From album
In Utero
Nirvana · 2013 · Track 2
Details
TonalidadG
Compás4/4
Tempo112 BPM
Duración3:48
CompositorDave Grohl / Krist Novoselic / Kurt Cobain
ÁlbumIn Utero
Año2013
ISRCUSGF19960702
Credits
Music Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain
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The story behind
The song Scentless Apprentice has a particular origin within Nirvana's repertoire, as its main guitar riff was not born from Kurt Cobain's mind, but from Dave Grohl's. Cobain, at first, felt reluctant towards this musical pattern, describing it as a "grunge cliché". However, he decided to work on it to encourage Grohl, and the result pleasantly surprised him, calling it "really cool". The composition was completed with Krist Novoselic contributing to the second part of the song, making this piece one of the few in which all three members of the group share songwriting credits. The lyrics, moreover, are inspired by the German novel *Perfume*, by Patrick Süskind, published in 1985. This work tells the story of a character with an extraordinary sense of smell, whose alienation and fascination with odors resonated with Cobain.
The recording of Scentless Apprentice was developed in different stages. A first instrumental take, without Cobain, was registered on October 6, 1992, with Rey Washam on drums. Later, a demo recorded with a cassette player, which lasted over nine minutes, circulated in the winter of 1992 and was later included in the posthumous compilation *With the Lights Out* (2004). Before the final version took shape, the band presented it live in January 1993, at the Hollywood Rock Festival in Brazil, where one of the performances extended to almost 20 minutes. The definitive version was recorded in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios, in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, under the production of Steve Albini, as part of the sessions for the album *In Utero*. The recording process was agile, seeking a rawer and more direct sound, in contrast to the production of their previous work.
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