Deciphering the Visuals and Drafts: the Hidden Details in Come as You Are

A detailed look at Deciphering the Visuals and Drafts: the Hidden Details in Come as You Are, featuring critical updates.

Q1: What guitar pedal gave "Come As You Are" its distinctive underwater sound?

A1: Kurt Cobain ran his 1969 Fender Mustang through an Electro-Harmonix Small Clone analog chorus pedal. Setting the depth high and the rate dial to a modest speed bent the pitch slightly, producing the distinctive swirling shimmer across the main riff.

Q2: Why did Kurt Cobain consider shelving the track as a single?

A2: Cobain noticed the unmistakable similarity between his guitar riff and the 1984 single "Eighties" by English post-punk band Killing Joke. He wanted to release "In Bloom" instead to avoid accusations of plagiarism, but DGC Records persuaded him to proceed.

Q3: Does the lyric "soaked in bleach" connect to Nirvana's first album?

A3: Yes. Cobain intentionally nodded to the band's 1989 debut album Bleach. The phrase drew from a Pacific Northwest public health campaign encouraging intravenous drug users to clean injection equipment with bleach to stop the spread of HIV.