Polly: Nirvana's Darkest Song
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2019
- MY BOOK OF ESSAYS IS OUT NOW!
AMAZON: amzn.to/3dk14yu
EVERYWHERE ELSE: bit.ly/3qJEbHT
Support Nerdwriter videos: / nerdwriter Subscribe: bit.ly/SubNerdwriter
Watch the most popular Nerdwriter episodes: • How Donald Trump Answe...
Facebook: / the-nerdwriter-3141415...
Twitter: / theenerdwriter
Patreon: / nerdwriter
SOURCES
Jessica L. Wood, "Pained expression: metaphors of sickness and signs of 'authenticity' in Kurt Cobain's "Journals"
Popular Music Vol. 30, No. 3 (October 2011), pp. 331-349
NYTimes original review of Nevermind:
www.nytimes.com/1991/09/27/ar...
Band and producer talking about the track:
• Nevermind: Chapter 8 -...
Cobains 1991 NME interview:
www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/n...
Cobain's 1992 Guitar World interview
www.guitarworld.com/artists/k...
Amazing site containing catalogue of Kurt's equipment, where I found the receipt for the Stella
www.kurtsequipment.com/
Polly wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polly_(...)
News clipping of '87 crime that inspired the song:
news.google.com/newspapers?id...
Duane Fish, "Serving the servants: An analysis of the music of Kurt Cobain"
www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.10...
MUSIC
Blue Wednesday, "Birthday Girl"
/ birthday-girl
Watch More Nerdwriter:
Latest Uploads: • Video
Understanding Art: • What The Truman Show T...
Essays About Art: • What The Truman Show T...
Essays About Social Science: • How To Correct Donald ...
Popular Videos: • How Donald Trump Answe...
The Nerdwriter is a series of video essays about art, culture, politics, philosophy and more. - บันเทิง
The more I learn about kurt cobain, the more I miss this man I never met
Zachary Meyer same
Same
Yeah I wonder what he would think of our world today.
Absolutely! I'm 25 year old girl from Russia, but I still love his music his voice. And very miss him
Truer words have never been spoken
I wonder what he was thinking when he finished the song and people cheer like that.
“Are you not entertained!?”
Would you rather they booed at the end? You can cheer a performance even if you don't agree with the subject matter. Many of my favorite films have dark subject matter. Doesn't mean I condone the actions taken within the movie.
@@jimmym3352 lol, relax man. It was just a thought.
Probably dumb motherf**kers
@@automaticchic Because you're so enlightened, you wouldn't clap at the end of a song.
Kurt had a lot of female friends in high school. He hated how his male classmates and boys treated them like objects and only wanted them for sex and other things. So he treated woman with respect and dignity. That’s one thing I respect about him.
@@matildadalwood7619 you know that whole story was made up by Kurt himself right?
@@guy8643 had no clue
@@matildadalwood7619 I only listened to it yesterday. He didn’t actually take advantage of her. But from what I heard, it was an imaginary story.
@@matildadalwood7619 was just a story my friend
@@matildadalwood7619 You know he had a fucked up sense of humor and made shit up, right? Wait until you find out he never lived under a bridge (referenced in Something In The Way).
Kurt being an ardent feminist is totally lost on so many male fans. They love to dunk on gnc and female fans and Cobain would def be against that
@@sanorajosefine2050 no one is gatekeeping nirvana haha they're one of the most popular bands on earth you're not special and if you are a huge nirvana fan you know he would hate all this fake shit you use for attention taking away from real victims
I think you’ve just proven a point, my friend
I think that, more than anything, Kurt really hated extremists. I, obviously, didn't know the man, but that's just what I've observed. He had no problem with religion, but hated when people went too far with it. He had no problem with men, but hated the toxic aspect of it. Likewise, I do not believe he would support today's feminism, as it toes the line between equality and irrational extremism.
@@localcryptid42 no everyone just wants to be a victim today its what's popular and it hurts the actual victims because people will eventually stop caring ever heard the story of "boy cries wolf"
@@tyrantteeth2654 i agree with you for the most part
Kurt: *writes deep songs about rape, sexism etc*
Also kurt: *writes a song about deodorant*
No he didn’t...he didn’t even know that that it existed...
@@Skabanis but basically it is a song about deodorant
That's the drugs
anonimouz 2313 perfume*
@@benjaminunraudyck2324 which one?
That man was brilliant, and is extremely missed
Yup I was thinking today, imagine an album by kurt written in his 30s, or 40s, or 50s etc we never got to witness that journey and in my opinion the best artists keep growing their craft over time, see David Bowie or Bjork, their work never became repetitive
Overrated drivel. Alice in Chains were the true kings of grunge.
@@BlGGESTBROTHER Nobody asked you lol
@@BlGGESTBROTHER Still respect your opinion but seriously....You shouldn't have written that shit...
Big Brother lol no one asked. But yet again you’re watching this.
"Polly wants a cracker, I think I should get off her first."
WHAT. A. FIRST. LINE. Shows just how good a songwriter he is.
exactly
like just. ugh the transition from the playful and innocent line of "polly wants a cracker" and then the dark implications of "think i should get off her first"
Oh, man....always thought this song was about a bird lmao
Kurt: sings a serious song about rape
People in the crowd: *vibe*
Foster the people: sings a Song about a school shooting
The people: vibe
@@femboyinator9355 in mexico all our songs or corridos sound lit and its all about shooting rival people amd mutilating there rivals lol its just a thing
@@ishrendon6435 *Reggaeton playing*
"Mutilate you, mutilate you, mutilate you esse!" *da doo thunk*
Ah, so that's why Mexico's a shit hole. :D
...Cobain's look at the end when everyone claps for their song. It feels like a palpable disappointment -- that the audience didn't listen to the song and merely consumed the experience.
I wondering if anyone else caught that. Although I kind of thought he was deeply angered but holding it in, cuz he knew that he knew what the words meant and they most assuredly did not.
@@dharmapunk777 That face is the manifestation of the lyrics to In Bloom.
@@novachaser he did look angry and disappointed. I caught that too. Just sucks the guy couldn't stand himself and probably hated what he saw in the mirror and thinking he became a rock cliche. Unfortunately he didn't realize he wasn't a rock cliche until he decided to leave us. Sucks bad.
He was way to sensitive and too smart for his own good. Apparently he couldn't take rejection or criticism all that well. Just my observations/2 cents. Unfortunately I think he thought he was some rock cliche sellout and couldn't stand himself. He wasn't a cliche until he pulled that trigger and joined the club. Ashame.
First thought I had
Kurt was such an empath, constantly acknowledging and acting for a cause, that he took it all in and suffered by himself.
CheesecakeLasagna I love cheesecake, lasagna, Kurt Cobain, and Ed Edd N Eddy
CheesecakeLasagna 🦋That’s how it is for most empathic people. That’s why many should learn meditation techniques and crystals for protection. But mainstream media always behave like it means nothing but it does help.🦋
@@autumnhomer9786 Because most people are aware it's completely useless (except for the placebo effect). No scientific proof.
Empaths: sometimes I can tell how people are feeling simply by deciding how I think they feel in my mind and instantly believing it.
@@skylarsaysstuff meditation or crystals?
Sometimes I think about how dark his songs are and it makes me wonder exactly how dark his mind was ,a place he had to navigate all on his own. And then I think it's a miracle that he made it living with those dark thoughts as long as he did before giving up. It's sad that with so many people that felt so connected to him he didn't feel he had enough gelp.
You should check out his art. I can't even begin to describe it, it's so specific and unique. It's dark and different from anything I've ever seen, it's haunting. It gives you even a deeper insight of what went on inside his head. He made a self portrait of himself as a white, long, skinny creature. He didn't see himself as human and in a couple of songs he sings about looking ugly. He was an outcast growing up so maybe that's why he saw himself as such a distorted version of himself since he was 'different' from the other kids, weirder, they just looked at him differently. We can see just a glimpse of what went on in his head through his music and art and it fascinates me. True talent.
I suppose one could keep going to church on Sundays and hear hymms of how great and wonderful the God who created us all is !
"Something in the way" is perfect for describing clinical depression so I think its safe to say he suffered from it. I wish I could create something that made people understand schizophrenia better, people don't care to educate themselves so it would be nice to trick them into learning about mental illnesses. Oh well.
@@informitas0117
Have you tried?
Who says you couldn't?
The difference between artists like Kurt and everyone else is they keep going.
They do it. They don't just wish.
@UCeP5PvVYUV--AzxT3vdMTrg Kurt tried like hell. So do all people with mental illness. To hell with you for wrongfully assuming and asserting otherwise.
He was on another level of genius. I couldn't even imagine singing something like this, nevermind writing it. He literally traumatized himself irreversibly for us.
“Nevermind writing it”
S-tier pun
Some people are too deep and too beautiful for this harsh world- Kurt was one of them.
Cherster, kurt and many others.
Yup. Kurt couldn't deal with all the hate, racism, sexism, homophobia combined with the pressure of being the world's biggest star at the time and the pressure of having a child.
@@LoekTheKing Loek, the pressures that guy would've had on him at the time of his death..lets just say they were a mile long. Im not convinced he was murdered, despite the evidence to the contrary..because I have known stronger people that have committed suicide because they just couldn't give up drugs.With all the other stresses he had on top of that I couldn't imagine the hell he was going through on the weeks leading up to his death.Such a sad story.
@@angeepanjee Yeah, he has unfortunately committed suicide. The murder conspiracy theories can be debunked. El Duce has spread the lie that Courtney had offered her $50k to get money and Tom Grant's movie _Soaked in Bleach_ has a disclaimer at the end stating the movie is fictional. It's all about money. No respect for Kurt's death.
@@LoekTheKing Soaked in Bleach was not a document, it was acted. But there is nothing that debunks the levels of heroin in Kurt's blood, which would have made him instantly unconscious. Also no fingerprints in the gun, or shells, or in the pen that was supposedly used to write the note. Also Kurt was getting divorced, and called lawyer to form a will where Courtney would get nothing. Pretty interesting time to commit suicide before finalizing that will.
El Duce passed polygraph twice with two different experts. So that part certainly is true. Though it doesn't prove much. But there is so much evidence that supports it being a murder. Only thing that supports suicide is Courtney's lies.
Only thing that would respect Kurt's life is opening the case again. Seattle Police phucked up the case completely and made huge amount of massive mistakes, and media just ran with whatever Courtney fed to them.
People who still believe it was a suicide should investigate it more. There are lots of good information and sources on youtube alone, and many experts of their own fields explain the evidence.
polly, it’s the song that means the most to me. I was sexually assaulted by someone who was 16, i was 12 at the time. It wasn’t as bad as the meaning of polly. Still it speaks to me.
I am so sorry :(
That's horrible, good on you for getting through it
😩
I'm sorry for you, darling
my best friend has a similar story. was raped when she was 11 at a party. rapist never found
Honestly I always thought “Paper Cuts” was the most disturbing and dark. Just a song about parents, torturing, neglecting and locking their kids in the Attic for most of their lives really creeps me out. Don’t get me wrong Polly is really disturbing but its just really creepy from Kurts perspective as he grew up in a neighborhood near these kids and it’s just chilling to know what was really going on once they were caught.
2nd darkest song wouldn't get as many clicks tho
Okay, but, why isnt anyone talking about how calming his voice is? Like, it's so calming to the point to were i want him to read me a story when I go to bed XD
@Oli The Killjoy I think it's Kurt lmao
IKR, when he is not screaming he has such a soft and calming voice💖
Fun Fact: Polly was the first song written and recorded on Nevermind since Kurt read about the tragedy in 1989.
It wasn't written for the never mind album because it was also on the incesticide album
Goggle products can I have some of whatever you're smoking? 😂😂
Goggle products "So the cops knew that Internal Affairs was setting them up?"
@Goggle products Ok buddy
Goggle products I’m going to guess you’re in the middle of a manic episode? That was one of the most nonsensical streams of consciousness I’ve ever read and could actually feel the mental illness through my phone.
I don't know why, but I get the feeling that Kurt got a little annoyed every time people cheered after this one. The expression on his face when the song is finished at around 6:34 comes across to me as a "these guys are totally missing the point, but this _is_ just a concert anyway, so I can't blame them" kinda look. But I'll stop trying to get into this guy's head. For all I know, he's just thinking about getting a Big Mac after the show.
Lmaoo
He often looked apathetic though
Literally every Nirvana fan ever tries to disguise themselves as the demons in Kurt's head lmao
Pabs Padillahh why is that so true😂
I think he cared a lot, especially about issues of abuse and abuse of women and issues like that, or why would he write so many songs about it, so you are defenitly right about that, and he was a rock star at a concert; entertaining people while the often dark subject matter of their songs were trying to convey a message to help people understand and be better people... if someone said these lyrics at a poetry club or something I'd expect there would be a different reaction, so you are also very correct about that...
The bands music almost always has some seemingly or actually contradictory element- Poetic lyrics written about the root issues of people and society as a whole--- conveyed using extreme examples at times, and sometimes such simple subject matter
Some people fail to listen to one of their albums, stare at the cover, and the album name and put all the pieces together of what they are talking about.
People are more obsessed about him because he comes across as humble, not too caring about money, lyrics that whether they completely comprehend the ideas too or not, try still get the idea that he cares about fixing society in some way, oh and he died young and when they were still very popular in terms o media coverage so that's enough for many sheep to join the train, we like to constantly bicker about who's a sheep and not because we all want to deny that we can be easily led in some way or another
If you watch that documentary on him that came out a few years ago - there's even a dark part in their where it talks about the time he was 13 or something and he was somewhat intimate with a handicapped girl or something.... he clearly wasn't perverted... he was obviously even at this early age: so confused by all the people around him having bad intent towards others, lacking complete comprehension for people's alterior motives when it came to taking advantage of others or generally by people hurt each other.... a diamond in a penny mine kind of ...I think he was a "pure" soul deep down, too good for this society in a way, even though that sounds like one of those cliche comments about suicide at an early age..
But yeah, many people were often confused because he was a rock n roll star, had a "bad" attitude sometimes or whatever they interpreted i
He cared enough as a man about issues we all should, and also never really came across with a victim mentality, he had the inner strength of being a good person and also the bad boy image of being strong ,
there's a right way to rebel, and a wrong way, He also had a good sense of humour and some witty one-liners and comebacks,... many good qualities,.... people usually don't like their smart people funny too, or their good looking people smart, they like their caring people to be overly - sympathetic and weak, and so on, Which is Very hypocritical instead of someone who had many admirable aspects to himself, very contradictory to some people's genuine comprehension of just a regular guy,
People like to put things in boxes and put labels on them... maybe because they are constantly buying things in boxes with labels on them 😂
Kurt was a lyrical artist and an empathetic, emotional genius. He was in a class by himself ..no other male artist came close and even today..nobody can or has come close. Anything else I could say about him would sound too cliché.. and if there's one thing Kurt Cobain is not-it's cliché. I miss him unbearably. Wish he knew the deep impact he had on those of us lucky enough to watch him come into his own from the very beginning. This man changed the world.
Lol, he was a basic artist. That's what artist do. He wasn't special, he wasn't unique. He made music for his brief time that was ok.
@@MrMattnis1 nah.
"No one came close"?? Kurt was a talented artist but he is NOTHING compared to Michael Jackson, all The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, etc. Be realistic.
No male artist? Name a female artist who came close.
@@cboisandlin9601 janis joplin, amy winehouse, aretha franklin, why not houston and carrey even tho they are on separate field of music...
This video literally made me cry. Kurt killed himself when I was in 6th grade, Nirvana was a massive influence on my life and it changed my life in ways that deeply affected other peoples lives. I can faithfully say that Nirvana and Kurt's contributions to art have greatly changed mine and many of my friends lives for the better.
This man was ahead of his time.
Just imagine the music they could’ve produced. Another legend gone too soon.
both Nirvana and Fugazi th-cam.com/video/emvJoY6ZuMQ/w-d-xo.html
why was he ahead? he fitted perfectly in to the 90's
@@lala-iy7cj and he fits perfectly now. thats why.
Everyone else was behind*
After hearing this song 20 years later it's truly disturbing.
Monica Smith
I know!
@Apod Weezy I'm straight. We're equally unique and important.
It wasn't disturbing to you originally?
Brad Miller ig he didnt know was probably young when nevermind dropped
@@etangbose4755 is your argument that children don't find rape disturbing? Cause I sure did.
I love how kurt cobain was a feminist lgbtq ally and anti racist in a time where that wasn't mainstream like i love that man with all my heart he is my favourite male feminist
he actually wanted to experiment with men but never really got the chance
@@flutterbatt Huh?
@@Nikita-qb7xd He considered himself bi and even said he could have been gay if he hadn't met Courtney Love.
He would have hated what it's all become tho
@@prestonhebb1380 nah
Kurt was an absolute guitar genius. The solo from "heart shape box" and "serve the servants" was sheer brilliance
Really wish you could do an entire series on cryptic lyrics by alternative/punk bands. Punk is a surprisingly mysterious and vague subgenre when it comes to lyrics.
i don't think it's that vague once you get into it, me and my dad have been listening/discussing punk for years.
Yeah, NOFX's "My Heart is Yearning" is opaque as fuck. I've been puzzling over it for 25 years now, exploring its subtleties and nuances.
Sifat Shams no wtf that sounds gay
Complex Outlaw I think you’re in the wrong place. The Gavin McInnes videos are over there 👉
Siouxsie & the Banshees' Arabian Nights. Why didn't people listen?
And I thought it was about a parrot.
Ann George same here lol
Anne yes!
Same here
Lol wow
*envisioning Kurt getting off his giant pet parrot’s back*
He definitely had childhood trauma that he never dealt with. Tragic
thanks sherlock
@@lavenderhands IM TRYING TO BE SAD DUDE LMFAO JSGAGAVS
His parents divorced his step-dad was breaking his mom's Arms and his step mom was like the typical evil step mom so his dad kicked him out and he used to go from a relatives house to another every couple month then he came back in 8th grade to his mom's house in the last class he dropped out and didn't get a job so his mom kicked him out.
@@p3tro722 lmao
@@lavenderhands how is that funny? Your username says a lot about you.
I wasn’t even alive when he died and I can’t believe he’s gone. You can tell he was such a good man. Well ahead of his time.
Not being racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. shouldn’t be political, it’s called being a human being and having empathy. Rest In Peace Kurt. (Edit: Yes, I’m aware what political definition they were using I’m saying it SHOULDN’T be political.)
Fear of the "other" has been the theme of all human conflicts across history
lol im homophobic
FriedSaltIs Here do you want a cookie for being an ass
FriedSaltIs Here then I think you clicked on the wrong video
Religion plays into alot of these
The unplugged version of the song is much more powerful. The slight change to the lyrics make it clear the song was intended as a conversation between the rapist and his victim. A conversation dominated by the rapist to be sure but with just this tiny little voice of the victim that turns the whole thing like the victim did in the real story. People have to remember that it wasn't just another sick individual getting busted that prompted Kurt to write the song. If it had just been a story about another sick fuck getting busted he probably would have forgotten seeing it on the news by the end of the day and he sure as hell wouldn't have written a song about the fucker. The song is about Polly - not the rapist. The reason he wrote the song is because it is a story about a chick who was stronger and more badass at 14 than any of us will ever be. The chick was hitchhiking home after a concert when she took the wrong ride. She was tied up, tortured and raped repeatedly, but that's still not what prompted him to write the song. It was her strength and survival and how she got away that prompted him to write the song. This 14 year old chick stayed calm and rational enough through the rape and torture to play into the dude's sick fantasies to the point he started to believe she was into it and then made him believe it enough that he untied her and took her out for food where she escaped and ran into a convenience store to call the police. No one was going to help her so she helped herself. The song is dark to be sure but it was a celebration of the strength of the girl as well.
LordPadriac this comment makes me happy
That's a very interesting aspect. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't believe it is revealed anywhere in this video that Polly eventually gets away. I suppose it was either irrelevant or perhaps even counter-productive to the angle that this is Kurt's darkest song.
LordPadriac Oh lord! Didn’t know she made it out alive! Glad to hear that.
@@heydannypark
Musically, there's the repetitions, yet how does the track end?
That last line, then that chord.
-sustain......
Last crash is a splash.
Even after hearing the song end, it'll repeat with a random flash backs....
Gotta be alive to remember ;)
The Man was so far beyond Genious.
Isn't one of the final lines "it amazes me, the will of instinct" which i thought described how she managed to convince him to untie her and she found her opportunity to escape and took it.
Kurt always expressed his views and wasn’t afraid of being ahead of topics and most of the things he talked about back then are things that are top topics today
Damn I wish he was still with us. Talented, artistic and beautiful souls like his are too rare. His empathy and compassion for marginalized groups and his willingness to listen to them and share their message is inspiring.
Kurt was a soft spoken guy with a lot of heart. He really made a big impact on my youth. I remember always being able to escape into the music.
hence the name nirvana. its cool how their band name ties into their music and what it does to you.
Kurt had a lot of compassion and his lyrics: modern poetry. Thank you for showing the callousness of the rapist. I hope boys get raised better now.
It's a shame his demons got to him, he really was a tortured soul. RIP Cobain.
I heard Nirvana pretty much when I was 14-16 years old. Didnt know what the song was about, so thank you for opening up my eyes. I would really like to see more essays on songs.
None of us who grew up during the time of Nirvana knew what the songs were about! Lol
@@paranormalrushhour I knew it wasn't about no bird lol, "maybe I should get off her first" and the "blow torch" pretty much gave that away. We knew it was sexually unsettling at least. I'm pretty sure Kurt did explain this early on in an interview during the height of success but it may have been later during In Utero. But yea, I'll admit my mind didn't go as far as rape. But in retrospect, I suppose it should have.
@@paranormalrushhour I'm not claiming to be a mass expert, but I knew back then what Polly & many of their other songs were about; often due to reading interviews.
@@bolderyman6089 Yeah, I knew it wasn't about a bird too lol. We did know enough not to take Kurt's words at face value!
@@deadpopstar I remember certain one's that he talked about. However, there were a bunch that never really got addressed.
Kurt cobain was a genius. It’s so sad that he isn’t with us anymore
Hello, Nina. My name is Michael. I was wondering if you'd like to talk with me and get to know each other? If so, may we exchange numbers?
I hate how the talented,special,genuine souls end up being the first to die off from unfortunate circumstances while were stuck with the trash and scum when it comes to music
@@hybridlearning7202are you fucking serious?
@@wolfgang6442 yup, people like nick hartkop, chris brown and drake (asw as others i cant think of rn) are still making music get getting views and likes for it
he wouldn't want to see what have the West done with feminism today. Feminism today isn't feminism at all. It is the self degradation & degeneration of female folks.
he did what he had to do and let him rest in peace. dont bring him back for the dead so that he had to shoot himself again seeing what we allowed to happen because it is politically correct.
and "LEAVE THE KIDS ALONE" .
His music was INSANE, Polly has to be one of my all time favorites, such a deep meaning behind it, I get chills every time I listen to it, all his music was AMAZING tho 🖤
Same with pumped up kicks
this is the first nirvana song I ever remember hearing, my dad had to inform me it wasn't about a bird
You had a dad smart enough to know and care, that's a good thing.
I can only imagine how that would have been like...
I actually thought it was about a bird until a few minutes ago ;D
damn this was brilliant it's weird how you can hear a song so many times without fully processing the lyrics
Everytime. I never really pay attention to the lyrics much even tho so many years passes where meanings flew over my head
This happens to me a lot with Atmosphere's music, I was just talking with my buddy about this two nights ago actually! Some of the themes or lines you just dont make a connection to until all so suddenly it just clicks in your head. A line from the song 'Dreamer' off When Life Gives you Lemons Paint That Shit Gold sticks out to me with this lyrical process of understanding is
'big boss at work is anxious,
continues to hand her the wrong advances
She passes the test
She knew the answers
Quit the job to go take her chance with life.
This is life we all scream while we pray for dollars and we work for change'
It took I think the current relevance of the me too movement for me to get the 'wrong advancements' line, albeit I was a bit younger when I first started listening so I took a more literal approach to its meaning.
Still happens quite often with their music and I always look forward to those moments of clarity
Ps. Sorry for the long ass reply lol my bad
Listening is a learned skill.
@Mundane Pixels the song is called in Bloom lol
Man. Just videos of Kurt make me happy. I'm so sad I never got to attend a nirvana concert, breaks my heart he had to go at such a young age.
i heard this song for the first time in my senior year of high school. a year before i first listened to it, i had been raped by some fellow classmates. this song made me feel oddly comforted despite the fact that it’s so dark. it didn’t put blame on the victim, nor did it sensationalize something so awful. it makes the listener uncomfortable, and the sheer rawness of the song makes it feel so painfully human. this song is admittedly really hard for me to listen to, but i still hold it really dear to me. i appreciate kurt for everything he did for me and for millions of others. i hope he is resting peacefully knowing so many people still listen to his voice on a daily basis.
I love how you synced the music to him strumming in each little clip
I read that when Bob Dylan heard them play Polly, he was impressed by Kurt's intellect.
"the kid's got heart" I believe is what Dylan was quoted as saying
Bob dylan is literal garbage
Dangerous Discourse Bob Dylan is Garbage? You’re nuts. His first self titled album has tracks on it that really remind me of Kurt. I wouldn’t doubt he was inspired by Dylan. Listen to the song “Fixin to Die” by Dylan and you’ll see what I’m saying
@@dangerousdiscourse troll
@@dangerousdiscourse what did just you say ? he wrote all along the watchtower do you think that's garbage?
Polly, Papercuts, and Floyd the Barber are all an unholy trinity of dark music
Uhm... you kinda... uhm... forgot...
*PUMPED UP KICKS*
Listen to One Metallica if you want another dark song
@@FenderJaywhich one
In all 16 years of my life I've probably heard the song over 100 times no exaggeration and did not know it was about that subject
Same. And I'm 50 now.
It didn't help that Nevermind didn't come with a lyrics sheet.
This is back before the internet mind you.
He’s the one who likes all our pretty songs and he likes to sing along and he likes to shoot his gun but he...
I thought it was about a bird who wanted a cracker
@@treyg8148 me too bro
I first started listening to nirvana when I was about ten. Polly was always my favourite song, just because I liked the tune. I ended up actually listening to the lyrics a couple of years ago, and was weirded out that this was one of my favourite songs as a prepubescent kid
It could be worse, you could be OJ Simpsons Twitter.
100% me too... except i never looked up the lyrics or knew the songs backstory til nerdwriter. now i'm a bit weirded out. still its a beautiful song
As a kid in the 70's I was singing "Nothing to Lose" by Kiss out loud word for word.
I was clueless to the fact that the song is about butt fucking.
"He's the one who likes all our pretty songs..."
Black Sheep's "U Mean I'm Not" ¬_¬ 🤦
When I was young I thought it was about someone loving their parrot
yes... the same goes for me, the song came out when i was like 8 or 9 years old, and i always though that 'Polly wants a cracker' was about a bird... sad.
He used that phrase because it’s a common one used to train parrots, meaning the rapist was training Polly to do what he wants and to not resist. This line would normally be “cute” but he places it in dark context.
You're like the little blind boy from dumb and dumber lol
@@soufiansfn7265 Billy in 4C?
I always thought it was about a person but I didn’t know it was about rape
As a person who got harassed when i was only thirteen, this song hit me like a bus in many places and helped me get over all those horrible experiences i've experienced just because i am a girl.
6:19 Exactly, you put out a flame by spraying the base not the top
I wonder if he was disappointed every time an audience cheered after a performance of Polly.
I'm sure he would have been super disappointed when people showed appreciation for his art.
He also hated the fact that fans at shows would jam out to the song Rape Me.
He did, that's basically what In Bloom is about.
@@AnalogDrift excellent point 🍻🍻🍻🍻!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O Jesus I thought u fuckin people were being sarcastic. It's art for fuck sake. He wants you to experience and have different perspective to experience such a vile human being and for us to take a lesson from this horrible thing that happened. He wanted to warn us and inform us. He was not disappointed in his own creation. He was on stage like thinking to himself "what a bunch of fuckin sheep... conformists"
Actually the chorus goes like this:
D5 (5th and 7th fret on A and D strings)
C5 (3rd and 5th fret on A and D strings)
G5 (3rd and 5th fret on E and A strings)
Bb5 (1st and 3rd fret on A and D strings)
For anyone playing :)
hsmv dude, we’re talking about how dark the song was not how to play it
Nehemiah Zo,
Well, he did go into the songs composition and structure as well tbh, and while its darkness is probably what it will be remembered for, those four chords are surely just as important. So simple and yet so mesmerizing .Hard to believe that a $20 guitar bought from a pawnshop that had to be duct taped to stay in tune could produce such a sublime effect. I think they both ought to be worthy of being 'talked about' as you put it. Just my opinion though.
@@nehemiahzo_ I mean when you showcase how to play a song which is fundamentally wrong, than you can point it out. And even then he's wrong, the poster is also wrong too
Thanks!
Thanks man.
Can we all agree that Kurt was a lyrical genius
I've been a fan of Nirvana for coming on 30 years and Polly is one of my favourite songs and I never knew the story behind it until now, my mind is literally blown.
we were young and never paid attention to anything besides being pleasure driven then.
since July 1991. i remembered because i was blown away the first time when i heard Nevermind, nothing sounded quite like that in our part of the world (South East Asia)
The same week I learned Pumped up Kicks is about a school shooting.
"All the kids with pumped up kicks better run, better run faster than my bullet"
You couldnt tell that was a school shooting song?
@@isaac5771 I didn't realise until recently either. If you're not listening for the lyrics, and all you have to go on is an upbeat melody, it's not easy to figure out.
Isaac thing is tho is someone had to tell you, you didn’t hear that song for the first time and think oh SCHOOL SHOOTING lol
They beta run beta run
OUTRUN MY GUN!
@@isaac5771 would you believe that I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics and just enjoyed the melody and rhythm?
Kurt was an activist with a soul despite his own demons. A soft soul which is what i loved about him. His death wasn't scuicide but even if it was i don't blame his sweet nature for not being able to deal with the evil of the world which is likely the second biggest reason he loved heroin- for physical and emotional agony.
Yes. :(
People like you who make kurt into something he's not , a tortured crybaby martyr are the reason it was so easy for Courtney to get away with having him killed. Wake up and smell the coffee or keep feeding into the lies. You know what they say though, it's easier to fool someone then to convince them they've been fooled
3:21 "VANDALISM: BEAUTIFUL AS A ROCK IN A COP'S FACE"??? Whom or what , did he think, was going to protect the future Pollys of the world other than cops, courts, prisons and gas chambers? You can't just wish rapists and torturers away. I wouldn't defend everything cops do, or are compelled to do; no one would, but anyone who thinks life would be better without them isn't living in the real world.
@@Boecafzdobu i said that's why he loved heroin, i never said he killed himself bcoz i know he didn't. Even if suicide was on his mind he never got a chance. The evidence doesn't add up and anyone who looks into it can see that. Clearly he was murdered.
he was diagnosed with ADD as a child and bipolar as an adult. bipolar people are 20x more likely to end their life that non bipolar people. he was a heroin addict, had chronic stomach pain, and was not on any meds for bipolar. it's why you see him elated on stage smashing equipment, only to crash into an emotional void far worse than you can imagine. Our lifespans are cut short 9-20 years even if we don't try to kill ourselves. He had relatives on each side of his family that killed themselves, some in front of other relatives. This is our reality and conspiracy theories do not help. What I have told you are facts, conspiracy films and gossip are hearsay and no one was ever arrested in connection to his death. He'd already tried it in Rome. I was 18 and my friends and I were captivated. Still am.
This is my favorite Nirvana song of all time. Literally so beautiful and meaningful. Kurt was so talented man….
Gotta be honest, this song really hits. I was sexually abused by my brother when I was 9, he was 14. I'm 14 now. This song gets in my head
I'm so terribly sorry for that. I hate it when someone in the family snatches our cheruvic innocence away. It didn't need to happen, but he betrayed you, and his bequest alongside his soul. Afterwards, can you find it in your heart to forgive him? I mean: "It's gonna take some time to realign." Once again, I'm extremely sorry that you experienced something so abhorrent. I hope you can find solace in my post, and you can search for the ethereal paradise of infantile perfection. I am a childlike person myself, and I would feel the same way too. Be brave, and don't let it detour your conquest.
L
@@kylecope7554 🤨
@@VAMPIREMPIRES the song gets in his head like how his brother got in his guts
@@kylecope7554 that’s honestly not funny
I haven't heard somebody break down that song that well in a long long time
Or ever.
Love, kurdt. (The blonde one)
Me: *im not gonna crack*
@The Lone Outlaw *The blonde one*
*blond
I have the album where he spell his own name Kurdt
Kurdt
@@izzaghassani7187 which one
The way you dissect songs is amazing. Everything from meaning, lyrics and even chords. Happy to stumble across your profile.
Everyone saying Kurt looked disappointed when everybody clapped at the end… he was high as hell during the recording of MTV unplugged, you can tell by just looking at his eyes and jaw when he’s singing. He was probably indifferent to people clapping
This song was used in a Kids React video. I was shocked. Either the producers are idiots, or masochists.
those videos are so out of touch it just doesnt even surprise me
Yah I really don’t think they even thought out the song choices. They prolly took a fan’s list, or they just didn’t even realize.
@Ashley Alian those children don't even get it once they listen to it. Somehow they will later understand it for sure tho but not for noe
TheEre MaSochonIStS
It was made to shock not to be used against its will
It's just shocking how he was more progressive in his time than a lot of people now. Wonder how he would affect on rock music if he didn't go.
That's a good thing, if we get any more progressive or stunning+brave our world is finished, gone to the gutter
@@sskspartan maybe that's a good thing. This world is garbage for most people.
@@sskspartan shut up boomer
He wouldn't be a "progressive" by now, he liked speaking his mind too much for modern "Progressives".
@@Octavius0 Social media doesn't seem to exist in the strange world of Caesar Himself
"Polly is Nirvana's darkest song."
Floyd The Barber:
Sometimes hearing his voice makes me tear up
In college (96) I saw two girls getting ready to do an English presentation on the song, so I mentioned the true story rape event root of the song....and their heads exploded. They were thinking it was a love song or something. You could see their horror as they went through the lyrics from the rape/torture event interpretation.
How can anyone think this is a love song?
@@VickyG212 College girls no less!
how can one note realise what this song is about, English is my second language and this was pretty clear from the start - I remember teenage me hearing that song and thinking "that's pretty messed up...."
It is written clearly what the song is about.
I heard that song for the first time when I was 11. It took a bit to sink in what the meaning was, but I knew straight away it wasn't a love song. I was pretty sure it had a deeper meaning but I had no clue how dark it really was.
2:00 6:17 this man was a fucking legend. i wish we had more male celebrities that spoke out about this stuff like he did.
edit: god fucking damn y'all are pressed abt this , i was just stating MY OPINION. have a nice day, i hope you feel happy with yourself after trying to argue with a 14 year old on youtube
WRONG! the guys perspective about this is ambiguous as hell and he didnt end up well, he committed suicide! Of course i dont know what happened to him, but i dont fear to blame his perspective of things on how bad he dealt with his own issues. Feminist bullshit is just like any other religion, they just prey upon vulnerable people, it didnt do shit for him.
guillepankeke uh he wasnt suicidal , thats why so many people suspect his suicide was actually a murder. plus uh?? ITS MY OPINION , dumbass. stop arguing with 14 year olds online. if you're going to do that no matter what, dont fucking do it on a youtube video about kurt. its really disrespectful to him lmfao
Ric Ferr see my other comment :)
@@robbiehartstein7059 Wow you are really full of shit huh? conspiranoia, "MY OPINION" (4 years old voice), projecting... You could have used the arguments i gave you, you could have used some sense.
@Ric Ferr Youre joking right? i mean we are talking about him writing a song from the perspective of a serial killer who rapes and tortures a victim, calling her by name all the time bc he pretends to be a feminist who supposedly care about women while victimizing them all the time, IT DOESNT GET ANY MORE CONTRADICTORY THAN THAT! Thats irrational! and guess what, suicide is considered a psychotic break down. So screw you "Yeah yeah, vomiting suicidal thoughts"...
I feel the pain, the hopelessness and the heartbreak of empathy.. how soul destroying it is to see so much horror in this world and not be able to stop the suffering of so many people... Kurt.. I feel you .. my heart is broken.. peace, love, empathy, Kylei Kearns xx
I love this song. As a rape survivor the line ' amazes me the will instinct ' means something.
The chorus chords that you listed at 3:00 are incorrect. The chorus goes: D5, C5, G5, then Bb5.
Great analysis though.
Hahaha totally. Good pick.
Jay L I’m surprised so few people noticed this.
I was checking to see if this comment had been posted yet lol
And also, I would say this is not a song in Em (there´s not a G in the first chord, which would make it minor). Actually I have noticed that ambiguity between major and minor tones in other songs, like ´Rape Me´, in which the first chord sound major, but the very note he sings is the minor third of the chord. Interesting.
What the fuck is a D5, the 5 Implies that the fifth of D is played in the chord, but the fifth of D is A which is already in a D chord. If I’m wrong let me know
Is it just me or this guy has a really soothing voice
Kurt or the Narrator?
@@cmderfox5396 Imo both.
Amber Tacocat that’s an obvious captain duh with all due respect
Polly is one of my favorite Nirvana songs, it leaves me in tears almost everytime I listen to it. It such a heart wrenching song with such a depressing meaning.
Brilliant breakdown of this song. As someone who was a huge Nirvana fan in my teen years (in the 90s) and still today, it makes me so happy to see generation after generation fall in love with his music the way I did so many years ago.
When I first started playing music I thought Kurt was soo overrated
Like how dare he be compared to Hendrix and Morrison?
The older I get the more I realize how wrong I was and how cobain is remembered not for his guitar skills but his songwriting and lyricism...good shit great video
Sometimes simple is just best. The Unplugged version with Dave singing backing vocals is powerful.
I think a lot of it, even without necessarily having the best technical skills with his guitar or voice, he knew how to use both, as well as his lyrics, in a way that did (in my opinion) what art is meant to do - convey emotion. My favorite example (even though the lyrics aren't his) is their cover of Where Did You Sleep Last Night. Goosebumps every time
He was a poet first really
Kurt would have been 52 today. He is missed more than any artist I can think of. 😢
Chester Bennington too
i have to mention jim morrison
@Jane Doe "Interesting and talented".
Don't try to downplay Morrison's work. That's sad and pathetic.
While we're at it, seperate the person from the artist. Twat.
@Jane Doe Only if you share it with me, love. I never drink alone.
Fernoll seperate the art from the artist is stupid logic lol. would you still seperate the rape from the rapist?
the most incredible part about his song is that the lyrics sounds so good that you can enjoy the song without listening to the lyrics themselves, being so cryptic. But the song hits harder when you know the lyrics.
This was really thoughtful, articulate and well researched. I liked that you pointed out how poetic he was, even though he was always insisting that listeners dont read too deep into his words. Kurt was an incredible artist in every aspect of the word. I didn’t know that bit about the $30 guitar he used on the song, to give it that unpolished, authentic feel speaks to his gift as one of the greats in the world of true artists.
Anyway, really well done man. Really enjoyed. it.
They wrote polly to bluntly put it that this stuff actually happens.and he sees the world for what it is. He said something like that in one of his interviews.
Nirvana was the very first concert I've been to aged 13. All the angsty vibes fit me perfectly back then. My favourite being Lithium. As a young teen and second language speaker, I rarely connected the lyrics to real life. Whenever I did later they slightly weirded me out. Thank you for all the analysis you do.
Yeah! I understand you, Nirvana was one of my favorite bands in my early teenager angst years. And as a second language speaker, I actually thought he was referring to an actual bird, naïve me, I guess
What are your guys first language?
@@riflebusters1 Mine is German. But age 13 I actually lived in Dublin, and that's where I saw Nirvana with a bunch of friends.
@@unapatton1978 ahh,thats so cool
Have a great day
I know I'm a little late to the party but these videos really break down the music in a simultaneously digestible and informative way. Every song you discuss gives me a greater appreciation for the music. You're doing the lords work my man. Cheers.
Love this analysis 👍
The harmony of the song is so beautiful but also becomes so dark after you realize what it’s about.
Amazing art 🙌
Great essay 👍
I already know it's gonna be Rape Me-
Nerdwriter: Their darkest song is a song called Polly
O-oh.. ok...
I'm glad, I wasn't the only one who thought like that.
@KILL MEXICANS Trump 2020 I know, but it's still dark. It's specifically about a man who raped a girl, went to prison, then got raped by his cellmates
@@christophersteeves6097 Not sure if a reference to the song, or you're literally just saying "I'm not the only one"
@@happynewfears1805 no, it's about a girl being raped who's basically like "go ahead, you'll get what's coming to you." This is according to Kurt himself.
I don't get how people didn't understand this. It's so overtly in your face. He made no attempt whatever to hide what the song is about. 🤦🏼♂️
I am a simple man. I see Kurt, I click.
Connor ___ yeah that’s a pretty good way to bd
Same here
I’ve learned a lot about him today that made me appreciate Nirvana even more. I also caught on to the train pretty late (really late actually) but well worth the wait to find them when I’m old enough to understand
Thanks for this video! I really missed such a deep approach for a content. You're amazing!
I had no idea...how could I though
Dave has a floor tom mounted on his bass drum....it cracks me up for some reason
I got to enjoy this album when it came out, when I hear the music it literally takes me back to my early teenage years, it was one of the soundtracks of my youth. I feel lucky
Crazy Joe Davola I’m goinna buy a new Tom just to do that now 😂
@@tyree4202 - Haha...I play the drums, it just annoys me for some reason. I would never put up something that huge. I think he can afford a new one 😁
I’ve had Polly stuck in my head along with a few other non-Nirvana songs for so long.. Damn.
Edit: I should probably clarify I knew about this song's darker meaning, just not in such depths, so thank you so much for explaining.
i love kurt so much. the fact that kurt actually knew and was aware of the things around him and actually stands up for what he believes in, is amazing. i miss him more and more each day. i wish i met him.
I didn’t really start to hear the lyrics until I was 16 and now I’m 17 yes only a year later I’m listening to the lyrics but I started to listen to nirvana and I loved them since I was 6 to be around that age and I’ve never disliked their music. As usual I started with smells like teen spirit but true nirvana fans which many here would know there’s muck better than smells like teen spirit. One thing I told my friend who’s my age and listens to pretty much the stuff I listen I told him Kurt cobain could scream in some songs but he’s still a great singer in his own music he really doesn’t sing terribly
me: wow what a nice song.
my mind: IT’S NOT NICE
Dude...thanks for this. You nailed that discomfort I suffered with this song. Thanks for clarifying.
Softy
Allah Is gay cunty
That paramount concert is so amazing it made me happy to see those clips and know exactly which songs were being played
Thank you for covering this song. It's been on my mind for nearly 30 years.
Oh gosh. What a good man was Kurt. Boy you're so missed
Well Polly is one of my favorites by Nirvana but I have never seen before this song the way you described. And I am astonished at how much those lyrics hide within themselves. I gotta go and explore them from the scratch.
Same
@` Bwhahah absolutely.
@TheNewyorkdragon nearly every analysis on yt is a collection of fact based on other sources, why are you even here, just open up wikipedia then
Excellent analysis. I came to Nirvana later too. Even though I was older than Kurt and was heavily in the puck scene in the 80s. By the 90s I was ignoring most popular music, including rock and even punk, and going back to blues and folk roots. So when I moved to the Pacific Northwest in the early 2000s, I was immersed in a vibrant music scene that was high energy and faithful to its history. I drove a truck and listened to Nirvana all the time. I was shocked at what I had missed from a decade earlier.
Wow! 30..35 years later now I know why his songs were so catchy.. even i didn't know any English at the time! Love from El Salvador
05:50 as someone who has also lived with daily severe chronic pain for years I recognize that thousand yard stare immediately...
Exactly. Same.
I am impressed of what music genius this Blond guy is.
Was*
He had a name you know
Kurt's a poet, plain and simple. ("Is" because, hey, his music's still here, therefore so! is! his! soul!)
@@sai3342 kurt called himself "the blond one" as you can see in the video
2:02 ← there
Kurt was incredible and deep with his lyrics and all of them have a saying or meaning behind them and a message unlike most artists today
I’ve listened to this band ever since I could remember. This is my top favorite band. The history of his life, the bands life, and after is truly crazy.