From album
MTV Unplugged in New York
Nirvana · 1994 · Track 4
Details
TonalidadB
Compás4/4
Tempo117 BPM
Duración6:34
CompositorDavid Bowie
ÁlbumMTV Unplugged in New York
Año1994
ISRCUSGF19972704
Credits
Music David Bowie
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The story behind
Nirvana's version of The Man Who Sold the World became a defining moment for the band, especially with their appearance on MTV Unplugged in 1993. It was a largely acoustic performance, recorded in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, on November 18, 1993. Although a completely unplugged set was expected, Nirvana introduced some electric amplification and effects, presenting a repertoire that included lesser-known tracks and covers of other artists, such as David Bowie, Lead Belly, and Meat Puppets. The band featured rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Gold for this performance. The posthumous album MTV Unplugged in New York, released in November 1994, almost seven months after the passing of Kurt Cobain, included this performance. The song was released as a promotional single and received significant airplay on alternative rock radio stations and music television channels like MTV, reaching a new and wide audience.
Originally, The Man Who Sold the World was composed and performed by David Bowie, and it also gives its title to his third album, released in 1970 in the United States and in 1971 in the United Kingdom. Over the years, the song has been covered by numerous artists. A notable adaptation was by singer Lulu in 1974, which reached number 3 on the UK charts, with Bowie producing the track and playing a saxophone solo. Later, in 1982, Midge Ure released his own version, characterized by a synthesized New Wave sound. Bowie himself restyled the song for concerts between 1995 and 1997, giving it a darker feel and adding a powerful bassline and güiro percussion, even performing it at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1995. In the years after 2000, he returned to its original interpretation. The song also appears as a B-side to Bowie singles such as "Space Oddity" and "Life on Mars?", and a version produced by Brian Eno was included on the 1995 single "Strangers When We Meet". In 2015, its meaning resonated with the narrative of the video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, being used in its credits.
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