Drain You

"Drain You" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the eighth track on their second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. The same version also appears as a B-side on U.K. retail editions of the first single from that album, "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

"Drain You"
B-side label
Song by Nirvana
from the album Nevermind
ReleasedSeptember 24, 1991
RecordedMay 2, 1991–June 1991[1] at Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California
Genre
Length3:43
LabelDGC Records
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Butch Vig
Audio sample
  • file
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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"
"Drain You"
"Drain You" promo single for the album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Promotional single by Nirvana
from the album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Released1996
RecordedDel Mar, California, December 28, 1991
Genre
Length3:34
LabelDGC Records
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)
Nirvana singles chronology
"Aneurysm"
(1996)		 "Drain You"
(1996)		 "You Know You're Right"
(2002)

A live version, recorded on December 28, 1991 at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, was released as the second promotional single from the live compilation, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, in 1996. This version peaked at number 44 on the Radio & Records US Alternative Top 50 chart.[3]

Origin and recording

Originally titled "Formula," "Drain You" was written in 1990.[4] The song was first recorded in the spring of 1991, when Cobain and Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl visited Melvins drummer Dale Crover and his then-girlfriend Debbi Shane in San Francisco, California, on their way to record what became Nevermind in Van Nuys.[5] During their visit, the four recorded several songs on a four track, including "Drain You," under the band name, the Retards. "At the time, Kurt was into starting bands with everybody," Shane recalled, "so we went to the practice space my band Dumbhead shared with the Melvins, and formed the Retards for two days."[6] According to Shane, the band worked on songs by all four members, with one person recording, and Cobain eventually "announced he had a song, which wasn't a Nirvana song because it didn't have a drum part. When Dale started playing drums, he was like, 'Wow, we have a drum part.'"[6] The instrumental interlude was also developed during this session, which Shane says changed the song's character "from metal to a more Sonic Youth noise thing.[6] With the song's structure now in place, the band brought it to the Nevermind recording sessions at Sound City Studios in May 1991.

According to Nevermind's producer Butch Vig in the 2005 Classic Albums: Nirvana - Nevermind DVD, "Drain You" featured more guitar overdubs than any other song on the album: one clean track and five distorted tracks, two using a Mesa Boogie amp, two using a Fender Bassman amp, and one that they called the "super grunge" track, using a pedal on the Fender Bassman. Due to Cobain's reluctance to record multiple takes, Vig claims he often had to trick Cobain by falsely claiming that certain parts were not recorded correctly or were out of tune, and needed to be recorded again. Cobain recorded three vocal takes, with all three takes being used throughout the recording.[7] The sounds during the interlude were made by Cobain in a variety of ways, including using his squeaky mouse and rubber duck toys (the latter of which later appeared on the back cover of the band's 1992 compilation, Incesticide) that he brought into the studio. Sound engineer Andy Wallace added delay to these sounds to complete the effect.

On September 3, 1991, the band recorded a version during a three-song John Peel session for the BBC at Maida Vale Studios in London.[8] The full session, produced by Dale Griffin, was first broadcast on November 3, 1991.[5]

A live version, featuring Pat Smear on second guitar, was recorded for the television show Nulle Part Ailleurs in Paris, France on February 4, 1994. During the song's interlude, Cobain's guitar cut out completely, which led to him throwing it to the floor and finishing the song on vocals only.

The final live performance of "Drain You" was at Nirvana's last concert, on March 1, 1994 at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany.

Composition

Music

"Drain You" is an alternative rock song that runs for a duration of three minutes and forty-three seconds.[9] 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 134 beats per minute.[9] The song is composed in the key of A Major, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans two octaves and five notes, from the low-note of F#4 to the high-note of B6.[9] The song follows a basic sequence of A5–C#5–F#5–B5 in the verses and alternates between the chords of D5 and B5 during the refrain as its chord progression.[9] The tight musical arrangement begins with Cobain strumming his electric guitar unaccompanied while singing, "One baby to another says I'm lucky to have met you."[10] After the song's opening lines, there is an arrival of loud distortion alongside a thunderous combination of drums and bass.[10]

Lyrics

In the 1993 Nirvana biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Michael Azerrad described "Drain You" as "a love song, or rather a song about love," in which the babies in the lyrics "represent two people reduced to a state of perfect innocence by their love."[11] Cobain told Azerrad that the lyrics made him think of "two brat kids who are in the same hospital bed."[11] The song's imagery predicted the medical themes that would feature heavily in the lyrics of Nirvana's following album, In Utero.[12]

According to the 2001 Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven by Charles Cross, "Drain You" was one of "a half dozen...memorable songs" Cobain wrote following his break-up with American musician, Tobi Vail, in November 1990. Cross described the lyric, "It is now my duty to completely drain you," as "both an acknowledgement of the power [Vail] had over [Cobain] and an indictment."[13]

Release and reception

In 2016, Billboard's William Goodman wrote that "Drain You" was "perhaps the Nevermind tune with the poppiest, most tightly-wound songcraft," and that "in another context, it could be translated to any number of genres -- but on Nevermind, it's perfection."[10]

In 2013, "Drain You" was voted fifth in Rolling Stone's reader's poll of the top 10 Nirvana songs.[14] In 2015, it was ranked ninth in Rolling Stone's No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked list.[15] In 2019, The Guardian ranked it ninth on their list of Nirvana's 20 greatest songs.[16]

In 2017, to mark what would have been Kurt Cobain's 50th birthday, the Phonographic Performance Limited released a list of the top 20 most played Nirvana songs on TV and radio in the U.K., and "Drain You" was number 11.[17]

Cobain cited "Drain You" as one of his favorite compositions, telling David Fricke in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview that he thought it was as good, if not better, than the band's biggest hit, "Smells Like Teen Spirit."[18] I love the lyrics, and I never get tired of playing it," he said. "Maybe if it was as big as 'Teen Spirit, I wouldn’t like it as much."[18]

The song's title was used for a chapter in Shakey: Neil Young's Biography, a 2002 biography of Canadian rock musician Neil Young, by Jimmy McDonough. The chapter focused on Young's reaction to Cobain's suicide, and included an anecdote of Young enjoying a video of Nirvana performing the song at an unnamed concert.[19]

The Nevermind version of "Drain You" appears in the video games Rock Band 2 and Rock Band Unplugged.

On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musician Post Malone as part of his 15-song Nirvana tribute concert, which was livestreamed on YouTube and raised over $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[20][21]

Del Mar Fairgrounds version

A live version, recorded on December 28, 1991 at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California, appeared on the live compilation From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, released in October 1996. It was released as the second promotional single from the album, peaking at number 44 on the US Alternative Top 50 chart which was published by Radio & Records, a sister publication to Billboard.[3] This version was the 11th most played song of 1997 on Boston's WBCN (FM).[22]

Charts
Chart (1996) Peak
position
US Alternative Top 50 (Radio & Records)[3] 44

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1998 Kerrang! United Kingdom 20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars[23] 11
2013 Rolling Stone United States Readers’ Poll: The 10 Best Nirvana Songs[24] 5
2019 The Guardian United Kingdom Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked![25] 10

Release history

Studio versions
Date recorded Studio Producer Releases Personnel
April 1991 Melvins/ Dumbhead practice space and Dale Crover residence, San Francisco, CA Debbi Shane With the Lights Out (2004)
May 2–28, 1991 Sound City Studios Butch Vig Nevermind (1991)
Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
September 3, 1991 Maida Vale Studios Dale Griffin Nevermind (deluxe) (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
October 31, 1991 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA Come as You Are (1992)
Live at the Paramount (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
November 25, 1991 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (1994/2006)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
December 28, 1991 Del Mar Fairgrounds, Los Angeles, California From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)
  • 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, WA Live and Loud (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
  • Pat Smear (guitar)
February 4, 1994 Nulle Part Ailleurs, Studio 3, Canal +, Paris, France Live and Loud (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
  • Pat Smear (guitar)

Cover versions

A cover version of "Drain You" was performed by Portland indie folk band Horse Feathers. The cover was release as on vinyl as double-A-sided 7-inch single, alongside "Bonnet of Briars." The single premiered online by PopMatters, which called the cover "moving."[26] "Drain You" was covered by Cincinnati glam rock band Foxy Shazam. Regarding the song, bassist Daisy Caplan stated, "Right away I knew 'Drain You' would be best for us. We’re more of a vocally oriented band than anything else, and the melody line lets us showcase that." Admitting that it would've been intimidating to perform one of Nirvana's big hit singles, he claims five minutes after choosing the song, the band was "getting drunk and jamming out on it."[27]  Their cover was included on the 2011 tribute album, Newermind, created in celebration of the 20th anniversary the band's breakthrough album.[27]

References
  1. "This Day in Music Spotlight: Nirvana Begins Recording 'Nevermind'". .gibson.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. Ygelsias, Matthew. "The Ultimate Nineties Alt-Rock Playlist". The Atlantic.
  3. "Alternative Top 50" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. December 20, 1996. p. 84. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  4. Cross, Charles R. (August 15, 2001). Heavier Than Heaven. United States: Hyperion. p. 163. ISBN 0-7868-6505-9.
  5. Gaar, Gillian G. (2009). The Rough Guide to Nirvana. Penguin Books. pp. 194–195. ISBN 978-1-4053-8119-2.
  6. True, Everett (March 13, 2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81554-0.
  7. Cross R., Charles; Berkenstadt, Jim (February 22, 2012). Classic Rock Albums: Nirvana - Nevermind. New York City: Schirmer Trade Books. ISBN 978-0-85712-768-6.
  8. St. Thomas, Kurt (2004). Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 107. ISBN 0312206631.
  9. Cobain, Kurt. "Nirvana 'Drain You' Sheet Music in C Major - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. BMG Rights Management. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  10. Goodman, William (2016-09-23). "Nirvana's Nevermind Turns 25: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  11. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 219. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  12. Garr, Gillian G. (2006). In Utero. United States: Continium. p. 219. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0.
  13. Cross, Charles R (2001).
  14. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Nirvana Songs". April 10, 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  15. Wolk, Douglas (8 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  16. Petridis, Alexis (20 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  17. 20 most-played Nirvana songs revealed to mark Kurt Cobain’s 50th birthday planetrock.com. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  18. Fricke, David (27 January 1994). "Kurt Cobain: The Rolling Stone Interview | Music News". Rolling Stone. p. 3. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  19. McDonough, Jimmy (2002). Shakey: Neil Young's biography. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-42772-8. OCLC 47844513.
  20. 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.
  21. "NIRVANA TRIBUTE RAISES OVER $1 MIL". TMZ. 27 April 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  22. "Billboard Airplay Monitor" (PDF). Billboard (Airplay Monitor edition). Billboard. December 26, 1997. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  23. "The Hit List: 20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars". Kerrang!. No. 709. July 25, 1998. p. 49. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  24. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Nirvana Songs". Rolling Stone. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  25. Petridis, Alexis (20 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  26. PopMatters Staff (2010-10-29). "Horse Feathers - "Drain You" MP3 (PopMatters Premiere)". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc.
  27. Spin Staff (2011-07-19). "FREE ALBUM: SPIN Tribute to Nirvana's 'Nevermind'". Spin. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
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