Editing Blew

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Short description|1989 EP by Nirvana}}
{{About|a rock song and/or an EP|people with the surname "Blew"|Blew (surname)}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Blew
| type         = EP
| artist       = [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]
| cover        = NirvanaBlewEP.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = {{start date|1989|11}}<ref>{{cite book | last = Borzillo-Vrenna | first = Carrie | title = Nirvana - The Day to Day Illustrated Journals | edition = 1st | publisher = [[Barnes & Noble]] | year = 2003 | pages = 49 | isbn = 0-7607-4893-4}}</ref>
| recorded     = June/December 1988 (side one)<br />September 1989 (side two)<ref>{{cite book | last = Gaar | first = Gillan | title = Entertain Us | edition = 1st | publisher = Jawbone | year = 2012 | pages = 190 | isbn = 978-1-906002-89-3}}</ref>
| studio       = 
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Grunge]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Danaher|first=Michael|date=August 4, 2014|title=The 50 Best Grunge Songs|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/the-50-best-grunge-songs/|access-date=November 27, 2022|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]}}</ref>|[[garage rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Gerard|first=Chris|date=April 6, 2021|title=The 100 Best Alternative Singles of the 1980s: 80 - 61|url=https://www.popmatters.com/100-greatest-singles-80s-part2-2495485740.html/2|access-date=November 27, 2022|website=[[PopMatters]]|page=2}}</ref>}}
| length       = 11:32
| label        = Tupelo
| producer     = {{hlist|[[Jack Endino]]|[[Steve Fisk]]}}
| prev_title    = [[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]
| prev_year     = 1989
| next_title    = [[Nevermind]]
| next_year     = 1991
}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Blew
| type          = song
| artist        = [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]
| album         = [[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]
| B-side        = 
| released      = {{start date|1989|6|15}}
| recorded      = December 1988
| studio        = [[Reciprocal Recordings]] (Seattle, Washington)
| genre         = {{hlist|[[Grunge]]|[[garage rock]]}}
| length        = 2:56
| label         = [[Sub Pop]]
| writer        = [[Kurt Cobain]]
| producer      = [[Jack Endino]]
| prev_title    = [[Love Buzz#Nirvana version|Love Buzz]]
| prev_year     = 1988
| next_title    = [[Sliver (song)|Sliver]]
| next_year     = 1990
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/blew-ep-mw0000941849 |title=Nirvana: Blew EP |publisher= [[AllMusic]] }}</ref>}}

"'''Blew'''" is a song by American rock band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], written by vocalist and guitarist [[Kurt Cobain]]. It is the first song on the band's debut album ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'', released in June 1989 by [[Sub Pop]]. 

The song was re-released on Tupelo Records as the title track of a four-song [[Extended play|EP]] in the United Kingdom in November 1989, where it charted at number 15 on the [[UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts|UK Indie Singles]] chart.<ref name="ukindie">{{cite book |last=Lazell |first=Barry |year=1997 |url=http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/n.htm |title=Indie Hits 1980–1989 |publisher=[[Cherry Red Books]]  |access-date=July 9, 2020 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606210333/http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/n.htm |archive-date=June 6, 2011|isbn=978-0-9517206-9-1|oclc=38292499}}</ref><ref name="MelodyMaker15">{{cite news |date=November 18, 1989 |title=Charts - Indie Singles |url=https://imgur.com/h9pLQLv |work=[[Melody Maker]] |page=35 |agency=[[MRIB]] |access-date=July 11, 2020}}</ref>

==Background and recording==
"Blew" was first performed live at the Community World Theatre in [[Tacoma, Washington]], on March 19, 1988. This was also the first show the band played with their name as Nirvana.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/88/88-03-19.php|title=1988-03-19 Community World Theatre show}}</ref>

The song was first recorded in the studio by [[Jack Endino]] at [[Reciprocal Recording|Reciprocal Recording Studios]] in [[Seattle, Washington]] on June 11, 1988,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/jun-sep-1988.php|title=Love Buzz sessions}}</ref> during the recording sessions for what became the band's debut single, "[[Love Buzz#Nirvana cover version|Love Buzz]]". 

===''Bleach''===
A second studio version was recorded by Endino at Reciprocal in December 1988, and was released on ''Bleach'' on June 15, 1989.

The ''Bleach'' version of "Blew" was accidentally recorded one step lower than the band had intended, which contributed to what Nirvana biographer [[Michael Azerrad]] called its "extraordinarily heavy sound".<ref name="Doubleday">{{cite book |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |title=Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana |date=1994 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=0-385-47199-8 |page=100}}</ref> Not realizing that they had already tuned to their favored D Standard tuning, the band tuned further down to [[Drop C tuning|Drop C]] on the first day of the sessions and recorded several songs in that tuning. As bassist [[Krist Novoselic]] recalled in a 2009 ''[[Seattle Times]]'' article, "we came back the next day and decided the idea wasn't so hot, and we recorded over most of it with things tuned back up a little. In fact, 'Blew', with that growly bass, is the only survivor of that experiment."<ref name="Seattle Weekly">{{cite news |last=Novoselic |first=Krist |title=Bleach: Krist Novoselic Interviews Chad Channing |url=https://www.seattleweekly.com/music/bleach-krist-novoselic-interviews-chad-channing/ |access-date=February 1, 2020 |work=Seattle Weekly |date=October 27, 2009}}</ref>

====''Blew'' EP====
The ''Bleach'' version of "Blew" was re-released on the ''Blew'' EP in November 1989, along with the ''Bleach'' mix of "Love Buzz" and the previously-unreleased songs "[[Been a Son]]" and "Stain", which had been recorded by [[Steve Fisk]] at Music Source in Seattle, Washington in September 1989. The band's original plan had been to release an EP to promote their upcoming European tour, but the EP was delayed and released exclusively in the United Kingdom a few days before the final tourdate in London. However, the EP built on the interest the band had generated in the UK with ''Bleach'', and was promoted by English DJ [[John Peel]], who had also played ''Bleach'' on his influential show. The ''Blew'' EP eventually peaked at number 15 on the UK Indie chart.<ref name="ukindie"/><ref name="MelodyMaker15"/>

===Post-''Bleach''===
"Blew" was one of only three songs from ''Bleach'', along with "[[About a Girl (Nirvana song)|About a Girl]]" and "School", that remained in the bands setlists until the end of their touring career. It was performed live for the final time in [[Munich]], Germany on March 1, 1994, as the second-to-last song preceding "[[Heart-Shaped Box]]".

==Composition and lyrics==
In his 1993 Nirvana biography ''[[Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana]]'', Azerrad described the song as having a "theme of entrapment and control."<ref name="Doubleday"/>

==Release and reception==
In 2009, Novoselic said that "Blew" was perhaps his favorite song on ''Bleach'' "because it has a groove, and again, it's the sole survivor of the Doom Pop experiment."<ref name="Seattle Weekly"/>

In 2015, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' listed "Blew" at number 22 on their ranking of 102 Nirvana songs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bienstock |first=Richard |title=No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/no-apologies-all-102-nirvana-songs-ranked-175683/blew-35524/ |access-date=February 1, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 8, 2015}}</ref> In 2023, ''[[the A.V. Club]]'' ranked it at number 29 in their list of Nirvana's "30 greatest songs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/3 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>

==EP==
The ''Blew'' EP was released in November 1989 on Tupelo Records on 12-inch vinyl and [[CD]]. With a working title of ''Winnebago'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/interviews/8908ep/index.php|title = Live Nirvana &#124; Interview Archive &#124; 1989 &#124; August ??, 1989 - Olympia, WA, US}}</ref> the EP was originally intended as a release to promote an upcoming European tour, but due to production delays, <ref>{{cite book | last = Borzillo-Vrenna | first = Carrie | title = Nirvana - The Day to Day Illustrated Journals | edition = 1st | publisher = [[Barnes & Noble]] | year = 2003 | pages = 49 | isbn = 0-7607-4893-4}}</ref> the maxi-single ended up being released exclusively in the United Kingdom a few days before the tour's completion.

Released exclusively in the UK, the EP was difficult to obtain elsewhere, with only 3,000 copies of the maxi-single pressed on 12-inch [[gramophone record|vinyl]] and CD. Both vinyl and CD counterfeit copies exist, with the vinyl copies varying in color. The official 12-inch vinyl was pressed only on black vinyl. The cover art was photographed by Cobain's then-girlfriend Tracy Marander at a May 26, 1989 concert at the [[Green River Community College]] in [[Auburn, Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livenirvana.com/concerts/89/89-05-26.php|title = Live Nirvana &#124; Concert Chronology &#124; 1989 &#124; May 26, 1989 - Lindbloom Student Center, Green River Community College, Auburn, WA, US}}</ref> Marander shot the back cover photo as well.

"Stain" was re-released by [[DGC Records]] in December 1992, on the band's rarities compilation, ''[[Incesticide]]''. The ''Blew'' version of "Been a Son", hailed by [[Kurt St. Thomas]] as the "definitive take" due to its trashy sound and pronounced bass solo,<ref name="St Thomas 1">{{cite book|last=St. Thomas|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt St. Thomas|year=2004|title=Nirvana: The Chosen Rejects|location=[[New York City]]|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|isbn=0312206631|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312206635/page/54 54]|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312206635/page/54}}</ref> remained a rarity until it was re-released in October 2002 on the band's first best-of compilation, ''[[Nirvana (Nirvana album)|Nirvana]]''.<ref name="Goldmine">{{cite web |last=Gaar |first=Gillian G |date=March 31, 2020 |url=https://www.goldminemag.com/collectors-corner-collector-resources/a-look-at-nirvanas-collectible-recordings |title=A look at Nirvana's collectible recordings |publisher=[[Goldmine (magazine)|Goldmine]] |access-date=April 1, 2020}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Kurt Cobain, except where noted
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Blew
| length1 = 2:56
| title2 = [[Love Buzz#Nirvana version|Love Buzz]]
| writer2 = [[Robbie van Leeuwen]]
| total_length = 6:32
| note2 = [[Shocking Blue]] cover
| length2 = 3:36
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title3 = [[Been a Son]]
| length3 = 2:22
| title4 = Stain
| length4 = 2:38
| total_length = 5:00
11:32
}}

*"Blew" and "Love Buzz" were previously released on Nirvana's 1989 debut album ''[[Bleach (Nirvana album)|Bleach]]'', but "Love Buzz" was not included on the original 1989 UK version. In its place was "Big Cheese", the B-side to the US "Love Buzz" single. Therefore, the ''Blew'' EP was the first time that "Love Buzz" was officially released in the UK. However, "Love Buzz" was included on the 1992 UK re-issue of ''Bleach''.
*"Been a Son" was later released on the 2002 "best-of" compilation, ''[[Nirvana (Nirvana album)|Nirvana]]''. An alternate version appeared on the 1992 compilation, ''[[Incesticide]]''.
*"Stain" was later released on ''Incesticide''.

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1989)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts|UK Indie Singles]] ([[MRIB]])<ref name="ukindie"/><ref name="MelodyMaker15"/>
| 15
|-
! scope="row"| [[UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts|UK Indie Singles]] (''[[NME]]'')<ref>{{cite news |date=November 18, 1989 |title=Charts |work=[[NME]] |url=https://postimg.cc/F18KkvF9 |page=60 |access-date=June 15, 2022 |quote=Bleu}}</ref>
| 8
|}

==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col" style="width:6em;"| Publication
! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Country
! scope="col"| Accolade
! scope="col"| Rank
|-
! scope="row"| 2023
| ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| style="text-align:center"| United States
| ''Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thomas Erlewine |first1=Stephen |title=Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked |url=https://www.avclub.com/essential-nirvana-best-songs-ranked-1850854298/slides/3 |access-date=22 September 2023 |work=The A.V. Club |date=21 September 2023}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 29
|}

==Other releases==
*A live version, recorded at the [[Pine Street Theatre]] in [[Portland, Oregon]] on February 9, 1990, was released in November 2009 on the 20th anniversary "Deluxe" version of ''Bleach'', which featured the complete Pine Street show as bonus material.
*A live version, recorded at the [[Paramount Theatre (Seattle, Washington)|Paramount Theatre]] in Seattle on October 31, 1991, appeared on the live video ''[[Live at the Paramount (video)|Live at the Paramount]]'', released in September 2011.
*A live version, recorded at the [[Paradiso (Amsterdam)|Paradiso]] in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands on November 25, 1991, appeared as the final track on the live compilation, ''[[From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah]]'', in November 1996. Video of this version of the song was released in November 2006, when it appeared on the bonus disc of DVD release of ''[[Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!]]''. The full Paradiso show was released on CD and Blu Ray on the 30th anniversary "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" versions of ''Nevermind'' in November 2021. 
*The 30th anniversary "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" versions of ''Nevermind'' also featured live performances of "Blew" from the band's shows at  [[The Palace (entertainment complex)|The Palace]] in [[Melbourne]], Australia on February 1, 1992, and the [[Nakano Sunplaza]] in [[Tokyo, Japan]] on February 19, 1992.
*A live version, from the band's appearance at the 1992 [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading Festival]] in [[Reading, England]] on August 30, 1992, was released on CD and DVD on ''[[Live at Reading]]'' in November 2009.
*A live version, from the band's performance on December 13, 1993 at [[Central Waterfront, Seattle|Pier 48]] in Seattle, Washington, recorded for MTV, was released on the live video ''[[Live and Loud (video)|Live and Loud]]'' in September 2013.
*Two live versions of "Blew," from the band's concerts at the [[Great Western Forum]] in [[Inglewood, California]] on December 30, 1993, and at the [[Mercer Arena|Seattle Center Arena]] in Seattle on January 7, 1994, appear on the 30th anniversary "Super Deluxe" reissue of Nirvana's final studio album, ''[[In Utero]]'', released in October 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Jazz |title=Nirvana Reissuing In Utero With 2 Unreleased Live Albums for 30th Anniversary |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/nirvana-reissuing-in-utero-with-unreleased-tracks-for-30th-anniversary/ |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=Pitchfork |issue=5 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Deaux |first=John |date=September 5, 2023 |url=https://allabouttherock.co.uk/nirvana-in-utero-30th-anniversary-multi-format-reissues-arrive-october-27-2023/ |title=Nirvana In Utero: 30th anniversary multi-format reissues arrive October 27, 2023 |work=allabouttherock.co.uk |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref>

==Personnel==
'''Nirvana'''
*[[Kurt Cobain]] – guitar, vocals
*[[Krist Novoselic]] – bass guitar
*[[Chad Channing]] – drums

'''Production'''
*[[Jack Endino]] – production for "Blew" and "Love Buzz"
*[[Steve Fisk]] – production for "Stain" and "Been a Son"

'''Additional Personnel'''
* Tracy Marander – [[photography]]

==See also==
*''[[Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.livenirvana.com/digitalnirvana/discography/nirvana/blew.html Blew EP on Nirvanadiscography.com]
*[http://www.livenirvana.com/official/blew.html Live Nirvana Companion to Official Releases – Blew EP]
*[http://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/september-1989.php Live Nirvana Sessions History – September 1989]

{{Nirvana (band)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1989 debut EPs]]
[[Category:Nirvana (band) EPs]]
[[Category:Sub Pop EPs]]
[[Category:American garage rock songs]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Jack Endino]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Steve Fisk]]