Talk to Me (Nirvana song)

Talk to Me is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain.

"Talk to Me"
Song by Nirvana
from the album With the Lights Out
ReleasedNovember 23, 2004
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:35
LabelDGC
Composer(s)Kurt Cobain
Lyricist(s)Kurt Cobain
Audio sample
  • file
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With no known studio version by Nirvana, the song exists only in a few live versions, all recorded in 1991 and 1992. "Talk to Me" was first officially released in November 2004, when a performance from the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 1992 appeared on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out.

Background and recording

"Talk to Me" was first performed live on November 16, 1991 at Teatro Verdi in Muggia, Italy. The first and most heavily bootlegged version to be released was recorded the following night, at Bloom in Mezzago, Italy. This version first appeared on the 1995 bootleg, Outcesticide: In Memory of Kurt Cobain.[1] The only version to be officially released was recorded live at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 1992, and appeared on the DVD of the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004.[2] This was the final live performance of the song.

In August 1993, the American rock band Hole, fronted by Cobain's wife Courtney Love, recorded a studio version of "Talk to Me" at Haznek Audio in Seattle during early sessions for the band's second studio album, Live Through This. However, this version was never completed and remains unreleased.[3]

Following Cobain's death in April 1994, Love mentioned the song by name in a September 1995 MTV interview, telling interviewer Kurt Loder that she was going to donate it to one of Cobain's musical idols, Iggy Pop, for him to record.[4][5] It remains unclear what recording of "Talk to Me" Love planned to give to Pop, although she referred to the song as being "on the Italian bootleg."[4][6] Pop declined Love's offer, explaining in a 2002 interview with The Big Takeover that he had his own material and liked but had "no interest in doing Kurt’s music."[3]

For years a demo version of the song by Cobain was rumored to exist, but not confirmed.[7] Then, in 2016, it was confirmed that a tape in the Nirvana vault exists which includes two previously unreleased "practice audience" versions of "Talk to Me", a 12-minute version of the song "Opinion" along with the acoustic demo of "You Know You're Right" that was included on the With the Lights Out box set.[8]

Composition

"Talk to Me" is an alternative rock song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and thirty-five seconds. The song has a "jerky rhythm" and features a recurring drum fill in addition to a guitar solo.[3] The song has been cited as evidence of the influence of new wave bands such as Devo and Oingo Boingo on Cobain's songwriting.[3]

Rolling Stone writer Richard Bienstock wrote that the song's drums resembled those of "Get Off of My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones.[3]

Reception

In 2015, Rolling Stone placed "Talk to Me" at number 70 on their No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked list.[3] In 2019, it was again ranked at number 70 in the NME's Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness list, with Tom Howard declaring that "it could have been a contender".[9]

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2019 NME United Kingdom Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness[9] 70

Recording and release history

Demo and studio versions
Date recorded Studio/venue Releases Personnel
1994 Cobain residence (practice audience take 1)[8] Unreleased
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
1994 Cobain residence (practice audience take 2)[8] Unreleased
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
November 16, 1991 Teatro Verdi, Muggia, Italy[10] Unreleased
November 17, 1991 Bloom, Mezzago, Italy[11] Outcesticide: In Memory of Kurt Cobain (1995)[1]
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
November 23, 1991 Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium[12] Unreleased
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
November 26, 1991 Communal Building, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom[13] Unreleased
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
October 4, 1992 The Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, Washington[14] With the Lights Out (2004)[15]
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
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References
  1. "I MISS BOOTLEG ALBUMS: A TREASURE TROVE OF TREATS!". hitthefloor.com. September 28, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  2. Gaar, Gillian G. (2009). The Rough Guide to Nirvana. Rough Guides UK. p. (no page numbers). Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  3. Beinstock, Richard (8 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  4. Loder, Kurt (April 22, 2008). "Courtney Love Opens Up About Kurt Cobain's Death (The Loder Files)". MTV. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.
  5. Holmen, Rasmus. "Courtney Love MTV Interview MTV Networks - 09/08/94". Nirvanaclub. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. Holmen, Rasmus. "ourtney Love MTV Interview MTV Networks - 09/08/94". Nirvanaclub. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  7. "Talk To Me". livenirvana.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  8. "Shkreli Contract". Imgur. 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  9. Howard, Tom (April 5, 2019). "Every Nirvana song ranked in order of greatness — 70. Talk To Me (1991)". nme.com. NME. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  10. Nirvana "Talk To Me" Live Teatro Verdi, Muggia, Italy 11/16/91 (audio). Teatro Verdi, Mezzago, Italy: YouTube. January 28, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  11. Nirvana "Talk To Me" Live Bloom, Mezzago, Italy 11/17/91 (audio). Bloom, Mezzago, Italy: YouTube. January 29, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  12. Nirvana - Talk To Me - Live in Ghent, Belgium, November 23 1991. Ghent, Belgium: YouTube. May 3, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  13. Nirvana - Communal Building, Bradford, United Kingdom 1991. Bradford, United Kingdom: YouTube. November 3, 2016. Event occurs at 32:51 minutes in. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  14. Nirvana - Talk to me [Crocodile Cafe, Seattle 10/04-92]. Seattle, Washington: YouTube. July 31, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  15. Clerk, Carol (2012). "With the Lights Out". Nirvana - Uncensored On the Record. Coda Books Ltd. p. (no page numbers).
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