Big Cheese (song)
| "Big Cheese" | |
|---|---|
| File:Nirvana-love-buzz-sub-pop-s.jpg US picture sleeve | |
| Song by Nirvana | |
| from the album Bleach | |
| A-side | "Love Buzz" |
| Released | November 1988 |
| Format | 7" |
| Recorded | June–September 1988 at Reciprocal Recordings in Seattle, Washington |
| Genre | Grunge |
| Length | 3:43 |
| Label | Sub Pop |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jack Endino |
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"Big Cheese" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic. It was released as the B-side to the band's first single, "Love Buzz," in November 1988. It was re-released as the 12th track on the reissue of their 1989 debut album, Bleach.
Composition[edit]
"Big Cheese" was debuted live on March 19, 1988 at the Community World Theatre in Tacoma, Washington. The song was first recorded in the studio in 1988 by Jack Endino at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, Washington, during the sessions for what became the band's first single, "Love Buzz." The sessions, which lasted four days over the span of several months, were the band's first with drummer Chad Channing. The band had originally intended on releasing another song recorded during the sessions, "Blandest," as the single's B-side, but Endino convinced Cobain to use "Big Cheese" instead.[1] "It is a much stronger song, and they readily agreed," Endino recalled in a February 1997 Goldmine article by Gillian G. Garr.[2]
Novoselic discussed the song with Channing when he interviewed him for the Seattle Weekly in October 2009:
"I think one of the best songs you and I worked together on was 'Big Cheese.' Kurt came up with that two-note riff for the verses. You and I took off for that instrumental bridge. I went up high on the neck of the bass, and you did that great double kick!"[3]
Channing revealed that it was one of his favorite songs on Bleach as well, and that he and his friends enjoyed playing it at a slower speed because it sounded "deeper and heavier."[3]
Two live takes of the song were recorded during a video shoot at the television studio of Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington on March 20, 1990. The full session, which also featured versions of the Bleach songs "School" and "Floyd the Barber," as well as the future Nevermind single "Lithium", was directed by Jon Snyder and engineered by Greg Babior. It featured a collage of background footage Cobain had taped from television.[2]
The final live performance of "Big Cheese" was at the Melody Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on June 20, 1991.
Composition and lyrics[edit]
According to the 1993 Nirvana biography Come As You Are by Michael Azerrad, "Big Cheese" was written about Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman. "I was expressing all the pressures that I felt from him at the time because he was being so judgmental about what we were recording," Cobain explained. Azerrad cited the song as evidence of Cobain's gift for turning a specific experience into "a universal."[4] Author Chris Crisafulli described the song as a "standard issue anti-authority rant," with Cobain complaining about being sent to the office.[5] The song does not mention Poneman by name or suggest him directly, instead referring to an authority figure named "Mike."
Garr described the song as the more "trademark grunge" song on the single, beginning "with an eerie opening two note guitar wail that explodes into righteousness heaviness." [6]
Release and reception[edit]
"Love Buzz" was the first release in the Sub Pop Singles Club and was limited to 1000 numbered copies. A Sub Pop invoice indicates that 1200 sleeves were made, the other 200 having a red slash instead of a number.
The release was made "Single of the Week" in Sounds by John Robb, which was the first mention of the band in the UK press.
In 2015, "Big Cheese" was listed at number 58 in Rolling Stone's No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked list.[7]
Recording and release history[edit]
Demo and studio versions[edit]
| Date recorded | Studio | Producer/recorder | Releases | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June-September, 1988 | Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, Washington (take one) | Jack Endino | Unreleased |
|
| June-September, 1988 | Reciprocal Recording, Seattle, Washington (take two) | Jack Endino | Love Buzz (1988) Bleach (1989) |
|
| March 20, 1990 | TV Studio, Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington | Greg Babior | Unreleased |
|
Live versions[edit]
| Date recorded | Venue | Releases | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 23, 1989 | Rhino Records, Los Angeles, California, US | With the Lights Out (DVD) (2004) |
|
Personnel[edit]
- Kurt Cobain - guitar, vocals
- Krist Novoselic - bass
- Chad Channing - drums
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 82. ISBN 0-385-47199-8. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Garr, Gillian G. (14 February 1997). "Verse Chorus Verse: The Recording History of Nirvana". Goldmine.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Novoselic, Krist (27 October 2009). "Bleach: Krist Novoselic Interviews Chad Channing". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ↑ Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. pp. 85, 86. ISBN 0-385-47199-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Crisafulli, Chuck (1996). Teen Spirit : The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song. Omnibus Press. p. none. Search this book on
- ↑ Gaar, Gillian G (2009). The Rough Guide to Nirvana. Rough Guides UK. Retrieved April 10, 2020. Search this book on
- ↑ Grow, Kory (5 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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