Been a Son

"Been a Son" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It was originally released on the Blew EP in the United Kingdom in November 1989 and which charted at number 15 on the UK Indie Singles chart.[1][2] A second studio version appears on the compilation album Incesticide, released in December 1992.

"Been a Son"
Song by Nirvana
from the EP Blew and the album Incesticide
Released
  • December 1989 (1989-12) (Blew)
  • December 1992 (Incesticide)
Recorded
  • September 1989 (Blew)
  • November 1991 (Incesticide)
Studio
  • Music Source, Seattle, US (Blew)
  • Maida Vale Studio 4, London, UK (Incesticide)
Genre
Length
  • 2:22 (Blew)
  • 1:55 (Incesticide)
Label
Songwriter(s)Kurt Cobain
Producer(s)

Origin and recording

Written in 1989, "Been a Son" was first recorded in the studio in September 1989 by Steve Fisk at Music Source in Seattle, Washington. Of the five songs recorded, only two were officially released, with both "Been a Son" and "Stain" appearing on the Blew EP in December 1989. The session was Nirvana's first time recording on two inch, 24 track tape, and Fisk recalls that "when it was all over with, we played 'Been a Son' really loud on the big stupid speakers three times and stood up on the client tables in the back room and danced."[3]

"Been a Son" was first performed live on October 8, 1989 at the Lif Ticket Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska, the show at which Nirvana also debuted the future Nevermind song, "Breed", which was then called "Immodium". On September 25, 1990, Cobain performed a solo acoustic version of the song on the Boy Meets Girl show, hosted by Beat Happening vocalist and guitarist Calvin Johnson, on KAOS (FM) in Olympia, Washington.

A second studio version of "Been a Son" was recorded for the BBC program The Evening Session by Miti Adhikari, at Maida Vale Studios in London, England on November 9, 1991. It was released on Incesticide in December 1992.

"Been a Son" was rehearsed for Nirvana's MTV Unplugged appearance in November 1993, but cut from the set list prior to the show.[4]

The Fisk-recorded version of "Been a Son" was re-released on the band's first greatest hits album, Nirvana, in October 2002. Prior to this, this version had only been commercially-available on the Blew EP,[5] which had only been released in the United Kingdom and in limited numbers. Kurt St. Thomas called this version the definitive take, because it better displayed Nirvana's signature thrashing guitar sound and featured a bass guitar solo prominent in the mix.[6]

Lyrics and composition

"Been a Son" represents one of Cobain's earliest commentaries on the issues of sex and gender.[7] In his 1993 biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Michael Azerrad described "the instantly catchy" song as being about "the plight of a girl whose parents would have preferred a boy."[7] Jenn Pelly of Pitchfork described it as "a comment on how patriarchy sees women as second-class citizens, on how it dictates what it thinks women should be."[8]

Reception

"Been a Son" has been cited as one of the earliest examples of Nirvana's more melodic direction following the release of their 1989 debut album, Bleach. As author Chuck Crisafulli noted, Cobain suppressed his pop influences during the band's earliest years, but after the release of Bleach, he became more outspoken and confident about professing his love of John Lennon and the Beatles during interviews.[7] Fisk, who produced the first version of the song, said that the recording featured "Total Lennon harmonies, right out of Rubber Soul".[9] Azerrad wrote that Cobain's vocals were "draped in most un-Sub Pop-like harmonies," a reference to Nirvana's then-record label, best known for their heavier grunge sound that defined most of Bleach, with the exception of "About a Girl."[9] English musician Tim Arnold described the song as part of Nirvana's post-Bleach "political thrust to the top of the charts."[10]

In his review of Incesticide for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited "the terrific forgotten indie pop tune 'Been a Son'" as one of the compilation's highlights.[11]

In 2015, Rolling Stone named "Been a Son" the 23rd best Nirvana song in their No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked list.[12] In 2019, The Guardian ranked it at number 11 on their list of Nirvana's 20 greatest songs.[13]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[14] Gold 45,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades
Year Publication Country Accolade Rank
2019 The Guardian United Kingdom Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked![13] 11

Recording and release history

Demo and studio versions
Date recorded Studio Producer/recorder Releases Personnel
c. 1987 Cobain residence Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings (2015)
September 1989 Music Source Studios, Seattle, US Steve Fisk Blew EP (1989)
Nirvana (2002)
September 25, 1990 Boy Meets Girl, KAOS (FM), The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, US Calvin Johnson With the Lights Out (2004)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
November 9, 1991 Maida Vale Studios, London, United Kingdom Miti Adhikari Incesticide (1992)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)

Live versions
Date recorded Venue Releases Personnel
February 9, 1990 Pine Street Theatre, Portland, Oregon, US Bleach (deluxe) (2009)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Chad Channing (drums)
October 31, 1991 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, US Lithium (1992)
Live at the Paramount (2011)
Nevermind (deluxe) (2011)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
November 25, 1991 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah (1996)
Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! (2006 DVD version only)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)
August 30, 1992 Reading Festival, Reading, United Kingdom Live at Reading (2009)
  • Kurt Cobain (vocals, guitar)
  • Krist Novoselic (bass)
  • Dave Grohl (drums)

References
  1. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 978-0-9517206-9-1. OCLC 38292499. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved July 11, 2020.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. "Charts - Indie Singles". Melody Maker. MRIB. November 18, 1989. p. 35. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. True, Everett (13 March 2007). Nirvana: The Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 145. ISBN 9780306815546.
  4. St. Thomas, Kurt (2004). Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 189. ISBN 0312206631.
  5. Gaar, Gillian G (March 31, 2020). "A look at Nirvana's collectible recordings". Goldmine. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  6. St. Thomas, Kurt (22 April 2004). Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects. New York City: St. Martin's Press. p. 54. ISBN 0312206631.
  7. Crisafulli, Chuck (1996). Teen Spirit: The Stories Behind Every Nirvana Song. London: Omnibus Press. p. 64. ISBN 0711958092.
  8. Pelly, Jenn. "Nirvana: Incesticide". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  9. Azerrad, Michael (1993). Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Crown/Archetype. p. 124. ISBN 9780307833730.
  10. Sandford, Christopher (2013). Kurt Cobain. Hachette (UK). p. no page numbers. ISBN 9781409148012.
  11. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Incesticide - Nirvana". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  12. Epstein, Daniel (8 April 2015). "No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  13. Petridis, Alexis (29 June 2019). "Nirvana's 20 greatest songs - ranked!". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
  14. "Danish single certifications – Nirvana – Been a Son". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved November 21, 2018. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
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