Breed (song)

1991 song by Nirvana

"Breed"

Song by Nirvana
from the album  Nevermind
Released| September 24, 1991 (1991-09-24)
Recorded| May 1991
Studio|

* Sound City (Van Nuys, California)
* Devonshire (North Hollywood, California)

Genre|

* Punk rock[1][2]

Length| 3:03
Label| DGC
Songwriter(s)| Kurt Cobain[a]
Producer(s)|

* Butch Vig
* Nirvana[3]

Nevermind track listing

13 tracks

1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
2. "In Bloom"
3. "Come as You Are"
4. "Breed"
5. "Lithium"
6. "Polly"
7. "Territorial Pissings"
8. "Drain You"
9. "Lounge Act"
10. "Stay Away"
11. "On a Plain"
12. "Something in the Way"
13. "Endless, Nameless"

"Breed" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on their second studio album, Nevermind, released in September 1991.

Originally titled "Imodium", the demo for "Breed" had a slower tempo. It was one of two Nevermind songs, along with "Polly", dating back to 1989, when the band were still supporting their debut album, Bleach. It was never released as a single, but remained a regular part of the band's setlist until Cobain's suicide in April 1994.

## Early history

[edit]

Written by Cobain in 1989, "Breed" was originally titled "Imodium," after the anti-diarrhea medicine used by Tad Doyle, lead singer of Seattle rock band TAD, during Nirvana's and TAD's shared European tour.[5] It was first performed live on October 8, 1989, at the Lif Ticket Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Breed" was first recorded in the studio in April 1990 by Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, during the recording sessions for what was intended to be the band's second album on Sub Pop, their original label.[5] However, this planned album was cancelled after the departure of drummer Chad Channing, and the session was instead used as a demo tape, which led to the band signing with DGC Records in 1991.

## Nevermind

[edit]

Vig re-recorded the song during the sessions for what became the band's second album and major label debut, Nevermind, in May 1991 at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. Cobain recorded four vocal takes for the song, with each successive take "getting worse because he blew his voice out," as Vig recalls.[6] The first take was chosen as the master.[6] Both recordings of the song also feature the guitar being panned from one channel to the next during the guitar solo to create what Cobain biographer Charles R. Cross called "a dizzying" effect.[6]

## Post-Nevermind

[edit]

"Breed" was performed for the last time live at Nirvana's final concert, at Terminal Eins in Munich, Germany on March 1, 1994.

## Composition

[edit]

"Breed"

A 20-second sample of the song's first verse and chorus. "Breed" is a surging punk rock song that showcases purposefully nonsensical lyrics.[7][8] They address themes of teenage apathy and fear in the American middle-class.[6]

* * *

Problems playing this file? See media help.

### Music

[edit]

"Breed" is a punk rock song that runs for a duration of three minutes and three seconds.[1][9] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by BMG Rights Management, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast rock tempo of 160 beats per minute.[9] "Breed" is composed in the key of F♯ minor, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans one octave and three notes, from the low-note of C5 to the high-note of F♯5.[9] The song follows a basic sequence of F♯5–E5–F♯5–A5–E5 in the verses and bridge and D5–A5–C5–B5 during the refrain as its chord progression.[9]

### Lyrics

[edit]

Lyrically, the song addresses themes of teenage apathy and fear within the American middle-class.[6] Stevie Chick of Kerrang wrote that lyrics such as "We can plant a house, we can build a tree" displayed Cobain's "gift for crafting witty, purposeful nonsense."[8]

## Reception

[edit]

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked "Breed" at number four on their ranking of 102 Nirvana songs, with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd calling it "one of the most alive songs on Nevermind."[10] In 2020, it was ranked 13th on Kerrang!'s "The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked" list, with Sam Law writing that it was "probably Nirvana's greatest heads-down banger," and that "its 184 seconds feel guaranteed to light the fuse on every mosh within a 100-mile radius."[11] In 2023, Stephen Thomas Erlewine ranked it at number 13 on the A.V. Club's "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked" list.[12]

In 2017, to mark what would have been Cobain's 50th birthday, the Phonographic Performance Limited released a list of the top 20 most played Nirvana songs on television and the radio in the United Kingdom, in which "Breed" was ranked at number 13.[13]

Fans have observed that there are some musical similarities between "Breed" and Wipers' song "Potential Suicide".[14] Nirvana also covered their tracks "D-7" and "Return of the Rat".

On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musicians Post Malone and Travis Barker during their 15-song Nirvana tribute concert, which was livestreamed on YouTube and raised more than $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.[15][16]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The Nevermind version of "Breed" appears in the 2007 American action film Shoot 'Em Up, directed by Michael Davis.[17][18] It also appears in the video games Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and MotorStorm.[19] It was added to the list of tracks playable in the video game Fortnite Festival on May 2, 2024.[20]

The surviving members of Nirvana performed the song with St. Vincent on January 30, 2025 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California for FireAid to help with relief efforts for the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

## Personnel

[edit]

Personnel taken from the liner notes of Nevermind[3]

* Kurt Cobain – guitar, vocals
* Dave Grohl – drums
* Krist Novoselic – bass

## Certifications

[edit]

Sales certifications for "Breed"  Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[21] | Gold  | 35,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] | Gold  | 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23]
Sales since 2004  | Silver  | 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold  | 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## Accolades

[edit]

Year  | Publication  | Country  | Accolade  | Rank

|
|
|
|

2020  | Kerrang! | United Kingdom  | "The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked"[11] | 13
2023  | The A.V. Club | United States  | "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked"[12] | 13

## Other releases

[edit]

* A live version, recorded on December 3, 1989, at the London Astoria in London, England, appeared on the live compilation, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, in November 1996. It features Channing on drums.
* The studio version recorded at Smart Studios in April 1990 was released on the 20th anniversary "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" versions of Nevermind in September 2011.
* A live version, recorded at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, Canada, appeared as an Easter egg on the live video Live at the Paramount, released on DVD and Blu-Ray in September 2011.
* An early "Rough mix" of the Nevermind version appeared on the band's posthumous box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004. In September 2011, a second mix appeared on the 20th anniversary "Super Deluxe" version of Nevermind, which contained the early "Devonshire mixes" for the album.
* A live version, recorded during the band's October 31, 1991 show at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, appeared on the live video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! in November 1994. The full concert was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Live at the Paramount.
* In November 2021, a version of the song recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on November 25, 1991, was released on Blu-Ray and CD on the 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" version of Nevermind.
* The 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" version of Nevermind also featured live versions of the song recorded at Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California on December 28, 1991, at The Palace in Melbourne, Australia on February 2, 1992, and at the Nakano Sunplaza in Tokyo, Japan on February 19, 1992.
* A live version, recorded at the 1992 Reading Festival, on August 30, 1992, in Reading, England, appeared on the CD and DVD release Live at Reading in November 2009.
* A live version, recorded for MTV on December 13, 1993, at Pier 48 in Seattle, Washington, appeared on the live video, Live and Loud in September 2013, An edited version of the show, including "Breed," first aired on MTV on December 31, 1993.
* The 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" reissue of Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero, released in October 2023, featured the band's full concerts at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 30, 1993, and at the Seattle Center Arena in Seattle, on January 7, 1994. Both shows featured performances of "Breed."

## Cover versions

[edit]

Year | Artist | Album

|
|

2002 | Steve Earle | Side Tracks
2007 | Otep | The Ascension

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Brown, Dean. "No Recess: The Heaviest Nirvana Mixtape". PopMatters. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
2. ^ Chick, Stevie (September 23, 2021). "Nirvana: The stories behind every song on Nevermind". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
3. ^ a b c Nevermind (CD liner notes). Nirvana. DGC. 1991.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. ^ Nevermind (30th Anniversary reissue liner notes). Nirvana. Geffen Records. 2021.`{{cite AV media notes}}`: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. ^ a b Azerrad, Michael (1994). Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday. p. 137\. ISBN 0-385-47199-8.
6. ^ a b c d e Jovanovic, Rob (September 2004). Nirvana" The Recording Sessions. S A F Pub Ltd. ISBN 978-0946719600.
7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Nevermind – Nirvana". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
8. ^ a b Chick, Stevie (September 24, 2019). "Nirvana: The Stories Behind Every Song On Nevermind". Kerrang!. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
9. ^ a b c d Cobain, Kurt. "Nirvana 'Breed' Sheet Music in F# Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. BMG Rights Management. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
10. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escebedo (April 8, 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
11. ^ a b Law, Sam (June 19, 2020). "The 20 Greatest Nirvana Songs - Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
12. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 21, 2023). "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
13. ^ "20 most-played Nirvana songs revealed to mark Kurt Cobain's 50th birthday". PlanetRock.com. February 20, 2017. Archived from the original on February 20, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
14. ^ Sacher, Andrew. "15 songs that influenced Nirvana (probably)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
15. ^ Paige, Gawley (April 27, 2020). "Post Malone's Nirvana Tribute Concert Raises More Than $4 Million for Coronavirus Relief". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
16. ^ "NIRVANA TRIBUTE RAISES OVER $1 MIL". TMZ. April 27, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
17. ^ Lemire, Christy (September 5, 2007). "Review: 'Shoot 'Em Up' Is Mind-Numbing". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
18. ^ Van Horn, Shawn (March 28, 2022). "From 'The Batman' to 'Succession': The Best Uses of Nirvana Songs in Movies and TV". Collider. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
19. ^ Chiapinni, Dan (August 28, 2007). "Tony Hawk's Proving Ground soundtrack revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
20. ^ Fortnite Festival [@FNFestival] (April 30, 2024). "Is it Thursday yet? 🎶" (Tweet). Retrieved April 30, 2024 – via Twitter.
21. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
22. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Nirvana – Breed". Radioscope. Retrieved January 17, 2025. Type Breed  in the "Search:" field.
23. ^ "British single certifications – Nirvana – Breed". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
24. ^ "American single certifications – Nirvana – Breed". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 9, 2024.

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ On the original release of Nevermind, the lyrics were credited to Cobain while the music was credited to the whole band.[3] Later releases credit this song solely to Cobain.[4]

* v
* t
* e

Nirvana

* Kurt Cobain
* Krist Novoselic
* Dave Grohl

* Aaron Burckhard
* Dale Crover
* Dave Foster
* Chad Channing
* Jason Everman
* Dan Peters

Studio albums|

* Bleach
* Nevermind
* In Utero

Live albums|

* MTV Unplugged in New York
* From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
* Live at Reading

Compilation albums|

* Incesticide
* Nirvana
* Sliver: The Best of the Box
* Icon

Box sets|

* Singles
* With the Lights Out
* Nevermind: The Singles

Extended plays|

* Blew
* Hormoaning

Singles|

* "Love Buzz"
* "Sliver"
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
* "Come as You Are"
* "Lithium"
* "In Bloom"
* "Heart-Shaped Box"
* "All Apologies" / "Rape Me"
* "Pennyroyal Tea"
* "About a Girl"
* "You Know You're Right"

Split singles|

* "Candy" / "Molly's Lips"
* "Here She Comes Now" / "Venus in Furs"
* "Puss" / "Oh, the Guilt"

Promotional singles|

* "On a Plain"
* "The Man Who Sold the World"
* "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"
* "Lake of Fire"
* "Aneurysm"
* "Drain You"
* "Endless, Nameless"

Other charted
songs|

* "Dumb"
* "Sappy"
* "Something in the Way"

Other songs|

* "Been a Son"
* "Blew"
* "Breed"
* "Dive"
* "Do Re Mi"
* "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle"
* "I Hate Myself and Want to Die"
* "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
* "Marigold"
* "Negative Creep"
* "Old Age"
* "Opinion"
* "Plateau"
* "Polly"
* "Scentless Apprentice"
* "Serve the Servants"
* "Spank Thru"
* "Talk to Me"

Videos|

* Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!
* MTV Unplugged in New York
* Live at Reading
* Live at the Paramount
* Live and Loud

Related|

| Articles|

* Discography (Bootlegs)
* Awards and nominations
* Songs
* Concerts
* "Smells Like Nirvana"
* Frances Bean Cobain
* Suicide of Kurt Cobain
* Kurt Cobain Memorial Park
* Viretta Park
* Church of Kurt Cobain
* 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief

|

Bands|

* 3rd Secret
* Eyes Adrift
* Fecal Matter
* Flipper
* Foo Fighters
* Giants in the Trees
* Melvins
* The No WTO Combo
* Scream
* Sweet 75
* Them Crooked Vultures
* Queens of the Stone Age

Touring members|

* Pat Smear
* Melora Creager
* John Duncan
* Lori Goldston

Books|

* Nirvana: Flower Sniffin', Kitty Pettin', Baby Kissin' Corporate Rock Whores
* Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana
* Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song
* Who Killed Kurt Cobain?
* Heavier Than Heaven
* Journals
* Love and Death
* Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects
* Dirty Blonde
* Cobain Unseen
* Taking Punk to the Masses
* Letters to Kurt
* Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989
* I Found My Friends
* Cobain on Cobain
* Serving the Servant

Albums|

* Nevermind It's an Interview
* The "Priest" They Called Him
* Verse Chorus Verse
* The Songs of Kurt Cobain
* Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings

Tribute albums|

* Smells Like Bleach: A Punk Tribute to Nirvana
* Newermind: A Tribute to Nirvana
* Nevermind Tribute
* In Utero, in Tribute, in Entirety
* Whatever Nevermind
* Doused in Mud, Soaked in Bleach

Films and
documentaries|

* 1991: The Year Punk Broke
* A Tribute to Kurt Cobain
* Teen Spirit: The Tribute to Kurt Cobain
* Hype!
* The Vigil
* Kurt & Courtney
* Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind
* Last Days
* All Apologies: Kurt Cobain 10 Years On
* Nirvana – A Classic Album Under Review – In Utero
* The Last 48 Hours of Kurt Cobain
* Kurt Cobain: About a Son
* Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
* Soaked in Bleach
* When Nirvana Came to Britain
* Kurt Cobain: Moments That Shook Music

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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