"In Bloom" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. Written by frontman Kurt Cobain, the song addresses people outside of the underground music community who did not understand the band's message.

Nirvana made its first music video for an early version of "In Bloom" in 1990; however the song did not appear on a commercial release until the release of the group's second album, Nevermind, in 1991. "In Bloom" became the fourth and final single from the album in late 1992. It was accompanied by a new music video which parodied musical performances of 1960s variety shows.

Background and recording[link]

Nirvana first played the song the night before it was demoed. Bassist Krist Novoselic recalled that it "originally sounded like a Bad Brains song. Then Kurt turned it into a pop song".^[1] Cobain went home and reworked the song, playing the revised version of it over the phone to Novoselic.^[2] The band recorded "In Bloom" with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin during April 1990. The material recorded at Smart Studios was intended for the group's second album for the independent record label Sub Pop.^[3] The song originally had a bridge section that Vig removed. Novoselic said that after the band recorded the song, Vig cut out the bridge from the 16-track master tape with a razor blade and threw it in the garbage.^[1] The songs from these sessions were placed on a demo tape that circulated amongst the music industry, generating interest in the group among major record labels.^[4]

After signing to DGC Records, Nirvana began recording its second album Nevermind in May 1991. "In Bloom" was one of the first songs the band recorded during the album sessions at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California; Vig thought it would be good to start recording a song previously recorded at Smart Studios.^[5] The arrangements for "In Bloom" and the other songs previously recorded with Vig in 1990 were largely unchanged; the recently hired drummer Dave Grohl stayed mostly with what his predecessor Chad Channing had recorded, but added more power and precision to the recording.^[6] Cobain sang progressively "harder" during the recording of the song, which made it difficult for Vig to balance the volume levels between the verses and choruses. Vig recalled that he had to change the input level "on the fly" and hoped that Cobain would not "change the phrasing or do something different" while recording.^[7]

Cobain chose not to overdub a harmony vocal part during the Smart Studios sessions, possibly due to time constraints.^[8] During the Nevermind sessions, Vig had Grohl sing harmonies on the song. Grohl had difficulty hitting the proper notes, but ultimately was able to sing what Vig wanted.^[9] Vig often had to trick Cobain, who was averse to performing multiple takes, into recording additional takes for overdubs on the record. The producer convinced Cobain to double-track his vocals on "In Bloom" by telling him, "John Lennon did it." After doubling Cobain's vocals, Vig decided he might as well double Grohl's and had the drummer record an additional track of backing harmonies.^[5]

Composition[link]

	"In Bloom" noicon "In Bloom" is a typical example of the loud-quiet techniques employed by Nirvana on Nevermind. The guitar in the song's chorus are heavily layered as a result of the production style of Butch Vig.
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Like many Nirvana songs, "In Bloom" shifts back and forth between quiet verses and loud choruses. Cobain uses a Mesa Boogie guitar amplifier for the verses, and during the chorus he switches to a Fender Bassman amp (suggested by Vig) for a heavier, double-tracked fuzztone sound.^[7] The rhythm section of Novoselic and Grohl kept its parts simple; Grohl stated it was "an unspoken rule" to avoid unnecessary drum fills, while Novoselic said he felt his role was about "serving the song".^[5] During the choruses, vocalist Cobain and drummer Grohl harmonize while singing "He's the one/Who likes all our pretty songs/And he likes to sing along/And he likes to shoot his gun/But he knows not what it means". The song's intro reappears at the end of each chorus.

Cobain's lyrics address the people outside of the underground music scene that began showing up at Nirvana shows after the release of the group's debut album Bleach. Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad wrote, "But remarkably, [the song's lyrics] translated even better to the mass popularity the band enjoyed." Regarding the song's chorus, Azerrad commented, "The brilliant irony is that the tune is so catchy that millions of people actually do sing along to it."^[10]

Release and reception[link]

"In Bloom" was released as the fourth single from Nevermind in November 1992. The single was only released commercially in the United Kingdom; promotional copies were released in the United States. The 7-inch vinyl and cassette editions of the single contained a live version of "Polly" as a B-side, while the 12-inch vinyl and CD versions featured a performance of "Sliver"; both songs were recorded at the same December 28, 1991 concert.^[11] The single peaked at number 28 on the British singles chart.^[12] While lacking an American commercial release, the song charted at number five on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart.^[13]

Nirvana biographer Everett True wrote an uncharacteristically unfavorable review in Melody Maker, accusing the single of being a cash-in on Nevermind's success. "Whoop whoop bloody whoop", he wrote, "Forgive me if I don't sound too thrilled. This release is stretching even my credulity beyond repair. Like, milking a still-breathing (sacred) cow, or what? Badly inferior live versions of 'Polly' and 'Sliver' on the flip don't help matters either."^[14] In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 407 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".^[15]

Music video[link]

Nirvana first made a music video for "In Bloom" in 1990 for the Sub Pop Video Network Program VHS compilation (1991). The recording of the song featured in the video is the version recorded during the Smart Studios sessions.^[11] The Sub Pop video features the band walking around various parts of lower Manhattan including the South Street Seaport, the Lower East Side, and Wall Street. While filming the video, Novoselic shaved his head as penance for a bad performance the band gave in New York City. This caused discontinuity in the final cut; shots of the band feature the bassist with and without hair throughout the video.^[16] This video was later compiled on the Nirvana box set With the Lights Out (2004).

The second video, created to accompany the 1992 single release, was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who had previously directed the band's videos for "Come as You Are" and "Lithium". Cobain's original concept for the video told the story of a young girl born into a Ku Klux Klan who one day realizes how evil they are. His concept was too ambitious, so Cobain instead decided to parody musical performances by bands on early 1960s variety shows, such as The Ed Sullivan Show.^[17] The humorous tone of the video was a result of Cobain being "so tired for the last year of people taking us so seriously . . . I wanted to fuck off and show them that we have a humorous side to us".^[18] Kerslake filmed the video on old Kinescope cameras, and the band improvised its performance.^[17] The video begins with an unnamed variety show host (played by Doug Llewelyn, former host of The People's Court) introducing Nirvana to an in-studio crowd of screaming teenagers; their non-stop screaming is heard throughout the duration of the song. The band members, whom the host refers to as "thoroughly all right and decent fellas", perform dressed in Beach Boys-style outfits; Cobain wears glasses that blurred his vision, while Novoselic cut his hair short and liked it so much he kept it that way afterwards.^[19] As the video progresses, the band destroys the set and its instruments.

Three different edits of the Kerslake video were made. Cobain intended to replace the first version of the video after a period with a new take featuring the band wearing dresses instead of suits. MTV's alternative rock show 120 Minutes insisted on premiering the video, but Cobain felt the program would not properly convey the humor of the "pop idol" version. Instead, a new edit was produced which contained shots of the band in both suits and dresses. The original edit of the video never aired.^[20] This video won the award for Best Alternative Video at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards,^[21] and topped the music video category in the 1992 Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll.^[22]

Track listing[link]

All songs written by Kurt Cobain.

7", cassette

1. "In Bloom" – 4:17
2. "Polly" (live) – 2:47

12" picture disc, CD

1. "In Bloom" – 4:17
2. "Sliver" (live) – 2:06
3. "Polly" (live) – 2:47

Chart positions[link]

References[link]

• Classic Albums—Nirvana: Nevermind [DVD]. Isis Productions, 2004.
• Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8
• Berkenstadt, Jim; Cross, Charles. Classic Rock Albums: Nevermind. Schirmer, 1998. ISBN 0-02-864775-0

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• "In Bloom" on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
• "In Bloom" song review at Allmusic
• "In Bloom" Official music video on YouTube

Butch Vig
Butch Vig in Madison's Smart Studios recording studio in 2010, recording the Muse song 'Neutron Star Collision'
Background information
Birth name	Bryan David Vig
Also known as	Nevermind Man
Born	(1955-08-02) 2 August 1955 (age 56)
Origin	Viroqua, Wisconsin, U.S.
Genres	Rock, alternative rock, grunge
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, record producer, remixer
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Geffen, A&E, Atlantic
Associated acts	Garbage, Firetown, Spooner

Bryan David Vig, best known as Butch Vig (born on August 2, 1955) is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of diamond-selling album Nevermind by Nirvana.^[1]

A native of Wisconsin, Vig had been based in Madison for much of his career, from studying at the University of Wisconsin, to performing in local bands Spooner and Fire Town, and then to setting up his own recording studio, Smart Studios, in the town.^[2] After becoming well known as a producer, he returned to performing with Garbage, who sold 17 million records over a ten-year period. Vig returned to producing full-time once Garbage was put on hiatus.

Now a resident of the Silverlake district of Los Angeles, Vig is married to his second wife, Beth Halper, a former DreamWorks A & R executive, and they have a daughter, Bo Violet.

In 2012 Butch Vig ranked number nine in NME's Top 50 Greatest Producers Ever.^[3]

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Butch Vig was born Bryan David Vigorson to Dr. DeVerne and Betty Vigorson, a music teacher,^[4] in Viroqua, Wisconsin.^[2] Vig has two siblings, Chris and Lisa.^[4] Vig acquired the nickname Butch as a child, due to the severe crew cut his father gave him.^[2] Vig studied piano for six years. After seeing The Who perform on The Smothers Brothers, he swapped his piano for a $60 drum kit.^[2]

Moving to Madison, Vig enrolled at the University of Wisconsin to study film direction, where he first met Steve Marker. Vig contributed several soundtrack pieces to low-budget films, including one song on Slumber Party Massacre, a Hollywood B-movie. While in Madison, Vig joined a number of garage pop bands, including Eclipse, and in 1978 formed Spooner with Duke Erikson, Dave Benton, Jeff Walker and Joel Tappero. Spooner founded their own label, Boat Records to issue their own recordings, including their 1979 debut EP, "Cruel School", and releases for around twenty local acts.^[2]

In 1984, Vig and Marker founded Smart Studios in Madison, while still performing drums in Spooner at night and driving a taxi cab during the day. When Spooner lost momentum, Vig formed a band called First Person with Marker and Phil Davis and a side-project called Fire Town featuring Davis and Erikson. Fire Town quickly became Vig's priority, and after their first album were signed to Atlantic Records. Atlantic hired producer Michael Fondelli to work with Fire Town on their second album. While the sessions did not do well, and the resulting record sank, Vig learned a lot of production techniques from the process. Vig also briefly worked with metal band Marseille, recording keyboards for their album Touch The Night.^[5] Fire Town split, and Vig reformed Spooner for a final album before Vig's production work became a full-time career for him.^[2]

Production career[link]

Vig's first high-profile production work was in 1991, when he produced The Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Nirvana's Nevermind. Vig incorporated overdubs and vocal doubletracking, whereas Nirvana's previous album, Bleach (produced by Jack Endino) had a more "lo-fi" sound. Kurt Cobain originally refused to double-track his vocals and guitars but Vig reportedly got him to comply by saying "John Lennon double-tracked". Cobain would later criticize Vig for the album's slickness, although this might be due to Andy Wallace's mixing of the album.^[6] Cobain said that "Butch Vig...recorded the album perfectly," in a 1993 MTV interview. Billy Corgan welcomed Vig's elaborate production on The Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream. This album met with great commercial and critical reception, also breaking another indie band into the mainstream. Vig also produced two critically lauded Sonic Youth's albums, 1992's Dirty^[7] and 1994's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.

In 2003, Vig worked with AFI to produce their first major label album with DreamWorks, Sing the Sorrow. Vig worked with Jimmy Eat World on their sixth album, Chase This Light, released in October 2007. He is also working on soundtracks for two new movies. His first production for an English band was 2008's All or Nothing by The Subways. He also worked with Tom Gabel of Against Me! on his solo EP, Heart Burns. Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage, revealed in a Carson Daly interview that Vig would be producing the eighth studio album by Green Day, 2009's 21st Century Breakdown, which later won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Album. Recently, Vig has been partnered in duties by his engineer and mixer Billy Bush who also worked on Garbage's albums and live tours.

Butch Vig composed and produced the soundtrack for the film The Other Side.

In 2009 Vig recorded two new tracks for the long awaited greatest hits release by the Foo Fighters, most notably the single "Wheels" and ultimately produced their April 2011 follow-up, Wasting Light.

In 2010 Vig produced the latest Muse single, "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)," which was featured on the Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack.

Garbage[link]

Vig stated that one of the reasons he started Garbage with Marker and Erikson was to drift away from the all the work he got after Nirvana - "By the time I'd done 'Nevermind,' I'd recorded -- I swear to God -- 1,000 bands that were just guitar-bass-drums. I was reading about all these other records that I was getting excited about -- like Public Enemy using a sampler in the studio -- and I just decided I wanted to do a bit of a U-turn."^[8] Afterwards, they hired Scottish singer Shirley Manson and began composing together.^[1]

Garbage released a string of increasingly successful singles in 1995–1996, including "Stupid Girl" and "Only Happy When It Rains". Their debut album, Garbage, was an unexpected smash, selling over 4 million copies and certified double platinum in the UK, United States and Australia. Garbage won the Breakthrough Artist award at the 1996 MTV Europe Music Awards.^[9] The band then spent two years working on follow-up album, Version 2.0, which topped the charts in the UK upon its 1998 release and the following year was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. Version 2.0 went on to match the sales of its predecessor. Garbage followed this up by performing and co-producing the theme song to the nineteenth James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough.^[10]

Despite being named one of Rolling Stone's Top 10 Albums of The Year,^[11] Garbage's 2001 third album Beautiful Garbage failed to match the commercial success achieved by its predecessors.^[12] Garbage quietly disbanded in late 2003, but regrouped to complete fourth album Bleed Like Me in 2005, peaking at a career-high #4 in the U.S.^[13] The band cut short their concert tour in support of Bleed Like Me announcing an "indefinite hiatus",^[14] emphasizing that they had not broken up, but wished to pursue personal interests.^[15] In 2006, Vig returned to producing while Manson worked on a solo album (as yet unreleased). Garbage ended their hiatus in 2007,^[16] and released greatest hits retrospective Absolute Garbage. Worldwide, the band have sold over 17 million albums.^[17] The band got back together in 2010 and began recording their new album, Not Your Kind of People, which was released internationally on May 14 2012.

Discography[link]

Production career[link]

Remix work

Butch Vig has remixed songs for the following artists: Against Me!, Ash, Beck, The Cult, Depeche Mode, EMF, Fun Lovin' Criminals, House of Pain, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Alanis Morissette, Nine Inch Nails, Michael Penn, Galexia, M.O.P, U2 as well as his own band Garbage.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Butch Vig

• Butch Vig at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website Garbage
• Butch Vig on Charlie Rose