Drain You
Encyclopedia
"Drain You" is a 1991 song by American grunge
band Nirvana
and the eighth track from their breakthrough album
Nevermind
. It is most famous as a B-side on (most editions of) the band's most successful single "Smells Like Teen Spirit
". However, a live version recorded in 1991 appeared on the live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
in 1996. The live version was released as a promotional single
for promotion of the live album.
on the Classic Albums: Nevermind DVD, "Drain You" had more guitar overdubs
than any other song on the album: one clean track and five distorted tracks. Cobain tended to dislike heavily overdubbed songs, and so Vig had to tell Cobain lies, such as that tracks did not record right or were out of tune, in order to get him to do so many takes. Some of the strange noises during the middle section of the song are caused by children's toys Cobain brought into the studio. In his biography of Kurt Cobain Heavier Than Heaven
, biographer Charles Cross wrote, "When Kurt was questioned about the song ["Drain You"] he said he had made a lot of it up on the spot but that the first line... was particularly important to the interpretation of the song..."
On the Nevermind version, Cobain and bassist
Krist Novoselic
tuned
their instruments a whole step down. In concert, however, "Drain You" was generally played in whatever tuning the band was using throughout the rest of the concert — generally standard tuning in earlier concerts (prior to the 1992 Pacific Rim tour in support of Nevermind) and half-step-down in later concerts. The song's verse is based around a conventional chord progression of four power chord
s: B, D#, G#, C#, the riff (F#)- E -C# for the choruses, and a chorus ending of B, A, G#.
This song is also in the music video games Rock Band 2
and Rock Band Unplugged
.
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and the eighth track from their breakthrough album
Breakthrough album
A breakthrough album is an LP or CD by a band or musician previously only known in the underground or indie scene of its given genre, which propels the group to mainstream attention and widespread fame and popularity...
Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
. It is most famous as a B-side on (most editions of) the band's most successful single "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
". However, a live version recorded in 1991 appeared on the live album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released on October 1, 1996 and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994...
in 1996. The live version was released as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
for promotion of the live album.
Recording
According to Nevermind producer Butch VigButch Vig
Butch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling album Nevermind by Nirvana....
on the Classic Albums: Nevermind DVD, "Drain You" had more guitar overdubs
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
than any other song on the album: one clean track and five distorted tracks. Cobain tended to dislike heavily overdubbed songs, and so Vig had to tell Cobain lies, such as that tracks did not record right or were out of tune, in order to get him to do so many takes. Some of the strange noises during the middle section of the song are caused by children's toys Cobain brought into the studio. In his biography of Kurt Cobain Heavier Than Heaven
Heavier Than Heaven
Heavier Than Heaven is the name of a 2001 biography of musician Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. It was written by Charles R...
, biographer Charles Cross wrote, "When Kurt was questioned about the song ["Drain You"] he said he had made a lot of it up on the spot but that the first line... was particularly important to the interpretation of the song..."
On the Nevermind version, Cobain and bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Krist Novoselic
Krist Novoselic
Krist Anthony Novoselic II is a Croatian-American rock musician, best known for being the bassist and co-founder of the grunge band Nirvana. After Nirvana ended, Novoselic formed Sweet 75 and then Eyes Adrift, releasing one album with each band...
tuned
Guitar tunings
Guitar tunings almost always refers to the pitch of the open string, though some tunings may only realistically be attained by the use of a capo on an unmodified instrument....
their instruments a whole step down. In concert, however, "Drain You" was generally played in whatever tuning the band was using throughout the rest of the concert — generally standard tuning in earlier concerts (prior to the 1992 Pacific Rim tour in support of Nevermind) and half-step-down in later concerts. The song's verse is based around a conventional chord progression of four power chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
s: B, D#, G#, C#, the riff (F#)- E -C# for the choruses, and a chorus ending of B, A, G#.
This song is also in the music video games Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
and Rock Band Unplugged
Rock Band Unplugged
Rock Band Unplugged is an expansion of the Rock Band series of music video games released for the PlayStation Portable. The game is developed by Backbone Entertainment in conjunction with Harmonix Music Systems and is distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts...
.
Other versions
Apart from the studio version of "Drain You" that on the Nevermind album several other versions of the song have been officially released:- A live version from October 1991 appears as a b-side on the "Come as You Are" single from 1992.
- A live performance from November 1991 at the Paradiso Club, Amsterdam, Holland appeared on the 1994 VHS home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is a video album released by the grunge band Nirvana on laserdisc and VHS on November 15, 1994. The DVD version was released November 7, 2006. Kurt Cobain compiled much of the video himself, but did not complete it prior to his death...
- A live version from December 1991 appeared on the 1996 live album From the Muddy Banks of the WishkahFrom the Muddy Banks of the WishkahFrom the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released on October 1, 1996 and features live performances recorded from 1989 to 1994...
, of which promo singles were released for radio play in the US. - A demo version of the song appears on Nirvana's 2004 box set With the Lights OutWith the Lights OutWith the Lights Out is a box set, containing three CDs and one DVD, of previously rare or unreleased material, including b-sides, demos, rough rehearsal recordings and live recordings, from the American rock band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004...
with Dale CroverDale CroverDale Crover is an American rock musician. Crover is best known as the drummer for Melvins and Men of Porn, Shrinebuilder, and for a brief time, drummer for Nirvana. He is also guitarist and vocalist for Altamont...
on drums and Dave GrohlDave GrohlDavid Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
on bass - A live version from the Reading Festival 1992 was released on the album and DVD Live at ReadingLive at Reading-Album charts:-DVD charts:- Personnel :*Kurt Cobain - vocals, guitar*Krist Novoselic - bass, backing vocals on "The Money Will Roll Right In", intro voice on "Territorial Pissings".*Dave Grohl - drums, backing vocals*Antony Hodgkinson - dancerProduction...
in 2009.. - A studio version was recorded on September 3, 1991 at Maida Vale Studios for BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
session was released in 2011 on the "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" re-issues of the Nevermind album for the album's 20th anniversary in 2011. - A live performance from the Paramount Theatre, Seattle was included on the live DVD and Blu-ray release Live at the ParamountLive at the Paramount (video)Live at the Paramount is a live video by the grunge band Nirvana released in 2011. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc as part of the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind album. It showcases a live performance at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle from October 31, 1991. The footage is taken...
as part of the 20th anniversary of the Nevermind album in 2011.