like Heart-Shaped Box “best displayed Kurt Cobain’s lyricism and Nirvana’s musicality, showing how musically diverse they were,” according to Doug O’Brien.
In honor of what would’ve been the 58th birthday of one of music’s most enduring and iconic figures, who has been gone longer than he was here, we look back at some of our favorite music from Cobain and Nirvana:
1. In Bloom – Nevermind (1991)
A favorite of: Outlaw Dave
2. Come As You Are – Nevermind (1991)
A favorite of: Outlaw Dave
3. Lithium – Nevermind (1991)
A favorite of: Jennifer Tyler
4. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nevermind (1991)
A favorite of: Scott Sparks & Doug O’Brien
5. All Apologies – In Utero (1993)
A favorite of: Outlaw Dave
6. Heart-Shaped Box – In Utero (1993)
A favorite of: Jennifer Tyler & Doug O’Brien
7. The Man Who Sold the World – MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)
A favorite of: Outlaw Dave & Jennifer Tyler
