Complete Nirvana Discography & Lyrics Guide

Introduction

Welcome to the definitive Nirvana lyrics resource. This page features information about each of Nirvana’s studio albums and provides links to individual song pages where you can find lyrics, song meanings, and historical context about each track.

Note: All lyrics are property of their respective owners and copyright holders. Lyrics are provided for educational and personal use only.

Bleach (1989)

Released: June 15, 1989
Label: Sub Pop
Producer: Jack Endino

Nirvana’s raw debut album recorded for just $606.17, featuring the original lineup with Chad Channing on drums.

Track Listing:

  1. Blew – View Lyrics Length: 2:55
  2. Floyd the Barber – View Lyrics Length: 2:18
  3. About a Girl – View Lyrics Length: 2:48
  4. School – View Lyrics Length: 2:42
  5. Love Buzz – View Lyrics Length: 3:35
  6. Paper Cuts – View Lyrics Length: 4:06
  7. Negative Creep – View Lyrics Length: 2:56
  8. Scoff – View Lyrics Length: 4:10
  9. Swap Meet – View Lyrics Length: 3:03
  10. Mr. Moustache – View Lyrics Length: 3:24
  11. Sifting – View Lyrics Length: 5:22
  12. Big Cheese – View Lyrics (CD reissue bonus track) Length: 3:42
  13. Downer – View Lyrics (CD reissue bonus track) Length: 1:43

Album Background

Recorded at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington, “Bleach” showcases the band’s early grunge sound heavily influenced by the Melvins and early Black Sabbath. Though initially overlooked, the album gained significant attention after the success of “Nevermind” and has since sold over 1.7 million copies in the United States alone.

Nevermind (1991)

Released: September 24, 1991
Label: DGC Records
Producer: Butch Vig

The breakthrough album that brought grunge to the mainstream and changed the face of rock music.

Track Listing:

  1. Smells Like Teen Spirit – View Lyrics Length: 5:01
  2. In Bloom – View Lyrics Length: 4:14
  3. Come As You Are – View Lyrics Length: 3:39
  4. Breed – View Lyrics Length: 3:03
  5. Lithium – View Lyrics Length: 4:17
  6. Polly – View Lyrics Length: 2:57
  7. Territorial Pissings – View Lyrics Length: 2:22
  8. Drain You – View Lyrics Length: 3:43
  9. Lounge Act – View Lyrics Length: 2:36
  10. Stay Away – View Lyrics Length: 3:32
  11. On a Plain – View Lyrics Length: 3:16
  12. Something in the Way – View Lyrics Length: 3:52
  13. Endless, Nameless (Hidden track) – View Lyrics Length: 6:44

Album Background

“Nevermind” replaced Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” at number one on the Billboard charts, signaling a dramatic shift in popular music. The album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. Dave Grohl had recently joined the band, completing the classic lineup.

In Utero (1993)

Released: September 21, 1993
Label: DGC Records
Producer: Steve Albini

Nirvana’s final studio album, featuring a rawer, less polished sound than its predecessor.

Track Listing:

  1. Serve the Servants – View Lyrics Length: 3:36
  2. Scentless Apprentice – View Lyrics Length: 3:48
  3. Heart-Shaped Box – View Lyrics Length: 4:41
  4. Rape Me – View Lyrics Length: 2:50
  5. Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle – View Lyrics Length: 4:09
  6. Dumb – View Lyrics Length: 2:32
  7. Very Ape – View Lyrics Length: 1:56
  8. Milk It – View Lyrics Length: 3:55
  9. Pennyroyal Tea – View Lyrics Length: 3:37
  10. Radio Friendly Unit Shifter – View Lyrics Length: 4:51
  11. Tourette’s – View Lyrics Length: 1:35
  12. All Apologies – View Lyrics Length: 3:51

Album Background

“In Utero” was recorded in just two weeks at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. The band sought a more abrasive, less commercial sound than “Nevermind,” though some tracks were later remixed by Scott Litt to make them more radio-friendly. Despite the band’s concerns about commercial appeal, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts.

Incesticide (1992)

Released: December 15, 1992
Label: DGC Records
Producer: Various

A compilation album of B-sides, demos, outtakes, and radio broadcasts.

Track Listing:

  1. Dive – View Lyrics Length: 3:55
  2. Sliver – View Lyrics Length: 2:16
  3. Stain – View Lyrics Length: 2:40
  4. Been a Son – View Lyrics Length: 2:23
  5. Turnaround – View Lyrics Length: 2:19
  6. Molly’s Lips – View Lyrics Length: 1:54
  7. Son of a Gun – View Lyrics Length: 2:48
  8. New Wave Polly – View Lyrics Length: 1:49
  9. Beeswax – View Lyrics Length: 2:50
  10. Downer – View Lyrics Length: 1:43
  11. Mexican Seafood – View Lyrics Length: 1:55
  12. Hairspray Queen – View Lyrics Length: 4:13
  13. Aero Zeppelin – View Lyrics Length: 4:41
  14. Big Long Now – View Lyrics Length: 5:03
  15. Aneurysm – View Lyrics Length: 4:46

Album Background

Released between “Nevermind” and “In Utero,” “Incesticide” gave fans access to rare and previously unavailable material. Kurt Cobain wrote the liner notes himself, expressing frustration with fame and the music industry.

MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)

Released: November 1, 1994
Label: DGC Records
Producer: Alex Coletti, Scott Litt

Nirvana’s iconic acoustic performance recorded for MTV Unplugged, released after Kurt Cobain’s death.

Track Listing:

  1. About a Girl – View Lyrics Length: 3:37
  2. Come As You Are – View Lyrics Length: 4:13
  3. Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam – View Lyrics Length: 4:37
  4. The Man Who Sold the World – View Lyrics Length: 4:20
  5. Pennyroyal Tea – View Lyrics Length: 3:40
  6. Dumb – View Lyrics Length: 2:52
  7. Polly – View Lyrics Length: 3:16
  8. On a Plain – View Lyrics Length: 3:44
  9. Something in the Way – View Lyrics Length: 4:01
  10. Plateau – View Lyrics Length: 3:37
  11. Oh, Me – View Lyrics Length: 3:26
  12. Lake of Fire – View Lyrics Length: 2:56
  13. All Apologies – View Lyrics Length: 4:23
  14. Where Did You Sleep Last Night – View Lyrics Length: 5:08

Album Background

Recorded on November 18, 1993, in New York City, this performance showcased a different side of Nirvana, featuring acoustic arrangements of lesser-known songs and covers. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)

Released: October 1, 1996
Label: DGC Records
Producer: Nirvana, Scott Litt

A live album compiled from various performances, showcasing Nirvana’s raw power as a live band.

Track Listing:

  1. Intro – View Lyrics Length: 0:59
  2. School – View Lyrics Length: 2:40
  3. Drain You – View Lyrics Length: 3:34
  4. Aneurysm – View Lyrics Length: 4:49
  5. Smells Like Teen Spirit – View Lyrics Length: 4:38
  6. Been a Son – View Lyrics Length: 2:15
  7. Lithium – View Lyrics Length: 4:16
  8. Sliver – View Lyrics Length: 2:04
  9. Spank Thru – View Lyrics Length: 3:11
  10. Scentless Apprentice – View Lyrics Length: 3:31
  11. Heart-Shaped Box – View Lyrics Length: 4:41
  12. Milk It – View Lyrics Length: 3:45
  13. Negative Creep – View Lyrics Length: 2:56
  14. Polly – View Lyrics Length: 2:30
  15. Breed – View Lyrics Length: 3:29
  16. Tourette’s – View Lyrics Length: 1:55
  17. Blew – View Lyrics Length: 3:36

Album Background

This posthumous live album serves as a counterpoint to the acoustic “MTV Unplugged in New York,” highlighting the band’s electric performances. The album title refers to the Wishkah River in Aberdeen, Washington, where Kurt Cobain claimed to have spent time under a bridge.

Last updated: March 17, 2025

2 thoughts on “Complete Nirvana Discography & Lyrics Guide”

  1. Honey

    I say that Kurt Cobain was one of the best singers and guitarist of all time and I am glad to have his album and lyrics.

    Reply

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