The Laptop Sessions Cover Songs & Original Music Video Blog » Nirvana Songs

“Polly” (Nirvana Acoustic Cover Song) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:00:45 +0000

Originally posted 2008-10-14 22:18:13.

By Jeff Copperthite:

Good evening and welcome to another awesome edition of The Laptop Sessions! Tuesday is always a tricky day for me since I usually have school, then a couple of hours to practice and spend time with my wife, then my weekly Dynamis run. We had a good run tonight, but then I get to post my performance – and tonight it’s a new band!

The band I am featuring tonight is Nirvana, one of the most well-known alternative rock acts of all time. The song I am playing is from their awesome 1991 album “Nevermind”, and it is “Polly”. It’s a sweet, acoustic number that is kind of out of place on the album. All the songs have a grunge feel to them (perhaps not the last track, but the rest of them sure do), and this song breaks up the flow of the album, but in a good way. It makes all the songs not sound the same, and I think the hooking tracks were all singles, which is why the album sold so well in the first place.

The band was fronted by Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in the mid-90′s much to the dismay of many Nirvana fans. But that’s a topic you can read about nearly anywhere.

As far as me, I am nearing another viewcount milestone, and can’t wait to reach the 1/20 of a million mark (that’s for my students who say “I hate fractions”). I’ll be sure to let you know when I cross that threshold.

It’s also my birthday tomorrow – another year added on to my old fart status.

Enjoy tonight’s session, and report back tomorrow for another awesome original tune by Jim Fusco!

“About A Girl” (Nirvana Acoustic Cover) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:14:21 +0000

Originally posted 2009-04-23 22:38:11.

By Jeff Copperthite:

And a happy Thumpin’ Thursday to you as well! I hope this evening finds you healthy, warm, and enjoying the awesome weather we are supposed to receive for the next few days. I can finally say “So Long and Farewell” to Winter, and to the hope of any more snow days from school.

Of course, I may be smitten for saying that.

Well, anyway today’s song is one that I actually heard a couple of days ago and said “Hmm…that song would be a good one to cover”, so here you are! It’s another song by Nirvana and is called “About A Girl”. It is from their debut 1989 album “Bleach” (wonder if it was clean…).

I did some reading about the history of this song and there’s a few cool stories about it. First off, when presented to the band the then-drummer Chad Channing asked Kurt Cobain what the song was about, and Cobain replied “It’s about a girl”. Cobain didn’t want it put on the album for fear of it being too pop sounding, and having it overwrite their perceived grunge image from their fanbase. Eventually they decided to put it on the album, citing the producer’s image of it even being a single.

There was a girl that he wrote it about. It was his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander. She had asked him at one point why he hadn’t written a song about her, and that was among the inspirations that helped him write this song. Funny thing is it took 10 years for her to find out that the song was about her, and she only found out by reading the biography of Nirvana called “Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana”.

The song is a rather light number and is perfect for our covering style. I hope you enjoy it! I’ll see you next week, and be sure to check back throughout the week for more covers from all of us!

Also, Jim…voicemail…call me

“The Man Who Sold The World” (David Bowie Acoustic Cover Video) – The Laptop Sessions

Jeff Copperthite — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:11:24 +0000

By Jeff Copperthite:

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. It’s that time…that’s right…Thumpin’ Thursday! Who doesn’t enjoy a great dose of their Laptop Sessions on the second best day of the week – and it’s right after the best day of the week!

This next song is sort of by request – Jim mentioned it in recent correspondence that this song was covered by Nirvana, and we have not done either Nirvana, or the guy who wrote the song David Bowie.

What better day than Thumpin’ Thursday to fix both of those things in one session?

Therefore, here comes Jeff Copperthite with the “cover of a cover” version of David Bowie’s classic “The Man Who Sold The World” from his album of the same name. The cover version was featured on the widely played Nirvana edition of the show “MTV Unplugged”. I thoroughly enjoyed that series when it was on the air, and some of my favorite bands were lucky enough to be featured on that show while it lasted.

I recorded this in the same session as my previous U2 video, and again, I look tired. I feel a lot better today than how I look in this video. I couldn’t get a solid take where I played the riff cleanly, and eventually cut out some parts with the riff. I also came in just a bit too early on one part. Nobody has pointed it out in my recent video (what I did wrong), but I am very pleased on the positive feedback I have gotten from that video.

But now, you get to enjoy this version on a great Thursday. I hope you enjoy it, and return for Jim’s fantastic Friday edition tomorrow!