The true story of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" and its relationship with 'The Batman'

-The true story of Nirvana's "Something in the Way" and its relationship with 'The Batman'

Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated films of the year is The Batman. Not only because in this film we get to know a new version of the Gotham hero that we hadn't seen before in the movies, but because it will be the first time that Robert Pattinson takes on this important character together with a top-notch cast and a story that will leave them wondering. seat edge. From the trailers they caused a lot of expectation, but music lovers were surprised that they used a Nirvana song in those trailers.

It is "Something in the Way", a very dark song, with somewhat ambiguous lyrics and that is completely different from everything that the grunge band was doing in its moment of glory. And although it is not one of the most famous songs by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, it has an extremely peculiar meaning and that for years, it was thought to be an autobiographical account of the frontman of the Seattle group, but that time later Those theories fell.

Nirvana stepped out of their comfort zone when they recorded 'Nevermind'

It was in 1991 when Nirvana entered the studio to record what would be his second record material and perhaps the best known of his entire career, the legendary Nevermind. Hand in hand with Butch Vig, they created one of the most important albums of the entire decade and in the history of rock, where in addition to confirming that raw sound that characterized them so much, they also gave themselves the opportunity to try other things and not just techniques. of recording, also put together songs that will take them out of their comfort zone.

After composing classics like “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Lithium” and “Breed”, the band needed a song to close the tracklist and Kurt Cobain came up with a song called “Something in the Way”, which he had written a year before. and that Butch played at Sound City Studios in California. The main idea was to record it with Krist, Dave and a lot of distortion, but after a series of attempts that just didn't work out, the producer decided that it would be best if the vocalist did it.

After many inconveniences, “Something in the Way” emerged.

Butch Vig said he was impressed with the way Cobain's solo performance sounded, and after turning off the air conditioning and unplugging the phone in the control room, he set up the microphones and recorded the song this way, beginning with the guitar and voice, almost acoustically. Grohl and Novoselic later added their parts, although they have mentioned that they had a hard time adjusting to the song's slow pace.

On the last day of the Nevermind sessions, the band called up Kirk Canning, a friend who recorded the cello section that can be heard in the chorus. Both he and Krist Novoselic had trouble matching the tone of the song, as Kurt Cobain tuned his guitar in a very strange way. After all, Nirvana finished recording this great album and "Something in the Way" caught the attention of fans and critics, because along with "Polly" they are the only "quiet" songs on the album.

The strange “biographical” meaning of this song

However, the music was not the only thing that caught the attention of the band's followers, but also the lyrics. For nearly four months, Cobain lived on the streets of Aberdeen, Washington as a teenager after being kicked out of his home. One of his favorite spots in the entire city was the Young Street Bridge, where he spent his time fishing and where for years the grunge group's lead singer was said to have slept when he was homeless.

Kurt Cobain himself fed that myth every time he was interviewed with personal overtones. And yes, he spent the night in different places like the patio of The Melvins drummer, Dale Crove; in the waiting room of Grays Harbor Hospital and even slept in abandoned apartments, covering himself only with cardboard boxes. However, his own sister Kim and Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic debunked this theory for a simple and straightforward reason.

In the end, the vocalist himself told the truth behind the song

It turns out that on the Young Street Bridge and according to what Novoselic told in Cobain's biography, Heavier than Heaven, he stated that he would have been carried by the tide of the Wishkah River –which passes through said bridge– if he had slept on it. that place. The writer of this book, Charles Cross, investigated the situation and stated that the reality of Kurt's situation during all this time homeless was "more poignant" than what he recounted in the lyrics of "Something in the Way".

-Although he added a bit of his harvest to this story, the truth is that Kurt Cobain did not have a good time living on the streets. Either way, you can feel the hopelessness and rawness when we hear him sing this song, even though he's not talking about his own experience. The frontman himself suggested that the song was not necessarily autobiographical, as he told Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad that the lyrics were written from a heartbreaking perspective:

“(He wrote “Something in the Way”) like I was living under the bridge and I was dying of AIDS, if I was sick and couldn't move and I was a street person. That was kind of a fantasy."

Kurt Cobain and Nirvana served as inspiration for 'The Batman'

The dark nature of this song made Matt Reeves decide to take inspiration from Kurt Cobain to create his version of the man behind Batman. In an interview for Empire magazine, the director of the film confessed that while he writes he likes to put music and while he was building the Bruce Wayne that Robert Pattinson would play, "Something in the Way" was played and at that moment he knew that both the song and the vocalist of the band would be important:

“That's when the idea came to me that instead of making Bruce Wayne who was the heartthrob we've seen before, there would be a new version where he comes from a huge tragedy and becomes a loner. That's how I made this connection between Gus Van Sant's 'Last Days' and this fictional version of Kurt Cobain in decline. (Robert Pattinson) has that Kurt Cobain edge where he looks like a rock star, but he also feels like he's a loner," Reeves stated.

Paul Dano also referenced "Something in the Way"

However, the director of The Batman was not the only one who mentioned the song as a source of inspiration to create his character. Paul Dano also stated in a chat with NME that he listened to this song by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl between takes of the movie to get into the role of The Riddler:

"Well, in the script Matt had mentioned Nirvana's 'Something In The Way'. So right there, that song, those words, that chorus, became hugely important to me. Nirvana became a part of that (character).

In the end, "Something in The Way" not only managed to give the trailer for the new Batman movie a dark and gloomy tone, we can also hear it in some parts of the tape, with a new version that incorporates some compositions by Michael Giacchino and additional orchestral elements. After all, it seems that just like Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, both the character of Robert Pattinson and the song of Nirvana are made for each other and we are sure that a new generation will know this theme thanks to the film.