From album
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991 · Track 4
Details
TonalidadA
Compás4/4
Tempo81 BPM
Duración3:31
CompositorDave Grohl / Krist Novoselic / Kurt Cobain
ÁlbumNevermind
Año1991
Credits
Music Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain
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The story behind
When you dive into Breed, you encounter a raw energy that grabs you from the first second. The song, which originated from ideas by Kurt Cobain in 1989, was originally called Imodium, a nod to a medication that Tad Doyle, from the band Tad, used during a shared European tour. This initial version had a slower pace, but the final recording for Nevermind, released in September 1991, transformed it into a three-minute and three-second whirlwind. The musical composition, attributed to Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, and Kurt Cobain, is based on a punk rock structure with a fast tempo of 160 beats per minute. The lyrics, written by Cobain, explore the apathy and fear felt by teenagers in middle-class America, with phrases that Stevie Chick of Kerrang! described as a "knack for creating witty and purposeful nonsense."
The story of Breed is a reflection of how ideas take shape and transform. The first time it was recorded in a studio was in April 1990 with Butch Vig at Smart Studios, in Madison, Wisconsin. This session was intended for an album with Sub Pop, but after the departure of drummer Chad Channing, it became a demo tape that, ironically, helped Nirvana sign with DGC Records in 1991. It was in May 1991, at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, where Butch Vig re-recorded the song for what would become Nevermind. Cobain recorded four vocal takes, and according to Vig, each one was "worse because his voice had been damaged," choosing the first as the definitive one. The guitar solo, with a panning effect from one channel to another, was described by biographer Charles R. Cross as "dizzying." The last time Breed was played live was at Nirvana's final concert, on March 1, 1994, in Munich, Germany. The song has appeared in the film Shoot 'Em Up (2007) and in video games such as Guitar Hero: On Tour and Fortnite Festival (2024).
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