Nirvana, grunge-rock and Kurt Cobain gave a voice to Generation X, by creating music that embodies the philosophy of Nihilism, according to research by a Mars Hill College music major.
Kimberlee Williams, a senior music major, presented her analysis at SLAM about the music of Cobain and how the message of Nihilism came through his music.
Taking three songs from the Nirvana album “In Utero,” Williams broke down the lyrical compositions and studied them for Nihilistic principles.
Using Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche as a key Existential Nihilistic influence, Williams described the philosophy as essentially, “Life has no meaning.” Williams made the connection between the meaning of this philosophy with the work of Cobain, a very influential 1990s rock musician epitomized by grunge. She studied his lyrics to support her theory.
While showing and playing the song “Dumb,” Williams informed a large audience in Belk Auditorium that the lyrics express the lack of meaning and propose an answer by suggesting drug use and intoxication.
Another song that Williams referred to was “Very Ape.” She discussed the possibility that the lyrics may reflect Cobain’s view that humanity is very animalistic, regardless of the attempt to not be.
The final song that Williams analyzed was “All Apologies,” released in 1990 by Nirvana. This song was dedicated to Cobain’s family, although he insisted he dedicated the mood, not the words.
Williams said the words reflect a vivid nihilistic influence. The statement “all in all is all we are” is repeated at the end of the song 20 times.
In fact, she said, it is one of the most nihilistic songs of Nirvana due to the lack of hope in the lyrics and the slow decline of the music itself. At the end, which she played for the audience, the instrumentation slowly falls away to just Cobain’s voice, singing “all in all is all we are.”
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