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{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name = About a Girl
| name = About a Girl
| cover =
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"'''About a Girl'''" is a song by American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], written by vocalist and guitarist [[Kurt Cobain]]. It is the third song on their debut album, ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'', released in June 1989.
"'''About a Girl'''" is a song by American [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], written by vocalist and guitarist [[Kurt Cobain]]. It is the third song on their debut album, ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'', released in June 1989.


Frequently described as one of Cobain's strongest and most melodic early compositions,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephen Thomas |first1=Erlewine |title=AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bleach-mw0000202932 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Allmusic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/why-nirvana-s-bleach-doesn-t-deserve-to-sit-in-the-shadow-of-its-massive-follow-up-albums-1554870 |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=NME |issue=15 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=6 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=10 September 2018}}</ref> "About a Girl" was written about his then-girlfriend, Tracy Marander. In the 1998 documentary ''[[Kurt and Courtney]]'', Marander revealed that Cobain had never told her the song was about her, and that she found out only after reading the 1993 Nirvana biography, ''[[Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana]]'' by [[Michael Azerrad]].
Frequently described as one of Cobain's strongest and most melodic early compositions,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephen Thomas |first1=Erlewine |title=AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bleach-mw0000202932 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Allmusic}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/why-nirvana-s-bleach-doesn-t-deserve-to-sit-in-the-shadow-of-its-massive-follow-up-albums-1554870 |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=NME |issue=15 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=6 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=10 September 2018}}</ref> "About a Girl" was written about his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander. In the 1998 documentary ''[[Kurt and Courtney]]'', Marander revealed that Cobain had never told her the song was about her, and that she found out only after reading the 1993 Nirvana biography ''[[Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana]]'' by [[Michael Azerrad]].


A live, acoustic version, recorded during Nirvana's ''[[MTV Unplugged]] '' appearance in November 1993, was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album, ''[[MTV Unplugged in New York]]''. It was the first single released since [[suicide of Kurt Cobain|Cobain's death]] in April 1994, reaching number one on [[Modern Rock Tracks|''Billboard's'' Modern Rock Tracks chart]] and number 22 on [[Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)|''Billboard's'' Hot 100 Airplay chart]].
A live, acoustic version, recorded during Nirvana's ''[[MTV Unplugged]] '' appearance in November 1993, was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album ''[[MTV Unplugged in New York]]''. It was the first single released since [[suicide of Kurt Cobain|Cobain's death]] in April 1994, reaching number one on [[Modern Rock Tracks|''Billboard's'' Modern Rock Tracks chart]] and number 22 on [[Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)|''Billboard's'' Hot 100 Airplay chart]].


==Background==
==Background==
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On November 18, 1993, "About a Girl" was performed as the opening song on the band's ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' appearance at [[Sony Music Studios]] in New York City. This version of the song featured [[Pat Smear]] on the second guitar.
On November 18, 1993, "About a Girl" was performed as the opening song on the band's ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' appearance at [[Sony Music Studios]] in New York City. This version of the song featured [[Pat Smear]] on the second guitar.


"About a Girl" was performed for the final time live at Nirvana's last concert, at Terminal Einz in [[Munich]], Germany on March 1, 1994.
"About a Girl" was performed for the final time live at Nirvana's last concert, at Terminal Eins in [[Munich]], Germany on March 1, 1994.


The studio version of "About a Girl" was re-released on the band's first "best of" compilation, ''[[Nirvana (Nirvana album)|Nirvana]]'', in October 2002. The ''MTV Unplugged'' version was re-released on a second hits compilation, ''[[Icon (Nirvana album)|Icon]]'', in August 2010.
The studio version of "About a Girl" was re-released on the band's first "best of" compilation, ''[[Nirvana (Nirvana album)|Nirvana]]'', in October 2002. The ''MTV Unplugged'' version was re-released on a second hits compilation, ''[[Icon (Nirvana album)|Icon]]'', in August 2010.
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===Music===
===Music===


"About a Girl" is an [[alternative rock]] song that runs for two minutes and forty-eight seconds.<ref name="Cobain">{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0083044|title=Nirvana 'About a Girl' Sheet Music in E Minor - Download & Print|last=Cobain|first=Kurt|work=Musicnotes.com|publisher=[[BMG Rights Management]]|access-date=March 9, 2019}}</ref> According to the [[sheet music]] published at Musicnotes.com by [[BMG Rights Management]], it is written in the [[time signature]] of [[Time signature#Frequently used time signatures|common time]], with a moderately fast rock [[tempo]] of 130 [[Tempo#Beats per minute|beats per minute]].<ref name="Cobain"/> "About a Girl" is composed in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[E minor]], while Kurt Cobain's [[vocal range]] spans one [[octave]] and six [[Note (music)|notes]], from the low-note of [[B (musical note)|B<sub>3</sub>]] to the high-note of [[A (musical note)|A<sub>4</sub>]].<ref name="Cobain"/> The song primarily alternates between the open chords of Em and G in the [[verse (popular music)|verse]]s and follows a [[chord progression]] of C{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–G{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–F{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–C{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–G{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–F{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–E<sub>5</sub>–A<sub>5</sub>–C<sub>5</sub> during the [[refrain]].<ref name="Cobain"/> During the verses, Cobain repeats the same two chords as [[Krist Novoselic]]'s bass line continuously ascends while a [[vocal harmony]] and tambourines appear in the background. The song's chorus features slight [[key modulation]], where chords land slightly away from the place expected.<ref name="Huey"/> "About a Girl" has an aching, wistful melody which Cobain sings over simple chord progressions. His electric guitar playing grows rawer and noisier throughout the track.<ref name="Huey">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/about-a-girl-mt0003614423 |title=Nirvana – About a Girl Song Review by Steve Huey |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=July 4, 2010 |last=Huey|first=Steve }}</ref> It was also described as a [[Pop music|pop song]] by Cobain, producer [[Butch Vig]], and original Nirvana drummer [[Chad Channing]].<ref>{{cite web|first= Tyler |last= Golsen|title= The early Nirvana "pop tune" that made Kurt Cobain nervous|website= Music Industry How To|date= May 17, 2023 |url= https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-early-nirvana-pop-tune-that-made-kurt-cobain-nervous/?amp|accessdate= May 22, 2023}}</ref>
"About a Girl" is an [[alternative rock]] song that runs for two minutes and forty-eight seconds.<ref name="Cobain">{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0083044|title=Nirvana 'About a Girl' Sheet Music in E Minor - Download & Print|last=Cobain|first=Kurt|work=Musicnotes.com|publisher=[[BMG Rights Management]]|access-date=March 9, 2019}}</ref> It is written in the [[time signature]] of [[Time signature#Frequently used time signatures|common time]], with a moderately fast rock [[tempo]] of 130 [[Tempo#Beats per minute|beats per minute]].<ref name="Cobain"/> "About a Girl" is composed in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[E minor]], while Kurt Cobain's [[vocal range]] spans one [[octave]] and six [[Note (music)|notes]], from the low-note of [[B (musical note)|B<sub>3</sub>]] to the high-note of [[A (musical note)|A<sub>4</sub>]].<ref name="Cobain"/> The song primarily alternates between the open chords of Em and G in the [[verse (popular music)|verse]]s and follows a [[chord progression]] of C{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–G{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–F{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–C{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–G{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–F{{music|sharp}}<sub>5</sub>–E<sub>5</sub>–A<sub>5</sub>–C<sub>5</sub> during the [[refrain]].<ref name="Cobain"/> During the verses, Cobain repeats the same two chords as [[Krist Novoselic]]'s bass line continuously ascends while a [[vocal harmony]] and tambourines appear in the background. The song's chorus features slight [[key modulation]], where chords land slightly away from the place expected.<ref name="Huey"/> "About a Girl" has an aching, wistful melody which Cobain sings over simple chord progressions. His electric guitar playing grows rawer and noisier throughout the track.<ref name="Huey">{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/about-a-girl-mt0003614423 |title=Nirvana – About a Girl Song Review by Steve Huey |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=July 4, 2010 |last=Huey|first=Steve }}</ref> It was also described as a [[Pop music|pop song]] by Cobain, producer [[Butch Vig]], and original Nirvana drummer [[Chad Channing]].<ref>{{cite web|first= Tyler |last= Golsen|title= The early Nirvana "pop tune" that made Kurt Cobain nervous|website= Music Industry How To|date= May 17, 2023 |url= https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-early-nirvana-pop-tune-that-made-kurt-cobain-nervous/?amp|accessdate= May 22, 2023}}</ref>


===Lyrics===
===Lyrics===
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===Legacy===
===Legacy===


"About a Girl" has retrospectively been cited as early evidence of Cobain's talent as a pop songwriter. [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of ''[[Allmusic]]'' wrote that the song "illustrated signs of [Cobain's] considerable songcraft."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephen Thomas |first1=Erlewine |title=AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bleach-mw0000202932 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Allmusic}}</ref> Evan Rytlewskia of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' called it "a glimpse at the melodic impulses that would make [Cobain] one of the defining rock musicians of the ’90s."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=6 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=10 September 2018}}</ref> According to Will Bryant of ''Pitchfork'', it was "curious, based on the clean guitars and tinny cymbals that dominate ["About a Girl"], how Nirvana ever came to be identified with grunge, the genuinely dirty and moody sound more readily associated with contemporaries [[Mudhoney]], [[Soundgarden]] and [[Tad (band)|Tad]] than the punk-metal hybrid Nirvana favored."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bryant |first1=Will |title=Nirvana: Nirvana |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5810-nirvana/ |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=14 November 2002}}</ref> The ''NME'' described it as "Kurt's first true masterpiece," which "showed Nirvana's soft underbelly could be just as arresting as their ear-splitting thrashes."<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/why-nirvana-s-bleach-doesn-t-deserve-to-sit-in-the-shadow-of-its-massive-follow-up-albums-1554870 |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=NME |issue=15 June 2015}}</ref>
"About a Girl" has retrospectively been cited as early evidence of Cobain's talent as a pop songwriter. [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[Allmusic]] wrote that the song "illustrated signs of [Cobain's] considerable songcraft."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stephen Thomas |first1=Erlewine |title=AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bleach-mw0000202932 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Allmusic}}</ref> Evan Rytlewskia of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' called it "a glimpse at the melodic impulses that would make [Cobain] one of the defining rock musicians of the ’90s."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/?page=6 |access-date=10 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=10 September 2018}}</ref> According to Will Bryant of ''Pitchfork'', it was "curious, based on the clean guitars and tinny cymbals that dominate ["About a Girl"], how Nirvana ever came to be identified with grunge, the genuinely dirty and moody sound more readily associated with contemporaries [[Mudhoney]], [[Soundgarden]] and [[Tad (band)|Tad]] than the punk-metal hybrid Nirvana favored."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bryant |first1=Will |title=Nirvana: Nirvana |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5810-nirvana/ |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=Pitchfork |date=14 November 2002}}</ref> The ''NME'' described it as "Kurt's first true masterpiece," which "showed Nirvana's soft underbelly could be just as arresting as their ear-splitting thrashes."<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/why-nirvana-s-bleach-doesn-t-deserve-to-sit-in-the-shadow-of-its-massive-follow-up-albums-1554870 |access-date=11 December 2018 |work=NME |issue=15 June 2015}}</ref>


In 2004, the ''NME'' ranked "About a Girl" second on their list of the "20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://microsites.nme.com/php/nirvana/top20/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050206034701/http://microsites.nme.com/php/nirvana/top20/index.php|title=Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever|work=[[NME]]|date=March 26, 2004|archive-date=February 6, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2012}}</ref> The same year, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' ranked it second on their list of the "10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."<ref name="rocklistmusic.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q150lists.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718180112/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q150lists.htm |title=123: High Spirits - 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever |work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=2004|archive-date=July 18, 2011|access-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> In 2015, it was placed at number eight on ''Rolling Stone's'' ranking of 102 Nirvana songs.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Shepherd |first1=Julianne Escobedo |title=No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/no-apologies-all-102-nirvana-songs-ranked-175683/about-a-girl-32428/ |access-date=10 December 2018 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=8 April 2015}}</ref> It was ranked at number 112 on ''Pitchfork's'' 2015 list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s," with Raymond Cummings calling it a "sharp, perceptive, well-constructed, and almost Beatles-esque" song "that demonstrated a potential beyond grunge's ghetto."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cummings |first1=Raymond |title=The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9700-the-200-best-songs-of-the-1980s/?page=5|access-date=11 December 2018 |work=Pichfork |date=24 August 2015}}</ref> In 2019, it was ranked eighth on ''[[The Guardian|The Guardian's]]'' list of "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Petridis |first1=Alexis |title=Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/20/nirvanas-20-greatest-songs-ranked |access-date=23 June 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=20 June 2019}}</ref> In 2023, it was ranked third on ''[[the A.V. Club|the A.V. Club's]]'' "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked" list, with [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] describing it as being "driven by one of Kurt Cobain’s prettiest melodies."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/29 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>
In 2004, the ''NME'' ranked "About a Girl" second on their list of the "20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://microsites.nme.com/php/nirvana/top20/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050206034701/http://microsites.nme.com/php/nirvana/top20/index.php|title=Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever|work=[[NME]]|date=March 26, 2004|archive-date=February 6, 2005|access-date=August 6, 2012}}</ref> The same year, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' ranked it second on their list of the "10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."<ref name="rocklistmusic.co.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q150lists.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718180112/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q150lists.htm |title=123: High Spirits - 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever |work=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=2004|archive-date=July 18, 2011|access-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref> In 2015, it was placed at number eight on ''Rolling Stone's'' ranking of 102 Nirvana songs.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Shepherd |first1=Julianne Escobedo |title=No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/no-apologies-all-102-nirvana-songs-ranked-175683/about-a-girl-32428/ |access-date=10 December 2018 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=8 April 2015}}</ref> It was ranked at number 112 on ''Pitchfork's'' 2015 list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s," with Raymond Cummings calling it a "sharp, perceptive, well-constructed, and almost Beatles-esque" song "that demonstrated a potential beyond grunge's ghetto."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cummings |first1=Raymond |title=The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9700-the-200-best-songs-of-the-1980s/?page=5|access-date=11 December 2018 |work=Pichfork |date=24 August 2015}}</ref> In 2019, it was ranked eighth on ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s list of "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Petridis |first1=Alexis |title=Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked! |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jun/20/nirvanas-20-greatest-songs-ranked |access-date=23 June 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=20 June 2019}}</ref> In 2023, it was ranked third on ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'}}s "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked" list, with [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] describing it as being "driven by one of Kurt Cobain’s prettiest melodies."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/29 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>


"About a Girl" is a [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] award-winning song.<ref name="NIRVANA.BMI">[https://archive.today/20130118090629/http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&querytype=WriterID&keyid=66132&keyname=COBAIN+KURT+D&CAE=227073975&Affiliation=BMI Nirvana songs listed by BMI]. bmi.com Retrieved on December 26, 2012.</ref>
"About a Girl" is a [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]] award-winning song.<ref name="NIRVANA.BMI">[https://archive.today/20130118090629/http://repertoire.bmi.com/writer.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&querytype=WriterID&keyid=66132&keyname=COBAIN+KURT+D&CAE=227073975&Affiliation=BMI Nirvana songs listed by BMI]. bmi.com Retrieved on December 26, 2012.</ref> English singer-songwriter [[Elvis Costello]] named "About a Girl" as a personal favourite in 2004.<ref name="ginav">{{cite news |last1=Vivinetto |first1=Gina |title=10 pressing questions: Not-so-mellow Costello |work=St. Petersburg Times |date=19 February 2004}}</ref>


===In pop culture===
===In pop culture===
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The ''MTV Unplugged'' version of "About a Girl" was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album ''MTV Unplugged in New York'', released the following month. It was the only commercial single released from the album, and featured the ''Unplugged'' version of "[[Something in the Way]]" as the b-side. Cobain opened the song by saying, "This is off our first record. Most people don't own it."
The ''MTV Unplugged'' version of "About a Girl" was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album ''MTV Unplugged in New York'', released the following month. It was the only commercial single released from the album, and featured the ''Unplugged'' version of "[[Something in the Way]]" as the b-side. Cobain opened the song by saying, "This is off our first record. Most people don't own it."


The performance was released as a [[music video]] which peaked at number 2 on [[MTV]] in the US, and was also played on [[MTV (Latin American TV channel)|MTV Latino]], [[The Box (American TV channel)|The Box]], and [[Much (TV channel)|MuchMusic]] in Canada.<ref>
The performance was released as a [[music video]] which peaked at number 2 on [[MTV]]'s most played videos in the US in December 1994,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 17, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-12-17-Billboard-Page-0029.pdf |title=Video Monitor |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=31 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> and was also played on [[MTV (Latin American TV channel)|MTV Latino]], [[The Box (American TV channel)|The Box]], and [[Much (TV channel)|MuchMusic]] in Canada.<ref>
*{{cite magazine |date=November 26, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-11-26-Billboard-Page-0084.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=86 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}
*{{cite magazine |date=November 26, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-11-26-Billboard-Page-0084.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=86 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}
*{{cite magazine |date=December 10, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-12-10-Billboard-Page-0042.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=46 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}
*{{cite magazine |date=December 10, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-12-10-Billboard-Page-0042.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=46 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}
⚫
*{{cite magazine |date=December 17, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1994/1994-12-17-Billboard-Page-0029.pdf |title=Video Monitor |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=31 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}
*{{cite magazine |date=January 21, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1995/1995-01-21-Billboard-Page-0041.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=43 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> It was placed in the [[Buzz Bin]] on [[MTV Europe]],<ref>
*{{cite magazine |date=January 21, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1995/1995-01-21-Billboard-Page-0041.pdf |title=The Clip List |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=43 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref> It was placed in the [[Buzz Bin]] on [[MTV Europe]],<ref>
*{{cite magazine |date=October 22, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-10-22-OCR-Page-0031.pdf |title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=27 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Buzz Bin}}
*{{cite magazine |date=October 22, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-10-22-OCR-Page-0031.pdf |title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=27 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Buzz Bin}}
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*{{cite magazine |date=January 14, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-14-OCR-Page-0015.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=15 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}
*{{cite magazine |date=January 14, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-14-OCR-Page-0015.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=15 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}
*{{cite magazine |date=January 21, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-21-OCR-Page-0021.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=21 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}
*{{cite magazine |date=January 21, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-21-OCR-Page-0021.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=21 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}
*{{cite magazine |date=January 28, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-28-OCR-Page-0025.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=25 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}</ref>
*{{cite magazine |date=January 28, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-28-OCR-Page-0025.pdf|title=Station Reports |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=25 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |quote=Heavy Rotation}}</ref> It was also played on ''[[Video Smash Hits]]'' and ''[[Rage (TV program)|Rage]]'' in Australia.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=October 30, 1994 |issue=246 |url=https://postimg.cc/K3RM4M5f |title=FM, FM, TV |magazine=[[ARIA Report]] |page=16 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>


===Reception===
===Reception===
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| Europe ([[European Dance Radio Chart|European Dance Radio]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-01-07.pdf|title=European Dance Radio Top 25|work=[[Music & Media]]|date=January 7, 1995|page=15|access-date=May 27, 2023}}</ref>
| Europe ([[European Dance Radio Chart|European Dance Radio]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-01-07.pdf|title=European Dance Radio Top 25|work=[[Music & Media]]|date=January 7, 1995|page=15|access-date=May 27, 2023}}</ref>
|align="center"| 15
|align="center"| 15
|-
|Europe South Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 28, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-28-OCR-Page-0031.pdf |title=Regional Airplay - South |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=31 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |quote=Italy, Ticino/Switzerland, Malta}}</ref>
|align="center"| 2
|-
|Europe West Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 28, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-01-28-OCR-Page-0031.pdf |title=Regional Airplay - West |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=31 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |quote=France, Wallonia/Belgium, parts of Switzerland, Monaco}}</ref>
|align="center"| 7
|-
|-
| Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 19, 1994 |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |url=https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-11-19-OCR-Page-0026.pdf#search=%22top%2010%20sales%20in%20europe%20november%2019%201994%22|magazine=[[Music & Media]]| page=26 |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref><ref name="FinlandCharts">Pennanen, Timo (2003). ''[http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/new-njo.html Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972]''. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. {{ISBN|951-1-21053-X}}.</ref>
| Finland ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 19, 1994 |title=Top 10 Sales in Europe |url=https://americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-11-19-OCR-Page-0026.pdf#search=%22top%2010%20sales%20in%20europe%20november%2019%201994%22|magazine=[[Music & Media]]| page=26 |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref><ref name="FinlandCharts">Pennanen, Timo (2003). ''[http://suomenlistalevyt.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/new-njo.html Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972]''. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. {{ISBN|951-1-21053-X}}.</ref>
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{{singlechart|France|23|artist=Nirvana|song=About a Girl %5BMTV Unplugged Version%5D|access-date=April 15, 2017}}
{{singlechart|France|23|artist=Nirvana|song=About a Girl %5BMTV Unplugged Version%5D|access-date=April 15, 2017}}
|-
|-
| Iberia Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 26, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-11-26-OCR-Page-0027.pdf |title=Regional Airplay - Southwest (Iberia) |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=27 |access-date=February 8, 2024 |quote=Spain, Portugal}}</ref>
|France Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=February 11, 1995 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/95/MM-1995-02-11-OCR-Page-0023.pdf |title=Major Market Airplay |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=23 |access-date=December 20, 2024}}</ref>
|align="center"| 7
|align="center"| 7
|-
⚫
| Iberia Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 24, 1994 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-12-24-OCR-Page-0051.pdf |title=Regional Airplay - Southwest (Iberia) |magazine=[[Music & Media]] |page=23 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |quote=Spain, Portugal}}</ref>
|align="center"| 1
|-
|-
| Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=195851&pageId=2723526&lang=is&q=Nirvana%20About%20a%20Girl|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.01 '95 – 20.01 '95)|work=[[DV (newspaper)|Dagblaðið Vísir]]|language=is|date=January 14, 1995|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref>
| Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=195851&pageId=2723526&lang=is&q=Nirvana%20About%20a%20Girl|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.01 '95 – 20.01 '95)|work=[[DV (newspaper)|Dagblaðið Vísir]]|language=is|date=January 14, 1995|access-date=October 2, 2019}}</ref>
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|-
|-
{{singlechart|UKrock|33|date=1999-01-10|access-date=April 15, 2017}}
{{singlechart|UKrock|33|date=1999-01-10|access-date=April 15, 2017}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
!Chart (2024)
!Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|UKrock|32|date=2024-07-26|access-date=September 5, 2024|refname=UKRock2}}
|}
|}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
Line 300: Line 316:
==Certifications==
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=About a Girl|award=Silver|relyear=1994|certyear=2021|id=17235-602-1|access-date=May 14, 2021|note=Sales since 2006}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|access-date=March 8, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=About a Girl|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|id=12569|access-date=July 1, 2024|note=Sales since 2009}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=About A Girl (Live)|award=Platinum|certyear=2022|relyear=1994|access-date=December 18, 2024|source=radioscope|note=Unplugged version}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Nirvana|title=About a Girl|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|access-date=March 8, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Nirvana|title=About a Girl|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=2024|id=17235-602-1|access-date=April 12, 2024|note=Sales since 2006}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}


Line 331: Line 351:
| ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| style="text-align:center"| United States
| style="text-align:center"| United States
| ''Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/29 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>
| ''Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked''<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/29 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 3
|-
|-
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==Other releases==
==Other releases==


*A solo home demo which first appeared on ''With the Lights Out'' was re-released on the compilation album, ''[[Sliver: The Best of the Box]]'' in November 2005.
*A solo home demo which first appeared on ''With the Lights Out'' was re-released on the compilation album ''[[Sliver: The Best of the Box]]'' in November 2005.


*A full-band rehearsal demo appeared on the DVD of ''With the Lights Out'', along with several other songs from the same session. It was filmed in December 1988 by Krist's brother, Robert Novoselic, above a hair salon in Aberdeen, Washington owned by their mother, Maria Novoselic. Reviewing the box set in November 2004, Mark Richardson of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' wrote, "It's a huge kick to see Cobain and Novoselic so young and goofy [at the session], hanging out with a few neighborhood dudes and jamming like any other local band ... but then they bust out 'About a Girl' and we remember that this is not your everyday garage band."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Nirvana: With the Lights Out |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5811-with-the-lights-out/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |work=Pitchfork |issue=23 November 2004}}</ref>
*A full-band rehearsal demo appeared on the DVD of ''With the Lights Out'', along with several other songs from the same session. It was filmed in December 1988 by Krist's brother, Robert Novoselic, above a hair salon in Aberdeen, Washington owned by their mother, Maria Novoselic. Reviewing the box set in November 2004, Mark Richardson of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' wrote, "It's a huge kick to see Cobain and Novoselic so young and goofy [at the session], hanging out with a few neighborhood dudes and jamming like any other local band ... but then they bust out 'About a Girl' and we remember that this is not your everyday garage band."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Nirvana: With the Lights Out |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5811-with-the-lights-out/ |access-date=21 December 2021 |work=Pitchfork |issue=23 November 2004}}</ref>
Line 354: Line 374:
*A live version, recorded on December 13, 1993, at [[Central Waterfront, Seattle|Pier 48]] in Seattle, Washington for MTV, was released on the live video ''[[Live and Loud (video)|Live and Loud]]'' in September 2013.
*A live version, recorded on December 13, 1993, at [[Central Waterfront, Seattle|Pier 48]] in Seattle, Washington for MTV, was released on the live video ''[[Live and Loud (video)|Live and Loud]]'' in September 2013.


*The 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" reissue of Nirvana's final album, ''[[In Utero]]'', set to be released in October 2023, will include the band's full concerts at the [[Great Western Forum]] in [[Inglewood, California]] on December 30, 1993, and at the [[Mercer Arena|Seattle Center Arena]] in Seattle on January 7, 1994, both of which featured versions of "About a Girl."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |title=Nirvana Reissuing In Utero With 2 Unreleased Live Albums for 30th Anniversary |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nirvana-reissuing-in-utero-with-unreleased-tracks-for-30th-anniversary/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=Pitchfork |issue=5 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Deaux |first=John |date=September 5, 2023 |url=https://allabouttherock.co.uk/nirvana-in-utero-30th-anniversary-multi-format-reissues-arrive-october-27-2023/ |title=Nirvana In Utero: 30th anniversary multi-format reissues arrive October 27, 2023 |work=allabouttherock.co.uk |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref>
*The 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" reissue of Nirvana's final album, ''[[In Utero]]'', released in October 2023, included the band's full concerts at the [[Great Western Forum]] in [[Inglewood, California]] on December 30, 1993, and at the [[Mercer Arena|Seattle Center Arena]] in Seattle on January 7, 1994, both of which featured versions of "About a Girl".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |title=Nirvana Reissuing In Utero With 2 Unreleased Live Albums for 30th Anniversary |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nirvana-reissuing-in-utero-with-unreleased-tracks-for-30th-anniversary/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=Pitchfork |issue=5 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Deaux |first=John |date=September 5, 2023 |url=https://allabouttherock.co.uk/nirvana-in-utero-30th-anniversary-multi-format-reissues-arrive-october-27-2023/ |title=Nirvana In Utero: 30th anniversary multi-format reissues arrive October 27, 2023 |work=allabouttherock.co.uk |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref>


===Unreleased studio versions===
===Unreleased studio versions===
Line 368: Line 388:


''MTV Unplugged in New York''
''MTV Unplugged in New York''
* Kurt Cobain - lead vocals, electro-acoustic guitar
* Kurt Cobain - vocals, electro-acoustic guitar
* Krist Novoselic - acoustic bass
* Krist Novoselic - acoustic bass
* [[Dave Grohl]] - drums, backing vocals
* [[Dave Grohl]] - drums
* [[Pat Smear]] - acoustic guitar
* [[Pat Smear]] - acoustic guitar


Latest revision as of 17:00, 20 December 2024

"About a Girl"
Single by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
B-side"Something in the Way" (live)
ReleasedOctober 24, 1994 (1994-10-24)
RecordedNovember 18, 1993 (1993-11-18)
Genre
Length3:37
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Nirvana · Scott Litt
Nirvana singles chronology
"Pennyroyal Tea"
(1994) 		"About a Girl"
(1994) 		"Polly"
(1994)
MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
13 tracks
  1. "About a Girl"
  2. "Come as You Are"
  3. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
  4. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  5. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Polly"
  8. "On a Plain"
  9. "Something in the Way"
  10. "Plateau"
  11. "Oh, Me"
  12. "Lake of Fire"
  13. "All Apologies"
  14. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"
Music video
"About a Girl" on YouTube
"About a Girl"
Song by Nirvana
from the album Bleach
ReleasedJune 15, 1989
RecordedDecember 1988
Genre
Length2:48
LabelSub Pop
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Jack Endino
Bleach track listing
11 tracks
  1. "Blew"
  2. "Floyd the Barber"
  3. "About a Girl"
  4. "School"
  5. "Love Buzz"
  6. "Paper Cuts"
  7. "Negative Creep"
  8. "Scoff"
  9. "Swap Meet"
  10. "Mr. Moustache"
  11. "Sifting"

"About a Girl" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the third song on their debut album, Bleach, released in June 1989.

Frequently described as one of Cobain's strongest and most melodic early compositions,[1][2][3] "About a Girl" was written about his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander. In the 1998 documentary Kurt and Courtney, Marander revealed that Cobain had never told her the song was about her, and that she found out only after reading the 1993 Nirvana biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad.

A live, acoustic version, recorded during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged appearance in November 1993, was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album MTV Unplugged in New York. It was the first single released since Cobain's death in April 1994, reaching number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 22 on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart.

Background

[edit]

"About a Girl" was written in 1988, reportedly after Cobain spent an afternoon repeatedly listening to Meet the Beatles!, the 1964 second American release by the Beatles.[4] The earliest known recording is a solo electric home demo that was posthumously released on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004. Featuring alternate lyrics, it was recorded at Cobain's home in Olympia, Washington in 1988.

The song debuted live at a dorm party at the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in February 1989.

Recording and release

[edit]

Bleach version

[edit]

"About a Girl" was first recorded in the studio in December 1988 by Jack Endino at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington. It was one of nine songs recorded during the 30-hour, six-day session that ended up on the band's July 1989 debut album, Bleach. As Endino recalled in a 2004 interview with Rob Nash of The Independent, "They just banged it out—they had it all figured out; they were rehearsed. They would do the songs in one or two takes; [Cobain would] get the vocals as one overdub, that would be it, and then on to the next song. So it was a pretty easy record to make."[5]

Later recordings

[edit]

On October 26, 1989, a version of "About a Girl" was recorded by Ted de Bono at Maida Vale Studios in London, England, during Nirvana's first BBC Peel Session. The full session was first broadcast on November 22, 1989.[6] Another version was recorded on November 1, 1989, at Villa 65 in Hilversum, Netherlands for the VPRO radio show, Nozems-a-Gogo.

A live version of the song, recorded at the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon on February 9, 1990, appeared on the British 12-inch and CD versions of the "Sliver" single in 1991.

On November 18, 1993, "About a Girl" was performed as the opening song on the band's MTV Unplugged appearance at Sony Music Studios in New York City. This version of the song featured Pat Smear on the second guitar.

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

The studio version of "About a Girl" was re-released on the band's first "best of" compilation, Nirvana, in October 2002. The MTV Unplugged version was re-released on a second hits compilation, Icon, in August 2010.

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Music

[edit]

"About a Girl" is an alternative rock song that runs for two minutes and forty-eight seconds.[7] It is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast rock tempo of 130 beats per minute.[7] "About a Girl" is composed in the key of E minor, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans one octave and six notes, from the low-note of B3 to the high-note of A4.[7] The song primarily alternates between the open chords of Em and G in the verses and follows a chord progression of C♯5–G♯5–F♯5–C♯5–G♯5–F♯5–E5–A5–C5 during the refrain.[7] During the verses, Cobain repeats the same two chords as Krist Novoselic's bass line continuously ascends while a vocal harmony and tambourines appear in the background. The song's chorus features slight key modulation, where chords land slightly away from the place expected.[8] "About a Girl" has an aching, wistful melody which Cobain sings over simple chord progressions. His electric guitar playing grows rawer and noisier throughout the track.[8] It was also described as a pop song by Cobain, producer Butch Vig, and original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing.[9]

Lyrics

[edit]

According to Chad Channing, the band's Bleach-era drummer, Cobain didn't have a title for the song when he first brought it into the studio. When asked what it was about, Cobain replied, "It's about a girl."[10]

The "girl" was Tracy Marander, Cobain's then-girlfriend, with whom he lived at the time. The lyrics address the couple's fractured relationship, caused by Cobain's refusal to get a job, or to share cleaning duties at their apartment, which housed many of his pets. During arguments on the subject, Cobain occasionally threatened to move into his car, at which point Marander would usually relent.[11] Cobain never told Marander that he had written "About a Girl" for her. In the 1998 Nick Broomfield documentary Kurt and Courtney, Marander revealed that she only found out after reading Michael Azerrad's 1993 Nirvana biography, Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana.

Release and reception

[edit]

In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with David Fricke, Cobain revealed that he had initially been apprehensive about including "About a Girl" on Bleach, knowing that it risked alienating the band's then largely grunge fanbase. "Even to put 'About a Girl' on Bleach was a risk," he explained. "I was heavily into pop, I really liked R.E.M., and I was into all kinds of old ‘60s stuff. But there was a lot of pressure within that social scene, the underground—like the kind of thing you get in high school. And to put a jangly R.E.M. type of pop song on a grunge record, in that scene, was risky."[12]

However, Endino was excited about the song, and even saw it as a potential single.[13] In a 1997 interview with Gillian G. Gaar for Goldmine, he recalled Cobain's initial trepidation about including the song on Bleach.

"I think Kurt felt nervous about putting 'About a Girl' on there, but he was very insistent on it. He said, 'I've got a song that's totally different from the others, Jack, you've gotta just humour me here, because we're gonna do this real pop tune.' The question was raised at some point, gee, I wonder if Sub Pop's going to like this, and we decided, 'Who cares?' Sub Pop said nothing. In fact, I think they liked it a lot."[14]

In 2004, Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind, cited "About a Girl" as the first hint that there was more to Nirvana than grunge. "Everyone talks about Kurt's love affair with... the whole punk scene, but he was also a huge Beatles fan, and the more time we spent together the more obvious their influence on his songwriting became," Vig told the NME.[15]

Critical reception

[edit]

In a March 1989 Melody Maker interview, music journalist Everett True named "About a Girl" as one of several songs on Bleach, along with "Blew," "Big Cheese" and "Sifting," that were "crafted round a firm base of tune, chorus, melody."[16]

Legacy

[edit]

"About a Girl" has retrospectively been cited as early evidence of Cobain's talent as a pop songwriter. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote that the song "illustrated signs of [Cobain's] considerable songcraft."[17] Evan Rytlewskia of Pitchfork called it "a glimpse at the melodic impulses that would make [Cobain] one of the defining rock musicians of the ’90s."[18] According to Will Bryant of Pitchfork, it was "curious, based on the clean guitars and tinny cymbals that dominate ["About a Girl"], how Nirvana ever came to be identified with grunge, the genuinely dirty and moody sound more readily associated with contemporaries Mudhoney, Soundgarden and Tad than the punk-metal hybrid Nirvana favored."[19] The NME described it as "Kurt's first true masterpiece," which "showed Nirvana's soft underbelly could be just as arresting as their ear-splitting thrashes."[20]

In 2004, the NME ranked "About a Girl" second on their list of the "20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."[21] The same year, Q ranked it second on their list of the "10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever."[22] In 2015, it was placed at number eight on Rolling Stone's ranking of 102 Nirvana songs.[23] It was ranked at number 112 on Pitchfork's 2015 list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s," with Raymond Cummings calling it a "sharp, perceptive, well-constructed, and almost Beatles-esque" song "that demonstrated a potential beyond grunge's ghetto."[24] In 2019, it was ranked eighth on The Guardian's list of "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs".[25] In 2023, it was ranked third on The A.V. Club's "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked" list, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine describing it as being "driven by one of Kurt Cobain’s prettiest melodies."[26]

"About a Girl" is a BMI award-winning song.[27] English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello named "About a Girl" as a personal favourite in 2004.[28]

In pop culture

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The song inspired the title of the 1998 novel About a Boy, by British author, Nick Hornby.[29]

Covers

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In November 2019, American rock band Puddle of Mudd performed an acoustic version of "About a Girl" during a session at SiriusXM.[30] The cover has been widely criticized and ridiculed, with most of the focus being placed upon vocalist Wes Scantlin's strained, off-key vocals.[31][32]

On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musician Post Malone as part of his 15-song Nirvana tribute concert live-streamed on YouTube, which raised more than $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[33][34]

MTV Unplugged version

[edit]
"About a Girl (Unplugged)"
A 20-second sample of "About a Girl" from the live album MTV Unplugged in New York (1994). The slower live rendition features a stripped-down arrangement and tighter, more subdued performance, transforming the song into a moody ballad.[8]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The MTV Unplugged version of "About a Girl" was released as a single in October 1994, to promote the album MTV Unplugged in New York, released the following month. It was the only commercial single released from the album, and featured the Unplugged version of "Something in the Way" as the b-side. Cobain opened the song by saying, "This is off our first record. Most people don't own it."

The performance was released as a music video which peaked at number 2 on MTV's most played videos in the US in December 1994,[35] and was also played on MTV Latino, The Box, and MuchMusic in Canada.[36] It was placed in the Buzz Bin on MTV Europe,[37] before being placed into heavy rotation.[38] It was also played on Video Smash Hits and Rage in Australia.[39]

Reception

[edit]

Reviewing MTV Unplugged in New York for the NME, John Harris wrote that the song's "musical backdrop suggests The Beatles in 1964, at their lovelorn best: minor-key introspection gives way to regular traces of lightened-up calm, only to regain the upper hand within bars. ... For that reason, encapsulated in the fact that it rides on a divinely simple verse/ chorus/ verse undertow, it may be the most beautiful song here."[40]

Track listings

[edit]

Charts

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Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[84] Platinum 70,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[85]
Sales since 2009 		Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[86]
Unplugged version 		Platinum 30,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[87] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[88]
Sales since 2006 		Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

[edit]
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1998 Kerrang! United Kingdom 20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars[89] 8
2004 Q High Spirits: 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever[22] 2
2011 NME Nirvana: Their 10 Best Tracks[90] 2
2023 The A.V. Club United States Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked[91] 3

Other releases

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  • A solo home demo which first appeared on With the Lights Out was re-released on the compilation album Sliver: The Best of the Box in November 2005.
  • A full-band rehearsal demo appeared on the DVD of With the Lights Out, along with several other songs from the same session. It was filmed in December 1988 by Krist's brother, Robert Novoselic, above a hair salon in Aberdeen, Washington owned by their mother, Maria Novoselic. Reviewing the box set in November 2004, Mark Richardson of Pitchfork wrote, "It's a huge kick to see Cobain and Novoselic so young and goofy [at the session], hanging out with a few neighborhood dudes and jamming like any other local band ... but then they bust out 'About a Girl' and we remember that this is not your everyday garage band."[92]
  • The full Pine Street concert, including "About a Girl," was re-released on the 20th anniversary "Deluxe" edition of Bleach in November 2009.
  • A live version, recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on November 25, 1991, appeared as bonus material on Live! Tonight!! Sold Out!! when it was released on DVD in November 2009. The full show was released on CD, vinyl and Blu-Ray in November 2021, on the 30th-anniversary edition of Nevermind
  • A live version, recorded on December 13, 1993, at Pier 48 in Seattle, Washington for MTV, was released on the live video Live and Loud in September 2013.

Unreleased studio versions

[edit]
  • The versions of the song recorded for the BBC in London on October 26, 1989, and for VPRO in Hilversum on November 1, 1989, both remain unreleased.

Personnel

[edit]

Bleach

MTV Unplugged in New York

  • Kurt Cobain - vocals, electro-acoustic guitar
  • Krist Novoselic - acoustic bass
  • Dave Grohl - drums
  • Pat Smear - acoustic guitar

References

[edit]
  • About a Girl discography information at sliver.it
  • Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Stephen Thomas, Erlewine. "AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Why Nirvana's 'Bleach' Doesn't Deserve To Sit In The Shadow Of Its Massive Follow-Up Albums". NME. No. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  3. ^ Rytlewski, Evan (10 September 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ^ Azerrad, Michael (1994), Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana
  5. ^ Nash, Rob (19 November 2004). "No less dangerous". The Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. ^ Luerssen, John D. (2014). Nirvana FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Most Important Band of the 1990s. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-61713-588-0.
  7. ^ a b c d Cobain, Kurt. "Nirvana 'About a Girl' Sheet Music in E Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. BMG Rights Management. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Huey, Steve. "Nirvana – About a Girl Song Review by Steve Huey". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  9. ^ Golsen, Tyler (May 17, 2023). "The early Nirvana "pop tune" that made Kurt Cobain nervous". Music Industry How To. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  10. ^ Krist Novoselic (2009-10-28). "Bleach: Krist Novoselic Interviews Chad Channing - Page 1 - Music - Seattle". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  11. ^ Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 100. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  12. ^ "LiveNIRVANA.com Interview Archive | 1993 | October 25, 1993 - Chicago, IL, US". Live Nirvana. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  13. ^ "Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". NME. March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  14. ^ True, Everett (13 March 2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780306815546.
  15. ^ "Countdown: 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". NME. March 26, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2005. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  16. ^ True, Everett (18 March 1989). "Sup Pop. Seattle: Rock City". Melody Maker.
  17. ^ Stephen Thomas, Erlewine. "AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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  22. ^ a b "123: High Spirits - 10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever". Q. 2004. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  23. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (8 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  24. ^ Cummings, Raymond (24 August 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pichfork. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  25. ^ Petridis, Alexis (20 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  26. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen (21 September 2023). "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  27. ^ Nirvana songs listed by BMI. bmi.com Retrieved on December 26, 2012.
  28. ^ Vivinetto, Gina (19 February 2004). "10 pressing questions: Not-so-mellow Costello". St. Petersburg Times.
  29. ^ Muther, Christopher (20 February 2014). "NBC's 'About a Boy' reboots Hornby novel". Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  30. ^ Hartmann, Graham. "Puddle of Mudd Go Viral for Heavily Criticized Nirvana Cover". Loudwire.
  31. ^ Smith-Engelhardt, Joe. "SEE FOR YOURSELF WHY PUDDLE OF MUDD'S NIRVANA COVER IS GETTING ATTENTION". Alternative Press. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  32. ^ Matami, Jo. "Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin Goes Viral With Beautifully WTF Cover of Nirvana's 'About a Girl'". UltimateGuitar.com. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  33. ^ Paige, Gawley (27 April 2020). "Post Malone's Nirvana Tribute Concert Raises More Than $4 Million for Coronavirus Relief". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  34. ^ "NIRVANA TRIBUTE RAISES OVER $1 MIL". TMZ. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  35. ^ "Video Monitor" (PDF). Billboard. December 17, 1994. p. 31. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  36. ^
  37. ^
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  39. ^ "FM, FM, TV". ARIA Report. No. 246. October 30, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  40. ^ Harris, John (October 29, 1994). "Unplugged In New York". NME. London. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  41. ^ "ABOUT A GIRL (unplugged)". nirvana-discography.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
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  45. ^ "Radio2 top 30: 24 December 1994" (in Dutch). Radio 2. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  46. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2676." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  47. ^ "Contemporary Album Radio". The Record. December 19, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved October 5, 2023. LW
  48. ^ Schlüter, Johan (January 6, 1995). "Official Danish Singles Top 50". IFPI Danmark Report. No. Week 1. IFPI Danmark, AC/ Nielsen Marketing Research.
  49. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. January 14, 1995. p. 9. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  50. ^ "M & M Charts Airplay EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Music & Media. January 28, 1995. p. 29. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  51. ^ "Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. January 14, 1995. p. 15. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  52. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. January 7, 1995. p. 15. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  53. ^ "Regional Airplay - South" (PDF). Music & Media. January 28, 1995. p. 31. Retrieved December 20, 2024. Italy, Ticino/Switzerland, Malta
  54. ^ "Regional Airplay - West" (PDF). Music & Media. January 28, 1995. p. 31. Retrieved December 20, 2024. France, Wallonia/Belgium, parts of Switzerland, Monaco
  55. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. November 19, 1994. p. 26. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  56. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2003). Sisältää hitin: levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Otava Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
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  59. ^ "Regional Airplay - Southwest (Iberia)" (PDF). Music & Media. December 24, 1994. p. 23. Retrieved December 20, 2024. Spain, Portugal
  60. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.01 '95 – 20.01 '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 14, 1995. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  61. ^ Salvatori, Dario. (1999). 40 anni di hit parade italiana: [le canzoni, gli interpreti, i record e le curiosità di tutte le classifiche dal 1957 a oggi]. Firenze: Tarab. ISBN 88-86675-55-0
  62. ^ "M & D". musicaedischi.it (in Italian). Retrieved March 21, 2023. User must do a "singles" search for "Nirvana"
  63. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Nirvana ((USA))" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
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  65. ^ "Nirvana – About a Girl %5BMTV Unplugged Version%5D". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  66. ^ "New Entries Spotlight". UKChartsPlus. No. 661. Official Charts Company. April 26, 2014. p. 29. Retrieved May 26, 2020. The "About a Girl" single charted in the UK based solely on import sales and did not receive a UK release.
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