Serve the Servants

"Serve the Servants" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It is the first track on their third and final studio album In Utero, released in September 1993.

"Serve the Servants"
Single cover art by Kurt Cobain[1]
Song by Nirvana
from the album In Utero
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1993 (1993-09-13)
RecordedFebruary 13–26, 1993
StudioPachyderm, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
GenreGrunge[2]
Length3:36
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)Steve Albini
In Utero track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Serve the Servants"
  2. "Scentless Apprentice"
  3. "Heart-Shaped Box"
  4. "Rape Me"
  5. "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Very Ape"
  8. "Milk It"
  9. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  10. "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter"
  11. "tourette's"
  12. "All Apologies"
Audio sample
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Origin and recording

Written in 1992, "Serve the Servants" was the only In Utero song that had never been recorded as a demo by the full band prior to being recorded for the album. As Nirvana's bassist Krist Novoselic remembers, it was brought to the studio "pretty much done" by Cobain.[3] The album was recorded in February 1993 by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.

The first live performance of "Serve the Servants" was on April 9, 1993, at the Bosnian Rape Victim Benefit show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California. It was performed, along with "Dumb," at Nirvana's final television appearance, on February 23, 1994 in Rome, Italy for the RAI television show, Tunnel. The final live performance was at Nirvana's last concert, on March 1, 1994 at Terminal Einz in Munich, Germany.

Composition and lyrics

Journalist Gillian G. Gaar described "Serve the Servants" as "a straight-ahead rock song, arguably the most straightforward song on In Utero," and noted that its steady volume was a departure from the frequently-used "soft/loud Nirvana dynamic."[3] Author Chuck Crisafulli wrote that the song was among the most "rock n' roll" tracks the band ever recorded and provided an energizing and satisfying opener to the album, which immediately dispelled rumors that In Utero would be excessively abrasive and unlistenable.[4]

The song's autobiographical lyrics address both Cobain's struggles with fame and his family life.[3] The opening lyrics, "Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old," were a commentary on Cobain's public image, and his life as a celebrity since the unexpected success of Nirvana's second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.[3][5] The lyric, "If she floats then she is not a witch like we had thought", was an attack on the media for its perceived misrepresentation of Cobain's wife Courtney Love, vocalist and guitarist of the American rock band Hole, comparing her treatment to a witchhunt and the practice of subjecting women accused of witchcraft to a public ordeal by water.[4]

In his 1993 biography Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Michael Azerrad stated that Cobain sent a personal and direct message to his father with the lines, "I tried hard to have a father/but instead I had a dad/I just want you to know that I don't hate you anymore/There is nothing I could say that I haven't thought before".[6] However, Cobain stated that the lines were included at the last minute and that "they just happen to fit really well".[6] Author Charles R. Cross, in his 2001 Cobain biography, Heavier Than Heaven, also described these lines as bitter lyrics aimed at Cobain's father.[7] The last line of the chorus "that legendary divorce is such a bore" refers to Cobain being tired of his childhood being plumbed for deep meaning.[4]

Reception

John Mulvey for NME wrote, "... any album that kicks off with a song as beautifully bludgeoned as ‘Serve The Servants’, and a line as tellingly funny as “Teenage angst has paid off well/ Now I’m bored and old”, must have something going for it. Self-referential and self-pitying, for sure, but here at least Nirvana metaphorically wipe their arses on old Nevermind sleeves with a little wit to leaven the whingeing bitterness."[8] Rolling Stone writer David Fricke elaborated, "The very first words out of Cobain’s mouth in “Serve the Servants,” In Utero's petulant, bludgeoning opener, are “Teenage angst has served me well/Now I’m bored and old,” sung in an irritated, marble-mouthed snarl that immediately derails any lingering expectations for a son of “Smells Like Teen Spirit."[9] Deeming the first lines as "soon-to-be-famous" Los Angeles Times writer Chris Willman quipped, "If you’d guess from that opening that Cobain is going to spend a lot of the record commenting sarcastically on the success and attention he’s enjoyed (not) in the last couple of years, you’d be positively prescient."[10] Tom Howard, from the same publication, stated, "Crucially, ‘Serve The Servants’ features the best opening line to any album ever ... Kurt was self-aware to a fault, and this is a prime example. It’s an added bonus that the track is an admirably obnoxious hard rock banger.[11] Jim DeRogatis of Chicago Sun-Times claimed the song was "propelled by fat, hummable guitar riffs and memorable singalong choruses."[12]

Christopher John Farley for Time asserted, "many of the Albini pieces sound ravaged, almost ruined; but as with buried treasures, there are rewards for persistence and exploration. If you listen repeatedly to such sonically explosive songs as Serve the Servants and Pennyroyal Tea, the structure of each gradually becomes clear, and melodies surface."[13] Likewise, Justin Gerber from the same publication, stated, “Compared to songs on Nevermind, “Serve the Servants” and “tourette’s” sound unmixed and unfinished, but not as a detriment. These songs and others on In Utero sound completely fresh and unaffected, and end up creating a much rougher and stripped-down result.”[14] Complimenting its instrumentation and record production, Select's David Cavanagh compared the song to PJ Harvey's ‘Rid Of Me.'"[15] Stuart Berman for Pitchfork remarked, "The scowling verses of “Serve the Servants” are countered by the chorus’ soothing incantation of the song’s title, as if Cobain had to anesthetize himself in order to answer his audience’s populist demands."[16] In his review of the new 2013 mix, he continued saying, "Most of its touch-ups are tastefully unobtrusive and illuminating, like the unearthed cello lines creeping behind the chorus of “Serve the Servants” that bring a greater sense of melancholy to the fore."[16]

Accolades

In April 2015, Rolling Stone ranked “Serve the Servants” at number fourteen on their r list of the top 102 Nirvana songs, with writer Douglas Wolk remarking, “The dissonant blast that opened In Utero's first seconds answered anyone who wondered if Nirvana was going to soften up after conquering the world."[17] Paste cites “Serve the Servants” as the number thirty-seventh song, with writer Michael Danaher saying, “From In Utero's opening notes on “Serve the Servants,” it was clear that Nirvana had no intention of creating another “pop” record. The verse’s warbling surfer-esque riff and the chorus’s raw, coarse hook was a masterwork that furthered Cobain’s knack for bruised and brooding songwriting. In retrospect, it was the beginning of the end for the band, but at the time, Nirvana seemed invincible.”[18]

In 2017, Love named "Serve the Servants" as one of her favorite Nirvana songs, also mentioning the In Utero songs "Heart-Shaped Box" and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle", and the Nevermind song "In Bloom."[19]

Legacy

According to the April 2000 edition of Spin, at one point during Cobain's memorial vigil in April 1994, the song was being "blasted" from the loudspeakers while "an estimated 5,000 kids poured over the fountain, plugging up the spigots, lifting their middle fingers to the skies and howling with gleeful rage."[20]

The song's title is referenced by Nirvana's manager Danny Goldberg in the title of his book Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain, to be released in 2019.[21]

Recording and release history

Demo and studio versions
Date recorded Studio Producer/recorder Releases Personnel
Winter 1992 Cobain residence, Seattle, Washington Kurt Cobain With the Lights Out (2004)
February 12–26, 1993 Pachyderm Studio, Cannon Falls, Minnesota, US Steve Albini In Utero (1993)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
December 13, 1993 Pier 48, Seattle, Washington Live and Loud (2013)
In Utero (super deluxe) (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain: vocals, guitar
  • Krist Novoselic: bass guitar
  • Dave Grohl: drums
  • Pat Smear: guitar
February 23, 1994 Tunnel, RAI, Rome, Italy Live and Loud (2013)
  • Kurt Cobain: vocals, guitar
  • Krist Novoselic: bass guitar
  • Dave Grohl: drums
  • Pat Smear: guitar
gollark: You're killing innocent ale!
gollark: Just do `/execute @e ~ ~ ~ summon ozelot ~ ~ ~`. I think that's the right command.
gollark: But how will we find ocelots to enslave for the carpeted capacitors powering GTech's data centres?!
gollark: * config
gollark: Clearly the lizards in power don't want you to see the sponge conifg.

References
  1. Nirvana (2013). In Utero - Super Deluxe - linear notes
  2. Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste.
  3. Gaar, Gillian G. (2006). In Utero. United States: Continuum. p. 58. ISBN 0-8264-1776-0.
  4. Crisafulli, Chuck (1996). Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song. London: Omnibus Press. pp. 82-83. ISBN 0711958092.
  5. Crawford, Anwen (2014). Hole's Live Through This. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. (no page numbers). Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  6. Azerrad, Michael (1993). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Crown/Archetype. p. 326. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  7. Cross, Charles. R (2012). Heavier Than Heaven. Hachette UK. p. (no page numbers). Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  8. Mulvey, John (September 4, 1993). "Nirvana : In Utero". NME. London. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  9. Fricke, David (September 16, 1993). "In Utero". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  10. Willman, Chris (September 19, 1993). "Nirvana's Brash Punk With Spunk". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  11. Howard, Tom (April 5, 2019). "Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness". NME. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  12. DeRogatis, Jim (August 29, 1993). "Here They Are Now . . . Nirvana". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  13. Farley, Christopher John. "To The End of Grunge." Time. September 20, 1993. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  14. Gerber, Justin (September 29, 2013). "Yes, Nirvana's Final Studio Album Just Turned 20". Time.
  15. Cavanagh, David (October 1993). "The Hell-Shaped Womb". Select. London (40): 86–87.
  16. Berman, Stuart (September 24, 2013). "In Utero: 20th Anniversary Edition". Pitchfork.
  17. "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  18. Danaher, Michael (August 4, 2014). "The 50 Best Grunge Songs". Paste.
  19. Moore, Sam (May 8, 2017). "Courtney Love reveals her favourite Nirvana songs". nme.com. NME. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  20. Weisbard, Eric (April 2000). "Spin magazine - Nirvana". Spin. SPIN Media LLC. 16, No. 4. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  21. Cowdery, Katherine (August 14, 2018). "Former manager pens Kurt Cobain biography for Trapeze". thebookseller.com. The Bookseller. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
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