MTV Unplugged in New York was a funeral. Not just in hindsight, either. Cobain insisted on lilies, black candles, and a crystal chandelier. It looked like a wake because, for the version of Nirvana the world thought it knew, it was one. When the band launched into Nirvana The Man Who Sold the World, most of the kids in the audience—and definitely the suits at MTV—honestly thought it was a Nirvana original. It wasn't. It was a David Bowie track from 1970. But that night in November 1993, Kurt took a glam-rock relic and turned it into a haunting, jagged piece of Pacific Northwest mythology.
People forget how weird that choice was at the time. Nirvana was the biggest band on the planet. They were expected to play "Smells Like Teen Spirit." They didn't. Instead, they played a set full of obscure covers and deep cuts. The standout, the one that still gets played on every rock station from Seattle to Sydney, is their rendition of Bowie’s tale of identity crisis and ego-splitting. It’s a song about meeting yourself on a stairs and realizing you aren't who you thought you were. For Kurt, that wasn't just a cool lyric. It was his life.
The Story Behind the Song Choice
Why Bowie? Why that specific song? You’ve gotta remember that Kurt’s record collection was a weird, sprawling mess of punk 45s and classic rock staples. According to Charles R. Cross’s biography Heavier Than Heaven, Kurt had been a fan of the The Man Who Sold the World album since his teens. It was dark. It was paranoid. It felt like the kind of music a kid in Aberdeen, Washington, would use to escape the rain.
Pat Smear, who had joined Nirvana as a touring guitarist, was actually the one who helped solidify the arrangement. Pat was a massive Bowie fan. During rehearsals at SST Studios in New Jersey, they toyed with the idea of doing something from Ziggy Stardust, but "The Man Who Sold the World" had that specific, haunting riff that translated perfectly to acoustic instruments.
It’s a deceptively simple song. The main riff—that iconic, circular melody—is played on an acoustic guitar plugged through a Fender Twin Reverb amp with a bit of dirt on it. It’s not "unplugged" in the literal sense. Kurt used a Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion pedal to get that fuzzy, "cello-like" tone during the solo. That’s the secret. If you listen closely, it sounds like the guitar is weeping or screaming under its breath.
Bowie’s Reaction and the Confusion of a Generation
David Bowie was a chameleon, but even he was caught off guard by the success of the Nirvana version. In later interviews, Bowie mentioned that he was "blown away" by the cover. However, it led to some pretty hilarious—or frustrating, depending on who you ask—encounters for the Thin White Duke.
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Bowie once recounted playing the song live in the late 90s, only to have teenagers come up to him afterward and say, "It’s cool that you’re doing a Nirvana song." He’d think to himself, "F*** you, you little tosser!" He was joking, mostly, but it highlights just how much Nirvana "stole" the song in the public consciousness. They didn't just cover it; they inhabited it.
Why it sounded so different
- The Tempo: Nirvana slowed it down. Bowie’s original has a bit of a Latin-inflected, psychedelic swing to it. Kurt made it a dirge.
- The Vocals: Bowie sang it with a theatrical, almost detached air. Kurt sang it like he was being interrogated. There’s a rasp in his voice when he hits the "I never lost control" line that feels like a blatant lie.
- The Cello: Lori Goldston’s cello work on the Unplugged session is what anchors the track. It adds a layer of Victorian gloom that the original didn't have.
The Ghostly Meaning of the Lyrics
The lyrics are trippy. "We passed upon the stair / We spoke of was and when." It sounds like a ghost story. Bowie wrote it at a time when he was deeply fascinated by the idea of the "multiple self." It’s influenced by poems like "Antigonish" by William Hughes Mearns—you know, the one about the man who wasn't there on the stairs.
For Nirvana, the song took on a new weight. By 1993, Kurt was struggling with the "Nirvana" brand. He felt like he had sold himself to the world, or maybe that the world had bought a version of him that didn't exist. When he sings "I thought you died alone / A long long time ago," it feels uncomfortably prophetic.
The song deals with the loss of the soul in exchange for something else—fame, success, or just survival. In the context of the grunge movement, which was built on "authenticity," covering a song about a man who sold the world was a massive, ironic wink. Or a cry for help. It depends on which day of the week you listen to it.
The Technical Setup: How Kurt Got "That" Sound
If you’re a gear head, the Unplugged setup is legendary. Kurt didn't use a standard acoustic. He played a 1950s Martin D-18E. It’s a weird guitar—an acoustic with electric pickups built into it. Only about 300 were ever made.
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- The Guitar: 1959 Martin D-18E.
- The Strings: Ernie Ball Earthwood medium-light.
- The Amp: Fender Twin Reverb (hidden behind the stage decorations).
- The Secret Sauce: The Boss DS-2. He kept the gain relatively low for this track, just enough to make the acoustic strings buzz and sustain.
Most people try to play this song on a clean acoustic and wonder why it doesn't feel right. It’s because Kurt was cheating. He wanted the intimacy of an acoustic performance but the power of an electric one. That tension is exactly why the track works. It’s vibrating with feedback that shouldn't be there.
Legacy and Modern Impact
Even decades later, Nirvana The Man Who Sold the World remains a staple of rock radio. It’s often cited by critics as one of the greatest cover songs of all time, alongside Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" or Johnny Cash's "Hurt."
It changed how people viewed Nirvana. Before Unplugged, they were the "loud" band from Seattle. Afterward, they were seen as musicians with incredible depth and a weird, eclectic taste. It paved the way for the more experimental sounds we might have heard on a follow-up to In Utero, had history gone differently.
Today, you see the influence of this specific performance in everything from Lana Del Rey’s moody aesthetics to the way modern indie bands approach covers. They don't try to mimic the original; they try to strip it down to its bones and see what’s rattling inside.
What You Should Do Next
If you want to really understand the DNA of this track, don't just stream it on Spotify.
First, go find the original David Bowie version from the 1970 album of the same name. Listen to the percussion—it's almost "world music" in its approach. Then, immediately jump to the Nirvana version. Notice the space between the notes. Kurt wasn't afraid of silence.
Second, if you play guitar, stop trying to play the riff perfectly. The beauty of Kurt’s playing was the "slop." He hit the open strings. He let the guitar moan. Use a bit of chorus or a very light distortion on an acoustic-electric to get that "Unplugged" vibe.
Lastly, watch the video of the performance. Look at Kurt’s eyes during the final chorus. He isn't looking at the audience. He’s somewhere else entirely. That’s the "Man Who Sold the World"—someone who is physically present but spiritually miles away. It’s a masterclass in performance art that happens to be wrapped in a grunge song.
Explore the MTV Unplugged in New York rehearsal tapes if you can find them. They reveal a band that was nervous, fighting through technical issues, and ultimately creating something that outlived their own expectations. The song wasn't meant to be the centerpiece of their legacy, but sometimes the things you do on a whim are the things that stick forever.