Continuing our series (click to view all in the series), we’re ranking the music videos of artists or bands that were created during the height of the MTV music video era. While we’ve focused on a lot of pop acts in the past, today it’s time to look at one of the most iconic rock bands of the MTV era: Nirvana. The band first got together in 1987, and is most known for featuring the trio of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl (though some might not know that Grohl didn’t actually join the band until 1990). Sadly, the band’s ascent was cut short in 1994 after the death of Cobain — Novoselic and Grohl decided not to continue on without him. Though it’s sad we’ll never get to know what other music the band might have released, at least we have what they did release, which is still played on the radio to this day.
We could go on, but let’s get to what you came here for — our ranking of all of Nirvana’s music videos.
8. Lithium
Let’s call a spade a spade: this video is disappointing, particularly because it’s for such an iconic song. It’s a bunch of concert footage spliced together, almost all in slow motion. I guess if you want to see a bunch of slo-mo concert footage, then maybe you’ll enjoy this video?
7. Sliver
This video looks like it was shot on a home video camera. It features the band playing in a very small venue, and is the only video to show Cobain with brown hair. It’s very chaotic, which matches the vibe of the song, and features quite a few shots of a baby dancing.
6. You Know You're Right
Technically this video was made many years after Cobain’s death after legal issues were cleared up surrounding the song. The video features a lot of footage of the band through the years with very frenetic cuts. It feels like a tribute to their career, which was probably the intention given it came out in 2002.
5. In Bloom - Original/Alternate Version
Featuring previous drummer Chad Channing, this video was shot in New York City, with shots of the band walking around Lower Manhattan interspersed with rehearsal footage and clips from the band’s show at Maxwell’s in New Jersey. You’ll notice bassist Krist Novoselic is bald during the Maxwell’s performance parts of the video — he shaved his head as penance for what he considered a bad performance at the Pyramid Club in NYC midway through filming the video.
4. Come As You Are
This video is pretty random, featuring lots of shots of a dog in a recovery collar, microscope close-ups of sperm, and a gun floating through water. These shots are interspersed with the band performing while obscured by lots of water, and also features a shot that homages the album cover image of the baby underwater. Cobain also is seen sitting on and then dangling from a chandelier. What does any of this mean? Who knows.
3. Heart-Shaped Box
This music video definitely makes you feel a little uncomfortable while watching it, which seems like it was sort of the point. It features a lot of religious imagery turned on its head, including a skinny old man wearing a Santa hat climbing up onto a crucifix surrounded by fake crows, and a little girl walking around in a white robe and peaked cap. That imagery is spliced with the band playing amidst a Wizard of Oz-type background, and lots of close-up shots of Cobain’s dramatic blue eyes. It’s super memorable and definitely one of the most interesting of their music videos.
2. In Bloom - Nevermind Version
This version of the “In Bloom” video is a parody of the old musical variety shows of the ‘60s such as The Ed Sullivan Show. The video is shot in black and white, and features the band as clean-cut, suited versions of themselves playing the song in front of a screaming live audience. About halfway through, the video intercuts with the guys as themselves, wearing dresses, and eventually destroying the set. The video is also apropos as the song is about jocks and mainstream types the band started to find in their concert crowds as they became more popular, who saw the band just as this hip, cool group rather than actually appreciating their music.
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
This video was so MTV during this time period. The video features the band playing in a gymnasium with some tattooed cheerleaders dancing. The kids watching the band play start out sitting complacently on the bleachers, but eventually start rocking out and going crazy and mob the band. And let’s not forget the janitor also dancing around with his mop. Plus the shot of the teacher all tied up in a dunce cap at the end. A truly classic video that encapsulated the rebellious don’t-give-a-crap spirit of the ’90s grunge movement.
Which is your favorite Nirvana music video? Let us know in the comments!
- Cobain’s original idea for the “In Bloom” music video was to feature a surrealistic fable about a girl born into a Ku Klux Klan family who eventually realizes how evil her parents are. But, this concept was deemed too ambitious.
- Kevin Kerslake directed many of Nirvana’s music videos, including “Come As You Are,” “In Bloom,” “Lithium,” and “Sliver.” He was also meant to direct the “Heart-Shaped Box” video, but the group decided to work with another director instead, Anton Corbijn. Kerslake would go on to sue the group for copyright infringement for the video, claiming they used some of his ideas — they settled out of court.
- The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video was the first for director Samuel Bayer, who would also go on to direct another iconic music video of the era, “No Rain” by Blind Melon.
- The kids who sat on the bleachers for the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video were forced to sit there throughout multiple renditions of the song, so their discontent moshing around on the stage at the end was genuine.
- The original concept for the “Lithium” music video was a much more complex animated story about a girl named Prego who lived in the forest. However, once the band found out that it would take four months to create the video, they nixed the idea and went with the collage of concert footage instead.
- Cobain’s original idea for the “In Bloom” music video was to feature a surrealistic fable about a girl born into a Ku Klux Klan family who eventually realizes how evil her parents are. But, this concept was deemed too ambitious.
- Kevin Kerslake directed many of Nirvana’s music videos, including “Come As You Are,” “In Bloom,” “Lithium,” and “Sliver.” He was also meant to direct the “Heart-Shaped Box” video, but the group decided to work with another director instead, Anton Corbijn. Kerslake would go on to sue the group for copyright infringement for the video, claiming they used some of his ideas — they settled out of court.
- The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video was the first for director Samuel Bayer, who would also go on to direct another iconic music video of the era, “No Rain” by Blind Melon.
- The kids who sat on the bleachers for the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video were forced to sit there throughout multiple renditions of the song, so their discontent moshing around on the stage at the end was genuine.
- The original concept for the “Lithium” music video was a much more complex animated story about a girl named Prego who lived in the forest. However, once the band found out that it would take four months to create the video, they nixed the idea and went with the collage of concert footage instead.
