In Bloom

Probably the first rock band most people think of when they think of the 90's is Nirvana. They lead the grunge movement into the mainstream with their 1991 album Nevermind. Their anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit dominated radio and television in 1992.

The album has many great songs but one of my favorites is In Bloom. This song is heavy, noisy and melodic; all the things that made Nirvana great. The chord changes are surprising and seemingly discordant but somehow Kurt Cobain finds a way to make them work. His guitar solo is raw emotion translated into noise that has some distant relation to the blues. Powering the entire song are Dave Grohl's gigantic drums. The pulse of it is Krist Novoselic's bass line. It is one powerful song! Click on the photo below to download a PDF of the chords and structure.