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"You Know You're Right" is a song by the American rock band, Nirvana. It is the first song on their 2002 "best-of" album, Nirvana.
History
"You Know You're Right" was most likely written in mid-to-late 1993, making it one of the few post-In Utero Kurt Cobain compositions known to exist. For years, it was known from only a bootlegged live version, recorded on October 23, 1993 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois, and from a performance of the song by Hole (fronted by Cobain's widow, Courtney Love), recorded at their MTV Unplugged set in 1995.
A studio version of the song had been recorded at Nirvana's final session, on January 30, 1994 at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington, but remained locked away from fans for years following Cobain's death. This recording became the object of much legal-wrangling between Love and surviving Nirvana bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. Grohl and Novoselic had wanted the song for a planned Nirvana box set, but Love blocked its release, and a battle over Nirvana's legacy ensued.
Love maintained that "You Know You're Right" would have been "wasted" on a box set, and would be better-suited to a single-disc collection similar to the Beatles' 1. Her lawsuit called the song a "potential 'hit' of extraordinary artistic and commercial value," and her manager asserted that a release with the song could sell 15 million copies. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1444878/20010629/nirvana.jhtml
Novoselic revealed that he did not necessarily disagree with Love: "I've always considered everything she said. We've considered it and agreed and said, 'Hey, that's a great idea, Courtney.' I tried to get along with Courtney as best I could, but there's only so much you can do." *
In September 2002, the lawsuit between Love and the surviving Nirvana members was settled, and it was announced that "You Know You're Right" would arrive on "a one-CD history of the band" called Nirvana later that year. * An MP3 of the song was leaked on the internet a few weeks prior to its official release, and the song was thrown in rotation by a number of alternative rock radio stations, even after being sent cease and desist letters from Nirvana's record label.
"You Know You're Right" was eventually released as a promo single, and a music video was made. The song made No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 due to internet download sales.
In 2004, an acoustic demo of the song was released on With the Lights Out, the long-awaited box set. It was re-released in 2005 on the band's compilation album, Sliver - The Best of the Box. This boombox-recorded rendition is only the third known version of the song.
"You Know You're Right" was apparently played at soundchecks during the American leg of the band's In Utero tour in 1993, but these versions remain unsurfaced (or were never recorded).
Meaning
All three versions of "You Know You're Right" feature different lyrics and dynamics; some have suggested that even the studio version represents a work-in-progress. However, all versions seem to address a theme of disenchantment, leading some to believe it was written about Cobain's marriage to Love. Indeed, lyrics such as "Nothing really bothers her/ She just wants to love herself" can be interpreted as either a defense or an indictment of Love.
Title
"You Know You're Right" may not have had a proper title at the time of Cobain's death in April 1994. According to a 2004 Seattle Times article by Gillian G. Gaar, it was listed simply as "Kurt's Song #1" on the tracking sheets from the Robert Lang Studios recording session. In 1995, it was performed as "You've Got No Right" by Hole at their MTV Unplugged appearance.
In the liner notes to Nirvana, Rolling Stone writer David Fricke erroneously states that the song had gone under the previous titles of "Autopilot" and "On a Mountain." In reality, these names were accidentally invented by bootleggers, who had misheard Dave Grohl's comment at the beginning of the live version. Grohl had announced, "This is our last song; it's called 'All Apologies,'" not realizing that Cobain had already started playing "You Know You're Right." Thanks to the poor fidelity of the live recording, bootleggers believed Grohl had introduced the new song, and tried to interpret what they thought was its title.
Covers
Other than Hole, "You Know You're Right" has been covered by the following artists:
- South African hard rock band Seether
- American rapcore band Limp Bizkit.
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 2002 | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 1 |
| 2002 | The Billboard Hot 100 (US) | No. 45 |
| 2002 | Triple J Hot 100 (Australia) | No. 12 |
| 2002 | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 11 |
| 2002 | Polish Airplay Chart | No. 13 |
| 2002 | Bubbling Hot 100 Airplay (US) | No. ? |
| 2002 | Bubbling Under Hot 100 (US) | No. ? |
Accolades
- Ranked #2 in Spin's "Best Singles of 2002" (2002)
- Ranked #20 in NME's "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004)
- Ranked #9 in Q's "10 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever" (2004)
References
- Nirvana Live Guide
- LiveNirvana
- A piece of Kurt Cobain by Jim DeRogatis, March 10, 2002
- Courtney Love Sues Grohl And Novoselic, Blocks Nirvana Rarity by Teri vanHorn, MTV News, June 29, 2001
- The Internet Nirvana Fanclub's report on the settlement of the Nirvana lawsuit
- Six years sifting vaults, basement tapes by Gillian G. Gaar, Seattle Times, 2004
External links
"You Know You're Right"