Serve the Servants

Written in 1992, "Serve the Servants" was the only In Utero song that had never been recorded as a demo by the full band prior to being recorded for the album. As Nirvana's bassist Krist Novoselic remembers, it was brought to the studio "pretty much done" by Cobain.[3] The album was recorded in February 1993 by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.

The first live performance of "Serve the Servants" was on April 9, 1993, at the Bosnian Rape Victim Benefit show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. It was performed, along with "Dumb," at Nirvana's final television appearance, on February 23, 1994 in Rome, Italy for the RAI television show, Tunnel. The final live performance was at Nirvana's last concert, on March 1, 1994 at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany.

John Mulvey for NME wrote, "... any album that kicks off with a song as beautifully bludgeoned as ‘Serve The Servants’, and a line as tellingly funny as “Teenage angst has paid off well/ Now I’m bored and old”, must have something going for it. Self-referential and self-pitying, for sure, but here at least Nirvana metaphorically wipe their arses on old Nevermind sleeves with a little wit to leaven the whingeing bitterness."[8] Rolling Stone writer David Fricke elaborated, "The very first words out of Cobain’s mouth in “Serve the Servants,” In Utero's petulant, bludgeoning opener, are “Teenage angst has served me well/Now I’m bored and old,” sung in an irritated, marble-mouthed snarl that immediately derails any lingering expectations for a son of “Smells Like Teen Spirit."[9] Deeming the first lines as "soon-to-be-famous" Los Angeles Times writer Chris Willman quipped, "If you’d guess from that opening that Cobain is going to spend a lot of the record commenting sarcastically on the success and attention he’s enjoyed (not) in the last couple of years, you’d be positively prescient."[10] Tom Howard, from the same publication, stated, "Crucially, ‘Serve The Servants’ features the best opening line to any album ever ... Kurt was self-aware to a fault, and this is a prime example. It’s an added bonus that the track is an admirably obnoxious hard rock banger.[11] Jim DeRogatis of Chicago Sun-Times claimed the song was "propelled by fat, hummable guitar riffs and memorable singalong choruses."[12]

Christopher John Farley for Time asserted, "many of the Albini pieces sound ravaged, almost ruined; but as with buried treasures, there are rewards for persistence and exploration. If you listen repeatedly to such sonically explosive songs as Serve the Servants and Pennyroyal Tea, the structure of each gradually becomes clear, and melodies surface."[13] Likewise, Justin Gerber from the same publication, stated, “Compared to songs on Nevermind, “Serve the Servants” and “tourette’s” sound unmixed and unfinished, but not as a detriment. These songs and others on In Utero sound completely fresh and unaffected, and end up creating a much rougher and stripped-down result.”[14] Complimenting its instrumentation and record production, Select's David Cavanagh compared the song to PJ Harvey's ‘Rid Of Me.'"[15] Stuart Berman for Pitchfork remarked, "The scowling verses of “Serve the Servants” are countered by the chorus’ soothing incantation of the song’s title, as if Cobain had to anesthetize himself in order to answer his audience’s populist demands."[16] In his review of the new 2013 mix, he continued saying, "Most of its touch-ups are tastefully unobtrusive and illuminating, like the unearthed cello lines creeping behind the chorus of “Serve the Servants” that bring a greater sense of melancholy to the fore."[16]