MTV Unplugged in New York
Template:Album infobox 2 MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American grunge band, Nirvana. It was released in November 1994. It features an acoustic concert the band played at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1996.
Significance
MTV Unplugged in New York was the first Nirvana album released following the death of singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain in April 1994. It was hailed by critics as proof the band was able to transcend the grunge sound they were commonly associated with. It also showcased the band’s diverse taste in music, featuring covers of songs by the Vaselines, David Bowie and the Meat Puppets, and of Leadbelly's folk standard, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” The album opened at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Original plans
Contrary to popular belief, there were no plans to release MTV Unplugged in New York before Cobain's death. Cobain's original plan was to select certain songs from the performance, and release them as b-sides and compilation tracks throughout 1994.
By the time of Nirvana's dissolution, only one song had been sanctioned for official release: "Where Did You Sleep Last Night." It was released as a b-side on the "Pennyroyal Tea" single in early 1994, which was recalled immediately after Cobain's death.
It is rumoured that other Unplugged songs were to be released on a tour EP in the summer of 1994, supporting Nirvana's Lollapalooza appearance. The band was to headline the festival, but Cobain pulled out in early 1994.
Trivia
- MTV Unplugged in New York includes two songs which were not aired on the original television broadcast of the concert: “Something in the Way” and “Oh Me.” Both the album and the broadcast omit a short jam of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”
Track listing
- “About a Girl” (Cobain) — 3:37
- “Come As You Are” (Cobain) — 4:13
- “Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam” (Kelly/McKee; The Vaselines cover) - 4:37
- “The Man Who Sold the World” (David Bowie cover) - 4:20
- “Pennyroyal Tea” (Cobain) — 3:40
- “Dumb” (Cobain) — 2:52
- “Polly” (Cobain/Nirvana) — 3:16
- “On a Plain” (Cobain) — 3:44
- “Something in the Way” (Cobain) — 4:01
- “Plateau” (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) — 3:38
- “Oh, Me” (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) — 3:26
- “Lake of Fire” (Kirkwood; Meat Puppets cover) — 2:55
- “All Apologies” (Cobain) — 4:23
- “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” (Leadbelly cover) — 5:08
Singles
“About a Girl” was released as MTV Unplugged in New York’s only commercial single in October 1994, with the Unplugged version of “Something in the Way” as the B-side. It was released on CD only, and only in Australia and Europe. Promo singles were released for “The Man Who Sold the World,” “Polly,” “Lake of Fire,” and “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.”
Charting singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Australian Singles Chart | No. 4 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Swedish Singles Chart | No. 20 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Italian Singles Chart | No. 21 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official French Singles Chart | No. 23 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Official Dutch Singles Chart | No. 22 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 3 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 3 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Top 40 Mainstream (US) | No. 29 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Poland Airplay Charts | No. 3 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Triple J Hot 100 | No. 7 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Slovakian Airplay Charts | No. 7 |
| 1994 | About a Girl | Latvian airplay charts | No. 4 |
| 1994 | About A Girl | Canadian National Airplay Charts | No. 9 |
| 1994 | About A Girl | French Airplay Charts | No. 9 |
| 1994 | All Apologies | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 4 |
| 1995 | Lake of Fire | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 22 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Mainstream Rock Tracks (US) | No. 12 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Modern Rock Tracks (US) | No. 6 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Slovakian Airplay Charts | No. 4 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 1 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Poland Airplay Charts | No. 1 |
| 1995 | The Man Who Sold the World | Canadian National Airplay Charts | No. 22 |
| 1994 | The Man Who Sold the World | French Airplay Charts | No. 34 |
| 1995 | Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | Latvian Airplay Charts | No. 18 |
| 1994 | Where Did You Sleep Last Night? | French Airplay Charts | No. 62 |
Album charts
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Billboard Top 200 | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official UK Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Austrian Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official New Zealand Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Dutch Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Australian Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Spanish Albums Chart | No. 1 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Swedish Albums Chart | No. 2 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Swiss Albums Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Finnish Albums Chart | No. 3 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Norwegian Albums Chart | No. 6 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official German Albums Chart | No. 6 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Hungarian Albums Chart | No. 9 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Italian Albums Chart | No. 16 |
| 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Official Japanese Albums Chart | No. 20 |
Accolades
- Ranked #47 in Kerrang!’s “100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die — Editors Choice.”
- Ranked #53 in Kerrang!'s “100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die — Readers Choice.”
- Ranked #52 in Q's "100 Greatest Albums Ever, voted by the readers of Q."
Sales
- Switzerland: 2 x Platinum.
- Japanese Sales: 1994/11/02, 4 weeks, 48,290.
- New Zealand: 1994, Platinum.
Personnel
- Nirvana — producer
- Kurt Cobain — lead vocals, guitar
- Krist Novoselic — bass guitar, guitar, accordion
- Dave Grohl — drums, bass guitar, backup vocals
- Pat Smear — guitar
- Alex Coletti — producer
- Scott Litt — producer
- Stephen Marcussen — mastering
- Cris Kirkwood — bass, guitar, backup vocals
- Curt Kirkwood — guitar
- Lori Goldston — cello
- Robert Fisher — art direction, design
- Frank Micelotta — photography
