Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip
| "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" | |
|---|---|
| File:Gallonsofrubbingpromo.jpg Netherlands promo cassette cover | |
| Song by Nirvana | |
| from the album In Utero | |
| A-side | "Heart-Shaped Box" |
| Released | August 30, 1993 |
| Format | Cassette, 12" |
| Recorded | January 1993 |
| Genre | Grunge |
| Length | 7:28 |
| Label | DGC |
| Songwriter(s) | Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl |
| Producer(s) | Steve Albini |
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"Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic, and drummer Dave Grohl. It is the 13th and final song on European and Mexican versions of their third and final album, In Utero, released in September 1993, starting approximately 20 minutes after the end of "All Apologies," and occupying the same track. The song was also released as a promo cassette in the Netherlands, and as a b-side on the 12" US promo single for the In Utero song, "Heart-Shaped Box."
Origin and recording[edit]
"Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was recorded by Craig Montgomery at BMG Ariola Ltda in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during a three-day demo session for what became In Utero in January 1993. The song was originally titled "I'll Take You Down to the Pavement," a reference to an argument between Cobain and Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.[1] "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was never performed in concert, but was played during the soundcheck of the band's appearance at the Hollywood Rock festival at the Praça da Apoteose in Rio de Janeiro on January 23, 1993.
In September 1993, it was released as a bonus track on the European and Mexican versions of In Utero. Copies of the album with the song feature a sticker on the cover reading "Exclusive International Bonus Track,"[2] while the song is referred to as a "Devalued American Dollar Purchase Incentive Track" in the booklet. As Novoselic explained, the band's record company "didn't want the United States version of the record competing with the European version. So the European version needed added value on it.[1] "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was the only song from the January 1993 Rio de Janeiro session to be released on In Utero, the rest of which was recorded in February 1993 by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.
"Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was re-released on the Nirvana rarities box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004, along with several other recordings from the January 1993 session.
Composition[edit]
According to journalist Gillian G. Garr, "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" was the kind of improvisational jam the band frequently performed in the studio, but had rarely recorded during earlier sessions "when studio time was devoted to recording the required songs as quickly as possible."[1] She wrote that the song featured "Cobain alternating between seemingly disconnected singing and spoken-words sections, with Novoselic and Grohl providing a steady background accompaniment, punctuated by bursts of noisy guitar."[1] Journalist Everett True described the song's mood as "playful," with "the instruments engaging in a game of cat and mouse, almost daring each other to explode in fury."[3] Novoselic said the song was an example of the band "just fucking around."[1]
The song features a reference to American fashion designer, Perry Ellis.
Reception[edit]
In 2015, Rolling Stone placed "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip" at number 71 on their No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked list.[4] In 2019, it was ranked at number 87 in the NME's Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness list, with Tom Howard describing it as "stream-of-consciousness weirdness over a Krist and Dave jam."[5]
Recording and release history[edit]
Studio versions[edit]
| Date recorded | Studio | Producer/recorder | Releases | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 19–21, 1993 | Ariola Ltda BMG, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Craig Montgomery | In Utero (1993) With the Lights Out (2004) In Utero (deluxe) (2013) |
|
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Gaar, Gillian G (2006). Nirvana's In Utero. United States: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. pp. 26–27. ISBN 9781441193643. Retrieved March 26, 2020. Search this book on
- ↑ "Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip". livenirvana.com. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ↑ True, Everett (March 13, 2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306815546. Search this book on
- ↑ Beinstock, Richard (8 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ↑ Howard, Tom (April 5, 2019). "Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness — 87. Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip (1993)". nme.com. NME. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
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