Breed (song)

"Breed" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on their second studio album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.

"Breed"
Song by Nirvana
from the album Nevermind
ReleasedSeptember 24, 1991 (1991-09-24)
RecordedMay–June 1991
Studio
Genre
Length3:03
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Butch Vig
Nevermind track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
  2. "In Bloom"
  3. "Come as You Are"
  4. "Breed"
  5. "Lithium"
  6. "Polly"
  7. "Territorial Pissings"
  8. "Drain You"
  9. "Lounge Act"
  10. "Stay Away"
  11. "On a Plain"
  12. "Something in the Way"
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

Background and recording

Written by Cobain in 1989, "Breed" was originally titled "Imodium," after the anti-diarrhea medicine used by Tad Doyle, lead singer of Seattle rock band TAD, during Nirvana's and TAD's shared European tour.[1] It was first performed live on October 8, 1989 at the Lif Ticket Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Breed" was first recorded in the studio in April 1990 by Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, during the recording sessions for what was intended to be the band's second album on Sub Pop, their original label.[1] However, this planned album was cancelled after the band signed with DGC Records shortly after. Vig re-recorded the song during the sessions for what became the band's second album and major label debut, Nevermind, in May 1991 at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. Cobain recorded four vocal takes for the song, with each successive take "getting worse because he blew his voice out," as Vig recalls.[2] The first take was chosen as the master.[2] Both recordings of the song also feature the guitar being panned from one channel to the next during the guitar solo to create what Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross called "a dizzying" effect.[2]

"Breed" was performed for the last time live at Nirvana's final concert, at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany on March 1, 1994.

Composition

Music

"Breed" is an alternative rock song that runs for a duration of three minutes and three seconds.[3] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by BMG Rights Management, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast rock tempo of 160 beats per minute.[3] "Breed" is composed in the key of F♯ minor, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans one octave and three notes, from the low-note of C5 to the high-note of F♯5.[3] The song follows a basic sequence of F♯5–E5–F♯5–A5–E5 in the verses and bridge and D5–A5–C5–B5 during the refrain as its chord progression.[3]

Lyrics

Lyrically, the song addresses themes of teenage apathy and fear within the American middle-class.[2] Stevie Chick of Kerrang wrote that lyrics such as "We can plant a house, we can build a tree" displayed Cobain's "gift for crafting witty, purposeful nonsense."[4]

Reception

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked "Breed" at number four on their ranking of 102 Nirvana songs, with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd calling it "one of the most alive songs on Nevermind."[5] In 2020, it was ranked 13th on Kerrang!'s The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked list, with Sam Law writing that it was "probably Nirvana’s greatest heads-down banger," and that "its 184 seconds feel guaranteed to light the fuse on every mosh within a 100-mile radius."[6]

In 2017, to mark what would have been Cobain's 50th birthday, the Phonographic Performance Limited released a list of the top 20 most played Nirvana songs on television and the radio in the United Kingdom, in which "Breed" was ranked at number 13.[7]

On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musician Post Malone during his 15-song Nirvana tribute concert, which was livestreamed on YouTube and raised more than $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[8][9]

The Nevermind version of "Breed" appears in the 2007 American action film, Shoot 'Em Up, directed by Michael Davis.[10] It also appears in the video game Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, also from 2007.[11]

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2020 Kerrang! United Kingdom The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked[6] 13

Recording and release history

Studio versions
Date recorded Studio Producer/recorder Releases Personnel
April 2–6, 1990 Smart Studios, Madison, Wisconsin Butch Vig Nevermind (deluxe) (2011)
May 2–28, 1991 Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California Butch Vig Nevermind (1991)
With the Lights Out (2004)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
December 3, 1989 London Astoria, London, England From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Chad Channing (drums)
March 8, 1991 Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Canada Live at the Paramount (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
October 31, 1991 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994)
Live at the Paramount (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
August 30, 1992 Reading Festival, Reading, England Live at Reading (2009)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
December 13, 1993 Pier 48, Seattle, Washington Live and Loud (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
  • Pat Smear (guitar)

Cover versions
YearArtistAlbum
2002Steve Earle Side Tracks
2007Otep The Ascension

References
  1. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 137. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  2. Jovanovic, Rob (September 2004). Nirvana" The Recording Sessions. S A F Pub Ltd. ISBN 978-0946719600.
  3. Cobain, Kurt. "Nirvana 'Breed' Sheet Music in F# Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. BMG Rights Management. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  4. Stevie, Chick (September 24, 2019). "Nirvana: The Stories Behind Every Song On Nevermind". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  5. Shepherd, Julianne Escebedo (April 8, 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. Sam, Law (June 19, 2020). "The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  7. "20 most-played Nirvana songs revealed to mark Kurt Cobain's 50th birthday". PlanetRock.com. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  8. Paige, Gawley (April 27, 2020). "Post Malone's Nirvana Tribute Concert Raises More Than $4 Million for Coronavirus Relief". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  9. "NIRVANA TRIBUTE RAISES OVER $1 MIL". TMZ. April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  10. Lemire, Christy (September 5, 2007). "Review: 'Shoot 'Em Up' Is Mind-Numbing". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  11. Chiapinni, Dan (August 28, 2007). "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground soundtrack revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
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