Breed (song)
| "Breed" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Nirvana from the album Nevermind | ||||
| Released | September 24, 1991 (Nevermind) | |||
| Recorded | May/June 1991 at Sound City, Van Nuys and Devonshire, North Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Grunge, punk rock | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | DGC Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Kurt Cobain | |||
| Producer(s) | Butch Vig | |||
| Nevermind track listing | ||||
| ||||
"Breed" is a song by American rock band Nirvana written by frontman Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on their 1991 studio album Nevermind.
Background
"Breed" is a song written about being trapped in middle-class America. The song was developed by the band during live performances in 1989 when they toured Europe with their Sub Pop labelmates TAD.[1] In an interview with Sub Pop founder Bruce Pavitt, he explained that the song was "hypnotic," and a stylistic breakthrough for the band. He stated that "audiences would become ecstatic. They were experiencing Nirvana. And when you're experiencing really good, primal rock n roll, you break into a trance."[2]
Kurt Cobain wrote the song when he was starting to more deeply explore his songwriting talent, and he had begun to write about the people around him. The original version was recorded at Smart Studios with producer Butch Vig, and it was the most complex song of the session. It began under the title "Immodium", named after a friend's diarrhea medicine, yet there is little in the version recorded at Smart to connect it with the medicine. Kurt used the title to suggest verbal diarrhea. The riff is borrowed from "Potential Suicide", a song by Cobain's favorite band The Wipers.
Live versions
- A live performance of "Breed" from 31 October, 1991 at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle was released on the live video compilation Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! on VHS in 1994 and on DVD in 2006. The same version was released in 2011 on the Live at the Paramount DVD and Blu-ray.
- A live performance of "Breed" from 3 December, 1989 at the London Astoria, UK was released on the live compilation album From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah in 1996. At the time of the performance the song was known as "Imodium" and it features Chad Channing on drums.
- A live performance of "Breed" from 30 August, 1992 at the Reading Festival, UK appears on the live DVD and CD Live at Reading released in 2009.
- A live performance of "Breed" from 13 December, 1993 at Pier 48, Seattle was released on the live DVD Live and Loud in 2013.
Covers
American heavy metal band Otep recorded a cover of "Breed" for their 2007 album The Ascension, and they released a video for the cover.[1]