Musical Analysis #1

    

    The song I've chosen to analyze is Dumb by Nirvana. The song appeared on their 1993 critically acclaimed final album In Utero. Some identifiable tracks from this record include Heart Shaped Box and Francis Bean Will Have Her Revenge. The band would break up less than a year later due to frontman Kurt Cobain's death. This song (particularly the MTV Unplugged version) has always stuck out to me. I remember listening to it for the first time and being surprised a prominent cello was in a rock song. The song can be interpreted a few different ways, but the alleged meaning put forward by Cobain is that the song is about people who can go through life without knowing anything but still be happy. Another interpretation put forward by Cobain's daughter is that the song is "{A] stripped-down version of Kurt's perception of himself – of himself on drugs, off drugs, feeling inadequate to be titled the voice of a generation." After listening to the song multiple times, both of these feel plausible to me, but I would say that the prior option seems more likely.  Another interesting thing about this song is that it is very similar to a song from the band's second album (Nevermind) called Polly. They are so similar that during the unplugged concert, they question whether they should play them one after the other. You can hear this discussion at the beginning of the provided video.  

    Getting into the actual analysis of the song, I find it interesting that a rock song would feature a cello so heavily. The Cello acts as a melodic counterpoint to Kurt's vocals, as well as weaving in its own melody throughout the whole song (an example of this can be heard at 2:06-2:25 in the provided video).  The Cello gives the whole song more harmonic depth and complements the simple chord progression of the guitar. The Cello's warm timbre also contrasts with the cold brittleness of the vocals and jangly acoustic guitar.  The Drums in Dumb also play an under-appreciated crucial role in making the song what it is. The Drums support the song's structure, maintaining an identifiable beat throughout the song. This makes it really easy to identify that this song has a 4/4 meter. 

    While this song is typically forgotten in discussions of the band's discography, I believe it to be one of their best and deserves to be viewed on the level of Lithium and In Bloom. I hope you will listen to it and potentially enjoy it as much as I do. I look forward to reading your comments on this Blog Post.

Have a Great Day! 

-Jax 

citations:

Hirshberg, Diane B., et al. “Adaptation Isn’t Just for the Tundra: Rethinking Teaching and Schooling in Alaska’s Arctic.” SpringerLink, Springer International Publishing, 1 Jan. 1970, link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-97460-2_2#:~:text=Graduation%20rates%20also%20indicate%20that,DEED%20Data%20Center%2C%20n.d.).

“Nirvana - Dumb (Live On MTV Unplugged, 1993 / Unedited).” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtBhclCigH0&ab_channel=NirvanaVEVO. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.

“In Utero.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Sept. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Utero.

Beviglia, Jim. “Behind the Song: Nirvana, ‘Dumb.’” American Songwriter, 27 Nov. 2019, americansongwriter.com/lyric-week-nirvana-dumb/.