"Polly" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the sixth song on their 1991 album, Nevermind. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation). ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Smart Studios is a recording studio located on East Washington Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin. ... For other uses, see Madison (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... DGC Records was a subsidiary of Geffen Records, founded by David Geffen on March 20, 1990. ... Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington that achieved fame in the 1990s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the local Seattle music scene. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Butch Vig (born Bryan David Vigorson, August 2, 1957 in Viroqua, Wisconsin) is both a record producer and the drummer of the popular rock band Garbage. ... For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation). ... Lithium is a song by the grunge band Nirvana. ... Territorial Pissings is a song by the 1990s grunge band, Nirvana. ... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation). ...

History

Dating back to at least 1988, "Polly" stands alongside "About a Girl" and "Been a Son" as one of singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's earliest forays into unfiltered pop songwriting. It was originally titled "Hitchhiker", and later "Cracker", but was renamed to "Polly" sometime in 1989. It was left off Nirvana's 1989 debut album Bleach because Cobain believed it was not consistent with the band's heavy grunge sound of the time. However, it found its way onto the band's second album Nevermind two years later, and remained a part of the band's regular setlist until Cobain's death (and Nirvana's dissolution) in April 1994. About a Girl is a song by the American grunge band, Nirvana. ... Been a Son is a song by the American Grunge band Nirvana. ... Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... Bleach was the debut album by Nirvana, released in June 1989 through Sub Pop. ... Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that became a commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ...

Meaning

According to Michael Azerrad's 1993 Nirvana biography Come as You Are, "Polly" is based on the true story of a female rape victim from Tacoma, Washington. The girl, 14, was abducted in 1987 while returning from a punk rock show, and was raped and tortured with a blowtorch by her abductor (Gerald Friend). Cobain's only narrative flourish is that the victim manages to escape by flirting with her captor, convincing him to let her go. Nickname: Location of Tacoma in Pierce County and Washington State Coordinates: , Country State County Pierce Government  - Mayor Bill Baarsma (D) Area  - City  62. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The word blowtorch can mean:- A cutting torch used for cutting metal. ...

In the liner notes to Nirvana's 1992 compilation Incesticide, Cobain expressed disdain for an incident which occurred after the song's release on Nevermind. "Last year, a girl was raped by two wastes of sperm and eggs while they sang the lyrics to our song 'Polly,'" he wrote. "I have a hard time carrying on knowing there are plankton like that in our audience." Liner notes are the booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or any sound recording container. ... Incesticide is a compilation album of rare songs, b-sides and studio outtakes released by Nirvana on December 14, 1992 in Europe, and December 15, 1992 in the U.S. It was released through Geffen Records. ... A spermatozoon or spermatozoan ( spermatozoa), from the ancient Greek σπέρμα (seed) and (living being) and more commonly known as a sperm cell, is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... A human ovum Sperm cells attempting to fertilize an ovum An ovum (plural ova) is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. ...

Cobain narrates the song from the rapist's point of view (he would do the opposite on In Utero's "Rape Me"). In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American grunge band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993 by DGC Records. ... Rape Me is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. ...

Many versions

The stark, acoustic rendition which appears on Nevermind is perhaps the most familiar reading of the song. However, no less than eight other versions have been commercially released. These are: An acoustic instrument is an musical instrument which does not produce sound using electronics, as does an electronic musical instrument. ...

• A live, electric version from late 1991, which appears as a B-side on import versions of the band's 1992 "In Bloom" single.
• An electric studio version recorded for the BBC's Evening Session in late 1991, which appears on Incesticide. This version is dubbed "(New Wave) Polly," perhaps because of its faster tempo. This "New Wave" version was played live in Manchester, England, about a month later.
• A live, acoustic version recorded during the band's MTV Unplugged performance in late 1993, which was subsequently released the following year on the band's posthumous MTV Unplugged in New York album. This version features Pat Smear on rhythm guitar, and Lori Goldston on cello.
• A live, electric performance from late 1991, which appears on the 1994 home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.
• A live, electric rendition from mid 1991, which appears on the documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke.
• A live, electric version from late 1989, which appears on the band's 1996 live compilation, From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.
• A solo, acoustic home demo which appears on the 2004 Nirvana box set, With the Lights Out.
• An electric studio take from 1989, which also appears on With the Lights Out.

In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... Nevermind track listing For the upcoming film, see In Bloom (film). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Incesticide is a compilation album of rare songs, b-sides and studio outtakes released by Nirvana on December 14, 1992 in Europe, and December 15, 1992 in the U.S. It was released through Geffen Records. ... For other uses, see Tempo (disambiguation). ... MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. ... Pat Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg on August 5, 1959), is a U.S. rock guitarist who has been a regular member of several well-known bands, albeit of different subgenres: The Germs, Nirvana and the Foo Fighters. ... Rhythm guitar is a guitar that is primarily used to provide rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment for a singer or for other instruments in an ensemble. ... This article is about the stringed musical instrument. ... front cover Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! is a VHS/Laserdisc home video released by the grunge band Nirvana on November 15, 1994. ... 1991: The Year Punk Broke was a 1992 documentary directed by Dave Markey showcasing a late 1991 European tour of a number of punk and punk-inspired bands. ... From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah is a live compilation album from the American grunge band, Nirvana. ... For other uses, see demo. ... A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is one or more musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related things that are contained in a box. ... With the Lights Out is a box set, containing 3 CDs and 1 DVD, from the American grunge band, Nirvana. ...

Covers

"Polly" has been covered by the following artists:

• American experimental rock band Animal Collective as a B-side on their Purple Bottle single.
• American musician Kirsten Krush.
• New Zealand rock band The Mint Chicks
• A faster tempo, acoustic cover by American rock band Dead Confederates on their 2007 album of covers "The Cover Story".
• A darker, heavy metal version was covered by utah underground band 420 Proof

For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Animal Collective is a New York City-based group of experimental musicians from Baltimore, Maryland. ... Purple Bottle is the second single from Animal Collectives 2005 album, Feels. ... The Mint Chicks are an experimental no wave group from Auckland, New Zealand. ...

Trivia

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• According to Charles R. Cross's 2001 Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven, Bob Dylan was moved after hearing "Polly" in concert, and said of Cobain: "That kid has heart."
• Music critic Greil Marcus has suggested that Cobain's "Polly" is a descendant of "Pretty Polly," a murder ballad perhaps a century old already when recorded by Dock Boggs in 1927.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Charles R. Cross is a rock music journalist and author based in Seattle. ... Heavier Than Heaven is the name of a 2001 biography of musician Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of the grunge rock band Nirvana. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Greil Marcus (2006) Greil Marcus (born 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. ... Pretty Polly (Roud 15) is a traditional folk song The song is a murder ballad, telling of a young woman lured into the forest where she is killed and buried in a shallow grave. ... Murder ballads are a specific subgenre of the broadsheet ballad, a narrative poem that tells a tale of murder. ... Dock Boggs Moran Lee Dock Boggs (February 7, 1898–February 7, 1971) was an influential old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. ...

Accolades

• Ranked #18 in NME's "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004)

For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ...

References

• Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1
• Titanic! The Nevermind Recording Sessions by Peter Henderson