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Is Nirvana overrated?

HIStory

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I took a look into a rock forum today and there was a thread about the most overrated bands and I was surprised how many said Nirvana. The main objection was that their lyrics make no sense, they are just like a bunch of words thrown together for rhyming but with no coherent meaning and that Cobain wasn't that great of a musician, after all. A typical opinion from the discussion:

Nirvana, EASILY the most overrated band of the 90's and one of the most overrated bands in the history of rock/pop music. Ridiculous, incoherent, blathering lyrics that make as much sense as talking to a 3 yr old in many cases. As a guitar player, anyone who says that Kurt is anything more than average-at-best doesn't know squat about guitar playing. when I hear people say that their music was groundbreaking, lyrics were inspiring, etc, I can only shake my head and say "put down the ****ing peace pipe". Inspiring lyrics?
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I have to say I like some of their songs but indeed I never could make much sense of their lyrics. I mean, take "Smells like teen spirit" for example:

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello

With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us

A mulatto, an albino
A mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey, yay

:blink:

As music, I like me some Nirvana, but I never called myself a fan. Not even back in the 90s when it was cool to be a Nirvana fan. And when I see Rolling Stone or some rock magazine put them on the top of lists of best bands ever, I really have to agree with these people on this rock forum, that's very overrated. They were good, they marked an era in music (grunge era), but they weren't THAT great as they are hyped.
 
Are they overrated? Yes.

Are they still a great band? Yes.

In Utero is a brilliant album, and Nevermind is also pretty good. They're just overhyped, but Kurt Cobain still wrote some brilliant songs.

Guns N Roses were better though.
 
I have to disagree, Nirvana is far from overrated..I consider myself a big fan of them..They were an amazing band..As far as the lyrics...Kurt himself said it a lot of it is 'garbage poetry'..I think Nirvana's songs are more about the melody and the lyrics are just open to interpretation.

I think Kurt was a great guitarist in a sense that he had carved his own style..So technique wise maybe he wasn't a Hendrix, but he still created catchy unique riffs and he pulled off really tough solos,..I also believe Kurt had one of the coolest voices in music history and it fit the style of music they played.

The whole 'greatest band' lists are always a tricky thing because it's so subjective but I don't mind if someone considers them the greatest band ever ;)
 
I think the word overrated can never be used in music. If there are many people that like something and a lot who don't like something. The ones who don't like it will say it's overated, the other half will disagree and say it's brilliant. And in the end, that is what music it about. Imagine how boring it would be if we'd all like the exact same music. There wouldn't be much choice between musicians haha.

In my opinion Nirvana is a great band that made some great songs. Are they brilliant? Not in my eyes, but I still called myself a fan back in the '90's.

Music is always a personal opinion.
 
Sunflowers said:
I think the word overrated can never be used in music. If there are many people that like something and a lot who don't like something. The ones who don't like it will say it's overated, the other half will disagree and say it's brilliant. And in the end, that is what music it about. Imagine how boring it would be if we'd all like the exact same music. There wouldn't be much choice between musicians haha.

In my opinion Nirvana is a great band that made some great songs. Are they brilliant? Not in my eyes, but I still called myself a fan back in the '90's.

Music is always a personal opinion.
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It's true that music is subjective. I think the whole "overrated" thing comes in the picture when critics and music magazines make claims that XY is the greatest ever and make their stupid "greatest 100/500/1000 of all times" lists. And of course, many people will feel XY is overrated when he/she/they are put on such a pedestal as the greatest of all things. In this sense I feel everybody can be overrated. I even feel the Beatles are overrated for topping most of these lists. Were they great? Yeah. Were they influential? Yeah. Are they massively popular? Yeah. But the greatest that has ever existed? Highly debatable and depends on your priorities.

And it's the same with Nirvana. They were great and the most memorable band of the grunge rock era and a lot of people from my generation grew up with them. I was in high school when they were huge. But when I see them anywhere close to the front end (let's say Top 10) of all these "greatest ever" lists that makes them look like overrated in my eyes and I have the feeling they wouldn't be there had Kurt not died so young and while at his peak in terms of popularity. I personally don't feel they were that great. But that's subjective, like you said and I was never really a huge rock fan. I mean I like all kinds of music, including good rock music, but I'm not this "just rock" type of person, so I figured perhaps rock fans view Nirvana in a different light. That's why I was surprised to see how many on that rock forum think they are very overrated.
 
Tsukiji said:
I have to disagree, Nirvana is far from overrated..I consider myself a big fan of them..They were an amazing band..As far as the lyrics...Kurt himself said it a lot of it is 'garbage poetry'..I think Nirvana's songs are more about the melody and the lyrics are just open to interpretation.

I think Kurt was a great guitarist in a sense that he had carved his own style..So technique wise maybe he wasn't a Hendrix, but he still created catchy unique riffs and he pulled off really tough solos,..I also believe Kurt had one of the coolest voices in music history and it fit the style of music they played.
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I, for one, don't think great music is all about how technically skilled you are or even how trained you are in music. There are a lot of people who are technically more skilled than Kurt (or MJ for that matter, or the Beatles, or any of the most popular, greatest artists), yet they could never make just one hit song if their life depended on it. They simply don't have that kind of creativity or/and charisma to convey a song and a message to the public.

So to me the big deal is not really whether Kurt was a technically skilled guitarist/musician or not. Even if he wasn't the fact is he created something that resonated deeply with a whole generation and that's what it's all about. Like I said I think they were good. It's more like when they are put on a pedestal by music magazines that bugs people and make them feel they are overrated IMO.
 
I never listened to Nirvana until they did MTV Unplugged. IMO, their the best performance.



Your milage may vary
 
Sunflowers said:
I think the word overrated can never be used in music. If there are many people that like something and a lot who don't like something. The ones who don't like it will say it's overated, the other half will disagree and say it's brilliant. And in the end, that is what music it about. Imagine how boring it would be if we'd all like the exact same music. There wouldn't be much choice between musicians haha.

In my opinion Nirvana is a great band that made some great songs. Are they brilliant? Not in my eyes, but I still called myself a fan back in the '90's.

Music is always a personal opinion.
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I disagree. There is definitely place for the term "overrated" in music, as in all other fields of life. It applies to situations where, for example, a given musician is highly popular but of dubious relevance to the field of music at large. The fans of this given musician might claim him a legend (and he might do this as well), but the real point of interest is in seeing where these claims fall when compared to the reality of things.

In other words, seeing where he stands once we take the "fan" glasses off, is what we ought to do. One does not have to be a fan to see the talent a musician possesses. For example, I'm not a fan of Adele's music, but she is certainly one super-talented woman, and I wouldn't say she is overrated even though her music is not my cup of tea.

So... it largely depends upon the objectivity of the person doing the critiquing, this is true, but as a general concept I think the term "overrated" definitely has a place in music.
 
Some people seem to confuse overrated with like or not like. I think they were a great band. Don't blame the music because you don't get it. lol
 
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