Sturgill Simpson Transforms Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’ into a Mournful Country Ballad
When Sturgill Simpson revealed he covered Nirvana’s Nevermind classic “In Bloom” for his highly anticipated third album, he called it a “beautiful and pure homage.” But under Simpson’s singular creative direction, we anticipated it would be far from a verbatim translation. Now, Simpson has debuted his rendition, and it's certainly beautiful and pure, but Simpson has indeed made the song uniquely his own.
The alt-country singer-songwriter transforms the grunge anthem into a stirring, twangy lament that lifts off in horns. What's more, Simpson embellishes on Kurt Cobain's lyrics, adding: "He don't know what it means to love someone." Check out Matt Mahurin's dark and eerie animated video for the song at the top of the page.
Simpson’s “In Bloom” will appear on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth when it lands on April 15 via Atlantic. It follows 2014’s widely acclaimed Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. The singer has already shared lead single “Brace for Impact (Live a Little).” Pre-order the album at iTunes or grab a bundle at Simpson’s website.