Featured on Nevermind, Nirvana’s second album released in 1991, the track “Come As You Are” was written by singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain. This song played a major role in the band’s commercial breakthrough, helping establish them as pioneers—along with a handful of others—of the grunge movement. It also cemented Cobain’s status as an icon of his generation, later elevated to legend after his tragic death in 1994. The song, however, can largely be summed up by its instantly recognizable intro riff, repeated throughout the verses and identifiable from the very first notes.
From Demo to Production
After an initial recording session under the direction of Butch Vig for their second album, Kurt Cobain had to take a break, having lost his voice while recording “Lithium”. Around this time, the band learned that their label Sub Pop was at risk of being acquired by a major. Without hesitation, the band began looking for alternatives and ultimately signed with DGC Records. Following a lineup change, with Chad Channing replaced by Dave Grohl on drums, production resumed. Although DGC suggested several producers, Nirvana insisted on continuing with Butch, to whom they had sent new material—including “Come As You Are,” which immediately caught his attention. The album Nevermind was finally recorded in May 1991. After several underwhelming attempts, the final mix was entrusted by Kurt Cobain to Andy Wallace. However, Cobain disliked the result, finding the sound far too polished and “syrupy.” “Come As You Are” was released as the second single, with the label considering it ideal to broaden the band’s audience beyond the grunge scene.
Plagiarism or Simple Inspiration?
Almost immediately after the single’s release, Jaz Coleman, frontman of Killing Joke, accused Nirvana of plagiarism, claiming the riff in “Come As You Are” bore an undeniable resemblance to their 1984 track “Eighties.” Kurt awkwardly defended himself by saying he didn’t know the band—a weak argument, as he had previously sent them a postcard. In any case, Killing Joke never pursued legal action, most likely deterred by Kurt’s death in 1994.
Musically speaking, the similarities are hard to deny. However, the “original” riff has two different endings depending on the repetition, whereas Nirvana’s is a simple loop. Additionally, the rhythmic accents differ: the two riffs are offset by an eighth note, creating very different musical feels. Could it be that Kurt unconsciously wrote the line as a result of a memory of a song he’d heard nearly a decade earlier? The question remains open.
Your Turn to Play!
First, you’ll need to downtune your guitar by a whole step. Your tuning will then be, from low to high: D – G – C – F – A – D. The riff begins off-beat and with a pickup—that is, before the first beat of the bar. This subtlety can be confusing the first time you play it, especially until the drums come in to mark the accents. The riff is built around just two chords, Em and D, highlighted with arpeggiated double-stops and connected by chromatic movements.
The Sound of the Riff
Although it’s not certain which guitar Kurt used to record the track, the most likely candidate is a left-handed Fender Jaguar Sunburst from 1965, fitted with a DiMarzio Super Distortion humbucker at the bridge and a DiMarzio PAF at the neck, as this was the guitar he used live for the song. Fender even released a signature model in his honor: the Kurt Cobain Jaguar RW3 Color Sunburst.
Either way, you’ll need a humbucker-equipped guitar. And of course, you can’t separate this riff from its iconic tone. That watery, psychedelic-leaning sound comes from the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone, an analog chorus pedal. Finally, the setup was plugged into a Mesa Boogie Studio 22 amp.
Into Legacy
“Come As You Are” has been covered by countless artists in wildly different styles. Notable examples include the intimate, almost “Danny Elfman-esque” version by French singer Emilie Simon and the trip-hop-inspired rendition by Yuna. The song has also become the official slogan of Aberdeen, Kurt Cobain’s hometown.
