Rape Me

"Rape Me" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, In Utero, released in September 1993. It is also Nirvana's last single release before Cobain committed suicide five months later.

This article is about the Nirvana song. For the French novel and film, see Baise-moi.
"Rape Me"
Single by Nirvana
from the album In Utero
A-side"All Apologies" (double A-side)
B-side"Moist Vagina"
Released6 December 1993
RecordedFebruary 1993
StudioPachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota
GenreGrunge
Length2:49
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Steve Albini
Nirvana singles chronology
"Heart-Shaped Box"
(1993)		 "All Apologies" / "Rape Me"
(1993)		 "All Apologies (unplugged)"
(1994)
In Utero track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Serve the Servants"
  2. "Scentless Apprentice"
  3. "Heart-Shaped Box"
  4. "Rape Me"
  5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Very Ape"
  8. "Milk It"
  9. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"
  11. "tourette's"
  12. "All Apologies"
German CD single
The German CD single came with this large covering sticker on the box
Music video
"Rape Me" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Rape Me"
  • file
  • help

"Rape Me" was released as the album's second single in December 1993, packaged as a double A-side with "All Apologies". The single reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and recording

"Rape Me" was written by Cobain on an acoustic guitar in Los Angeles in May 1991, around the time the band's second album, Nevermind, was being mixed.[1] It was first performed live on June 18, 1991, at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz. The earliest live versions of the song featured a guitar solo instead of a bridge.[2]

The band had wanted to play the song during their appearance at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, but the network was resistant to the idea, preferring they perform their breakthrough single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and possibly wary of "Rape Me"'s controversial lyrics.[3][4] The ongoing argument between MTV and Cobain escalated over the span of several days, with MTV threatening to cut Nirvana from the show, to stop playing the band's music videos, and even to boycott other artists on the band's management company, Gold Mountain, such as Sonic Youth or the Beastie Boys.[5] Cobain only relented after being informed that MTV would fire Amy Finnerty, an MTV employee and friend of the band's, if the band played "Rape Me". The band ultimately agreed to play their latest single, "Lithium", but not before Cobain started playing the chords and singing the opening lines of "Rape Me," which resulted in the broadcast almost going to commercial.[6]

"Rape Me" was first recorded in the studio in October 1992, during a two-day demo session with Jack Endino at Word of Mouth in Seattle, Washington. Two takes of the song were recorded, one of which was instrumental, the other featuring lead vocals by Cobain and backing vocals by drummer Dave Grohl. Cobain was holding his then-infant daughter Frances Bean Cobain on his lap when he recorded his vocals, and she can be heard crying on the demo.[7]

The final studio version of "Rape Me" was recorded in February 1993 by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, for the band's third and final studio album, In Utero. The instruments for the song were recorded on February 15.[8] The following day, Cobain completed his vocals for the album during a reported six-hour session.[9] Cobain used his Fender Jaguar guitar plugged into a Twin Reverb amp.[10]

On September 25, 1993, the band performed the song, along with "Heart-Shaped Box," on Saturday Night Live at NBC Studios in New York City. It was the band's first show with second guitarist Pat Smear. The song was again performed on television on February 4, 1994 for the show Nulle Part Ailleurs in Paris, France.

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

Composition and lyrics

Music

The song's instrumental opening bars, which features Cobain using pick scratching while playing the verse chord progression, has led to frequent comparisons to the guitar riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."[11] Will Bryant of Pitchfork wrote that "the four-chord riff that drags the song through the motions is an almost direct inversion of the famous 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' riff,"[12] while Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross described the song as having "the same catchy soft/loud dynamic as "Teen Spirit," which "created a perfect Cobain aesthetic – beautiful, haunting and disturbing."[13]

Lyrics

"Rape Me" is an anti-rape song, written from the point of view of the victim. "It's like she's saying, 'Rape me, go ahead, rape me, beat me,'" Cobain told Darcey Steinke of Spin in 1993, "'You'll never kill me. I'll survive this and I'm gonna fucking rape you one of these days and you won't even know it.'"[14] Gllian G. Garr described the song's lyrics as "part submissive invitation, part defiant taunt, a mix that confused and disturbed many listeners", and led to Cobain frequently having to explain the song's meaning.[15]

When asked by MUCH's Erica Ehm in an August 1993 interview how the band was helping to raise awareness about sexism, Cobain replied, "By writing songs as blunt as 'Rape Me.'"[16] He stated that it was a song meant to be so blunt that no one could misinterpret its meaning.[17]

American musician Tori Amos commented on the song in a 1994 interview with the NME, saying that she "thought it was very clear what it was about....It's a defiant song. But the scariest thing to a rape victim are the words 'rape me'. When I first heard it I broke out in a cold sweat, but when you get over that you realize he's turning it back on people."[18]

The song has also been interpreted as an attack on the media for its perceived mistreatment of Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love. While most of the song was written before Nevermind was released, the bridge, which was written later, contains lyrics that address his occasionally contentious relationship with the media.[19] As Cobain explained to Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad, "It was actually about rape ... but now I could definitely use it as an example of my life for the past six months or year, easily."[20] In line with this interpretation, Azerrad suggested that the chorus lyric "I'm not the only one" was Cobain's way of saying that Love and their infant daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, were being hurt along with him by the media and public attention.[20] According to Azerrad, the bridge lyric "My favorite inside source" was a reference to the manager of an unnamed Seattle band Cobain and Love suspected of being anonymously interviewed for a controversial Vanity Fair profile of the couple published in September 1992.[20]

Release and reception

"Rape Me" was released as a double A-side single with "All Apologies" on December 6, 1993 on CD, cassette, and 7" and 12" vinyl record formats.[21] The single was not released commercially in the United States.[21]

The song was relabeled "Waif Me" on the censored Wal-Mart and Kmart version of In Utero, released in March 1994. The chain stores had originally refused to carry the album because of the song's title, as well as the fetus collage on the back cover, which was also edited. The song's proper title was listed in the booklet, and the recording remained the same. Cobain defended the band's decision to release a censored version of the album by explaining, "One of the main reasons I signed to a major label was so people would be able to buy our records at Kmart. In some towns, that's the only place kids can buy records."[22]

In her Spin cover story on the band, Steinke described the song as carrying a "quiet biblical angst."[14] David Fricke, in his review of In Utero for Rolling Stone, wrote that "'Rape Me' opens as a disquieting whisper, Cobain intoning the title verse in a battered croon, which sets you up beautifully to get blind-sided by the explosive hook line."[23]

In November 1993, "Rape Me" was voted the third "Most Wanted to be Heard" song by listeners of the Hawaii Free Radio.[24]

Criticism

"Rape Me" has occasionally received criticism for its intentionally blunt handling of sensitive subject matter. John Mulvey of the NME wrote that "while you can't doubt Cobain's personal political correctness, there's a distinct moral dubiousness about welding the words 'RAPE ME!' to In Utero's best sing-along chorus."[25] Pitchfork's Will Bryant wrote that the song, despite its victim-empowering intent, "comes off as a shallow and transparent attempt to court controversy."[26]

In 2019, Jenna Bush Hager revealed that her father, George W. Bush, prior to becoming U.S. President, broke one of her Nirvana CDs due to the lyrics of "a really bad song" implied to be "Rape Me."[27]

Legacy

In 1999, "Rape Me" was voted number 90 in Kerrang!'s 100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever!.[28] In 2015, Rolling Stone placed it at number 31 on their ranking of 102 Nirvana songs, with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd calling it "the closest to an actual Bikini Kill song that [Cobain] would ever write, using the lyrics as a woman-empowering taunt to show would-be rapists that their victims' spirits would not be tamped."[29] In 2019, The Guardian ranked it at number 17 on their list of 'Nirvana's 20 greatest songs'.[30]

"Rape Me" was re-released on both of Nirvana's greatest hits albums, Nirvana (2002) and Icon (2010).

Music video

Although no music video was made for "Rape Me", two treatments for a proposed video were published posthumously in Cobain's Journals in 2002.[31] They included scenes set in a prison, footage of flowers and seahorses as well as a man being prepared for a gynecological exam.[31]

In 1999, the Saturday Night Live version of "Rape Me" began being aired as a music video on MTV2 to promote the album Saturday Night Live: The Musical Performances, Volume 2.[32]

Track listings

Released as a double A-side with "All Apologies".

Charts
Chart (1993/1994) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[33] 43
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)[34] 77
Ireland (IRMA)[35] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[36] 32
US Rock Tracks National Airplay (Radio & Records)[37] 57
Chart (1995–1996) Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[38]
Charted on the singles chart as part of the Singles box set		 5
European Hot 100 Singles (Music & Media)[39]
Charted on the singles chart as part of the Singles box set		 55
France (SNEP)[40]
Charted on the singles chart as part of the Singles box set		 17

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
1998 Kerrang! United Kingdom 20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars[41] 6
1999 100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever[42] 90

Personnel

Recording and release history

Demo and studio versions
Date recorded Studio Producer/recorder Releases Personnel
May 1991 Los Angeles, California Kurt Cobain With the Lights Out (2004)
Sliver: The Best of the Box (2005)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
October 26, 1992 Word of Mouth Productions, Seattle, Washington Jack Endino With the Lights Out (2004)
Sliver: The Best of the Box (2005)
  • Kurt Cobain (guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
February 12–26, 1993 Pachyderm Studios, Cannon Falls, Minnesota Steve Albini In Utero (1993)
Nirvana (2002)
Icon (2010)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
October 31, 1991 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, Washington Live at the Paramount (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
September 25, 1993 NBC Studios, New York City, New York Saturday Night Live: the Musical Performances, Volume 2 (1999)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
  • Pat Smear (guitar)
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)
February 4, 1994 Studio 3, Canal +, Paris, France Live and Loud (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals)
  • Pat Smear (guitar)

In The Simpsons episode "That 90's Show", guest star "Weird Al" Yankovic sings a parody version called "Brain Freeze". Homer also creates a band called "Sadgasm", a parody of Nirvana, and is seen singing "Shave Me".[43]

In the South Park episode "Hummels & Heroin", Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, and Butters perform a Barbershop Quartet cover of "Rape Me" for a retirement home.

Notes
  1. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 323. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  2. Gaar, p. 19
  3. Cross, Charles R. (August 15, 2001). Heavier Than Heaven. United States: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6505-9.
  4. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 277. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  5. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 137. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  6. Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. pp. 276–277. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  7. Gaar, p. 19–20.
  8. Gaar, p. 56.
  9. Gaar, p. 61.
  10. "Untitled Document". www.kurtsequipment.com.
  11. Hampton, Howard. "Nirvana: SPIN's Original Album Reviews, Collected". Spin. Spin. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  12. Bryant, Will. "Nirvana – Nirvana". Pitchforkmedia. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  13. Cross, Charles R. (August 15, 2001). Heavier Than Heaven. United States: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6505-9.
  14. Steinke, Darcey. "Smashing Their Heads On That Punk Rock". Spin. October 1993.
  15. Gaar, Gillian G. (2006). In Utero. United States: Continium. p. 57. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0.
  16. "Much: Our Last Time w/ Kurt Cobain (1993)". August 10, 1993.
  17. Azerrad, p. 322–23.
  18. Hess, Amanda (12 March 2010). "Date Rape Anthem: Nirvana's "Rape Me"". Washington City PAper. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  19. Gaar, Gillian G. (2009). The Rough Guide to Nirvana. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-4053-8119-2.
  20. Azerrad, Michael (October 1993). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. U.S.: Doubleday. p. 323. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  21. Gaar, Gillian G. "Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana". Goldmine. February 14, 1997.
  22. True, Everett (13 March 2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 488. ISBN 9781322438757.
  23. Fricke, David (16 September 1993). "In Utero". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  24. "The Hawaiian Island Music Report". November 21, 1993. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  25. Mulvey, John (4 September 1993). "Nirvana : In Utero". NME. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  26. Bryant, Will. "Nirvana – Nirvana". Pitchforkmedia. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  27. Drew Weisholtz, Drew (May 29, 2019). "MUSIC Jenna reveals why her father destroyed 1 of the first CDs she ever bought". Today. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  28. Kerrang! magazine, issue 746, April 17, 1999. (voted by readers).
  29. Escobedo Shepherd, Julianne. "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. No. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  30. Petridis, Alexis (20 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
  31. Gaar, Gillian G. (2006). Nirvana's In Utero Bloomsbury Publishing USA. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  32. Billboard – The Clip List (PDF). Billboard. October 23, 1999. p. 94. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  33. "Ultratop.be – Nirvana – All Apologies / Rape Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  34. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. January 15, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  35. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – All Apologies/Rape Me". Irish Singles Chart.
  36. "Nirvana: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  37. "Rock Tracks National Airplay" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. June 10, 1994. p. 66. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  38. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. January 20, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
  39. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 9, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved June 2, 2019.}
  40. "Lescharts.com – Nirvana – Singles" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 2, 2019}.
  41. "The Hit List: 20 Great Nirvana Songs Picked by the Stars". Kerrang!. No. 709. July 25, 1998. p. 49. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  42. "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever". Kerrang!. No. 746. April 17, 1999. p. 25. Retrieved August 25, 2019. As voted for by readers
  43. "Sadgasm – "Shave Me"". Video fragment (19 seconds) from an Episode of "The Simpsons". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-09-12.

References
  • Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
  • Cross, Charles. Heavier Than Heaven. Hyperion, 2001. ISBN 0-7868-6505-9.
  • Gaar, Gillian G. In Utero. Continuum, 2006. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0.
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