"
Rape Me" is a song by the American
grungeGrunge 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
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, written by frontman
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
. The song was released as the second single from Nirvana's third album
In UteroIn Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 13, 1993, on DGC Records. Nirvana intended the record to diverge significantly from the polished production of its previous album, Nevermind...
in 1993, packaged as a double
A-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
along with "
All Apologies"All Apologies" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by frontman Kurt Cobain. It was released as the second single from the band's third album, In Utero, which was released on September 21, 1993...
".
"Rape Me" was written by Kurt Cobain on an acoustic guitar around the time the band's second album,
NevermindNevermind 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...
, was being mixed in 1991. Nirvana first performed the song live that year, although Cobain had not yet written lyrics for the bridge section.
Nirvana had wanted to play "Rape Me" during its performance at the
1992 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 1992 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1992, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1991 to June 15, 1992. The show was hosted by Dana Carvey at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.-Video of the Year:...
.
"
Rape Me" is a song by the American
grungeGrunge 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
NirvanaNirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, written by frontman
Kurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Nirvana....
. The song was released as the second single from Nirvana's third album
In UteroIn Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 13, 1993, on DGC Records. Nirvana intended the record to diverge significantly from the polished production of its previous album, Nevermind...
in 1993, packaged as a double
A-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
along with "
All Apologies"All Apologies" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by frontman Kurt Cobain. It was released as the second single from the band's third album, In Utero, which was released on September 21, 1993...
".
Background and recording
"Rape Me" was written by Kurt Cobain on an acoustic guitar around the time the band's second album,
NevermindNevermind 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...
, was being mixed in 1991. Nirvana first performed the song live that year, although Cobain had not yet written lyrics for the bridge section.
Nirvana had wanted to play "Rape Me" during its performance at the
1992 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 1992 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1992, honoring the best music videos from June 16, 1991 to June 15, 1992. The show was hosted by Dana Carvey at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.-Video of the Year:...
. While
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
initially told the band it could play any song it wanted, it later insisted that the group play "
Smells Like Teen Spirit"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's 1991 breakthrough album Nevermind...
" instead. Hours before the show, Nirvana refused to play. However, due to concerns that the network could boycott other artists on the group's label if they refused to play the show, Nirvana ultimately settled on performing its then-latest single "Lithium". At the start of the performance, Cobain started playing and singing "Rape Me" instead; he said he did so "just to give [MTV] a little heart palpitation". Panicked, MTV was moments away from switching from the live performance to a commercial when the band segued into "Lithium".
Nirvana first recorded "Rape Me" during two-day demo sessions with producer
Jack EndinoJack Endino is a music producer and musician based in Seattle. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana...
in Seattle,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
in October 1992. Two takes of the song were recorded; the first was instrumental, while the second featured lead vocals by Cobain and backing vocals by drummer
Dave GrohlDavid Eric Grohl is an American rock musician, singer and songwriter. Grohl began his music career in the 1980s as the drummer for several Washington, D.C., area bands, including the hardcore punk band Scream. In 1990 he became the drummer for grunge group Nirvana...
. Cobain was holding his then-infant daughter in his lap when he recorded his vocals, and she can be heard crying on the demo.
In February 1993, Nirvana travelled to Pachyderm Studios in
Cannon FallsCannon Falls is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,795 at the 2000 census. Located along U.S. Route 52 to the southeast of the Twin Cities, Cannon Falls may be best known as the home of Pachyderm Studio, where many famous musicians have recorded their music. ...
,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
, to record its third album
In Utero with producer
Steve AlbiniSteven Frank Albini is an American audio engineer, singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, avid snorkeler and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
. The band recorded the music for "Rape Me" on February 15. The following day, Cobain completed his vocals for the album during a reported six-hour session.
Music and lyrics
Kurt Cobain conceived "Rape Me" as a life-affirming anti-rape song. He told
SpinSpin is a music magazine. Founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr., it competes with industry stalwart Rolling Stone. Madonna was the artist on the cover of the first issue.-History:...
, "It's like she's saying, 'Rape me, go ahead, rape me, beat me. You'll never kill me. I'll survive this and I'm gonna fucking rape you one of these days and you won't even know it.'"
Nirvana biographer
Michael AzerradMichael Azerrad is an American author, journalist and musician. He grew up in the New York City area and received his BA degree from Columbia College in 1983...
stated that "Rape Me" seemed to deal with Cobain's distaste of the media's coverage on his personal life. While Cobain said the song was written long before his troubles with drug addiction became public, he agreed that the song could be viewed in that light.
Other versions
A live version of "Rape Me", recorded on
Saturday Night Live on September 25 1993, appears on the compilation album,
Saturday Night Live: The Musical Performances, Volume 2, and on the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
,
Saturday Night Live: 25 Years of Music, Volume 4.
Two versions of the song appear on the 2004 Nirvana box set,
With the Lights OutWith the Lights Out is a box set, containing 3 CDs and 1 DVD, from the American grunge band Nirvana. It was released in November 2004. The title refers to the line "with the lights out, it's less dangerous" from the successful "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single.-History:Rumors of a posthumous Nirvana...
: a solo
acousticA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
home
demoA demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for musicians to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, and the 1992 studio version. Both versions also appear on the 2005 compilation album,
Sliver: The Best of the BoxSliver: The Best of the Box is a compilation album from the American grunge band Nirvana. It was released in November 2005.-Recording and release:...
.
The song was renamed "Waif Me" for
Wal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world's largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, incorporated on October 31, 1969, and...
and
KmartKmart is a chain of discount department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation...
stores, which found the actual title too controversial.
Covers
"Rape Me" has been covered by American
cover bandA cover band , also called tribute band is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be know as a wedding band, party band and function band. Many bands, however, start as cover bands...
Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the MachineRichard Cheese fronts Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine, a cover band and comedy act based in Los Angeles, California. Lounge singer Richard Cheese performs popular rock, rap, heavy metal, and pop songs in a swanky lounge music swing band style reminiscent of Frank Sinatra, Dean...
on their 2000 album
Lounge Against the MachineLounge Against the Machine is the first album of Richard Cheese, released October 17, 2000. The album title is a play on the name of the band Rage Against the Machine....
, and also featured it on their 2006 album "
The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard CheeseThe Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese is the fifth album from Richard Cheese, released February 7, 2006. The album title and artwork are spoofs on Pink Floyd's album, The Dark Side of the Moon...
" (both with the introduction, "Here's one for the ladies!"). The song was also covered by the American rock band
The UsedThe Used is an American alternative rock band from Orem, Utah. Their sound has been classified under many sub-genres of rock. They signed with Reprise Records in late 2001 and rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their debut self-titled album, The Used...
and the South-African band
SeetherSeether is a South-African rock band from Johannesburg, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records. Originally named Saron Gas and signed to Musketeer Records in South Africa, they changed their name in 2002, coinciding with the release of their second album and major label...
.
Charts
| Chart (1993) |
Peak
position |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
|
58 |
| French SNEP The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organisation which protects the interests of the French record industry...
Singles Chart |
20 |
| Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data...
|
20 |
New Zealand RIANZThe Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists in New Zealand. Membership of RIANZ is open to any record label operating in New Zealand.-Piracy:...
Singles Chart |
20 |
| UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
|
32 |
Accolades
- Ranked #90 in Kerrang!s "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever" (1999).
- Ranked #10 in NME's
The New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
"Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004).