Although a definition of grunge’s ideology and resulting musical sound greatly varies from one band to another, there is a general discourse of the Seattle movement deriving from rock sub-genres such as punk, metal, and alternative. However if one dives deeper into the gen(r)e pool of grunge, one should logically travel from various rock genres to their roots of folk and blues. Yet the discussion of grunge never ventures far enough into the past to examine its roots and any remnants left behind from folk and blues.
Perhaps it seems like a stretch to connect grunge to its somewhat distant relatives of folk and blues as the genres seem to reside on separate sides of a historical and sonic spectrum. Yet when grunge rockers, Mark Lanegan and Kurt Cobain, expressed admiration for folk and blues legend, Leadbelly through their respective covers of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” the connection literally screams for analysis and can be very useful in exploring the various musical streams of tradition and style at play in the genre of grunge.
According to Cobain in a interview shortly before his death, he told a reporter that he discovered Leadbelly from reading William S. Burroughs.
“I’d never heard about Leadbelly before so I bought a couple of records, and now he turns out to be my absolute favorite of all time in music. I absolutely love it more than any rock’n’roll I ever heard.” –Kurt Cobain
However according to Mark Pickeral of Screaming Trees, it is unclear if Cobain was already a fan of Leadbelly or if Mark Lanegan turned him into a fan. Either way, the two grunge frontmen developed a friendship nurtured by a desire to form a tribute band dedicated to covers of Leadbelly songs.
Apparently, I don’t know if Mark turned Kurt on to Leadbelly, or if, Kurt was already a fan, but at some point, Mark approached me about playing drums for a project that he and Kurt wanted to start, which would really focus on blues — particularly Leadbelly’s catalog. I believe we were also talking about playing songs by all the great bluesmen. I got really excited about it, and was envisioning this super group that was bound for success — sort of be the modern day, Northwest version of Cream. -Mark Pickeral
With a promising musical vision and Leadbelly’s 1944 recording of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” in hand, the group consisting of Mark Lanegan, Mark Pickerel, Krist Novoselic, and Kurt Cobain began their tribute. However the project did not survive as the Screaming Trees were being pursued by Epic Records and Nirvana was releasing an EP and going on tour.
“It happened because Kurt and I were going to do this thing–with Krist Novoselic and Mark Pickerel–of Leadbelly covers. And that just kind of fell apart.” –Mark Lanegan
Later Lanegan asked if he could include it on his solo album, The Winding Sheet, which features a stripped down sound that features more serious lyrical content. According to Len Comaratta, these “alcohol-drenched dirges exposed a dark night of the soul as Lanegan battles his inner demons, be they physical or emotional, chemical or sexual–the struggle to overcome but often failing into the bottom of a bottle.” The album is not typical of the grunge movement yet is not too far off. The rendition of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” includes an adapted grunge sound that features ominous vocals from Lanegan, Cobain’s unmistakable distorted guitar work, steady bass from Novoselic, and deep and open drums from Pickeral.
When it came around for Nirvana to perform on MTV Unplugged, the band was encountered a commercial media outlet seeking to prove to audiences that bigger than life musicians could really play and sing. Before Nirvana, other bands had failed at recreating their sound while others treated it just as a stadium performance. To prove to audiences that their band really sound play without all the noise and distortion, Nirvana carefully curated a setlist that left their biggest hits out and comprised of several covers. According to Nirvana drummer, David Grohl, the band actually based their performance off of Lanegan’s solo album.
The performance ended with “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” as an extremely nervous and perhaps drug withdrawn Cobain refused to come back for an encore. With eerie funeral decorations requested by Cobain himself, the dark dirge was performed at around half the tempo of Leadbelly’s with alter harmonies changing them from major to minor. There is no doubt that Lanegan’s vocal techniques used in his version influenced Cobain as the both use nuanced and delicate voices until they screech and strain for the last verse.
Both performances proved to be successful as they transformed a folk song into their grunge idiom with their personal characteristics. They adapted the lyrical content to erase specifics on race (black girl was changed to my girl) and set it to their also adapted and more intimate grunge sound of choice. However why were the grunge musicians so attracted to Leadbelly? Although there is no exact answer, both musicians covered Leadbelly when they were searching for more authentic content and expression. Leadbelly’s lyrical content and raw vocal quality most likely drew the grunge musicians in as it offered a prototype of realism that dwelled on the gloom and misfortune of life.
The lyrics and musical setting of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” have evolved and changed with its renditions. The 19th century folk song has been a metaphor for slavery, exile, and Great Depression. The song generally covered a train, decapitation, and a girl who spends a cold night in the woods. It is full of mystery with all questions but no answers. Thus when it came for the grunge musicians to cover it, the song proved to be extremely flexible as it successfully adapted to the grunge context and sound.
The grunge movement of the late 1980s and 1990s dwelled on dark subjects with extreme passivity and unease as they were unsure what they exactly wanted. Instead of the nihilism and shock that their close relative of punk offered, the raw and loud rock sound was emitted with a passive and bereft attitude. Thus the expressions of mystery, dark woods, and death in “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” aligned with topics that grunge commonly explore in their music.
Cobain and Lanegan were both grunge superstars who admired a legend that seemed far away from their grunge stylings. However when they had to search for truer expressions for more intimate and stripped performances, they turned to the folk and blues prototype that Leadbelly offered.
Exploring the Interpretations of Folk Songs 