NEW YORK – APRIL 5: Copies of the new book “Love And Death: The Murder Of Kurt Cobain” sit in a pile during a press conference at the Hilton Times Square April 5, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images)
In the wake of the Nirvana "reunion" that kicked off 2020, we're revisiting SPIN's ranking of every Nirvana song and picking away.
SPIN posted the ranking last spring, much in the manner of when they ranked every Guns N' Roses song a few years ago. And like I did with the GNR ranking, I immediately started picking away at the bottom of the list. "Escalator To Hell" dead last? Sure, that's fine. "Big Long Now" second-to-last? That's a solid B-side that deserves to be ranked higher.
As I scrolled my way through the list from bottom-to-top, I did so looking out for my all-time fave Nirvana song, a perky B-side called "Sappy" (or "Verse Chorus Verse," if you're like me and first heard the song as a hidden track on the No Alternative compilation back in the 90s). I was pleased to see it landed at 27. A lot of my other favorites--"Sliver," "Been A Son," and "Molly's Lips" ended up in favorable spots. Can you tell I'm a big Incesticide fan?
Speaking of B-sides, there's one at the top of the list, and I like that. It's no fun making an all-time rock ranking if you put the super-obvious choice at Number One, right? I want to pick more bones with this ranking, but it's not really irking me. I posted the Top 10 below. Click here for the full list, then hit the ROCK 92.9 Facebook and Twitter to share your thoughts.
10. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
9. "In Bloom"
8. "Very Ape"
7. "Milk It"
6. "Lithium"
5. "Scentless Apprentice"
4. "School"
3. "Breed"
2. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
1. "Aneurysm"
