Scentless Apprentice 3703553 225061023 2008-07-11T18:20:44Z 87.123.246.45 /* Covers */ {{Song_infobox | Name = Scentless Apprentice | Cover = | Artist = [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] | Album = [[In Utero]] | Released = [[September 21]], [[1993]] | track_no = 2 | Recorded = February [[1993]] at [[Pachyderm Studios]], [[Cannon Falls]], [[Minnesota]] | Genre = [[Grunge]] | Length = 3:47 | Writer = [[Kurt Cobain|Cobain]]/[[Dave Grohl|Grohl]]/[[Krist Novoselic|Novoselic]] | Composer = | Label = [[Geffen Records|Geffen]] | Producer = [[Steve Albini]] | [ Chart position = ] <!-- none --> | prev = [[Serve the Servants]] | prev_no = 1 | next = [[Heart-Shaped Box]] | next_no = 3 {{Extra tracklisting | Album = [[From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah]] | Type = live | prev_track = "[[Spank Thru]]" | prev_no = 9 | this_track = "Scentless Apprentice" | track_no = 10 | next_track = "[[Heart-Shaped Box]]" | next_no = 11 }} }} "'''Scentless Apprentice'''" is a song by the [[United States|American]] [[grunge]] band [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]. It is the second song on their [[1993]] album, ''[[In Utero]]''. ==History== "Scentless Apprentice" most likely dates back to late 1992, and is rare among Nirvana songs in that all three members - singer/guitarist [[Kurt Cobain]], drummer [[Dave Grohl]] and bassist [[Krist Novoselic]] - contributed to writing it. According to the 1993 Nirvana biography ''Come as You Are'' by [[Michael Azerrad]], the song's main [[guitar riff]] was written by Grohl. Cobain was initially unimpressed with the riff, and admitted in ''Come as You Are'' that he only worked on it so that Grohl would not be offended. "It was such a cliché [[grunge]] [[Tad (band)|Tad]] riff that I was reluctant to even jam on it," he said. However, all three members continued to work on the song, and its dynamics eventually fell into place. "It was just a totally satisfying thing to finally contribute equally to a song," Cobain said in a 1993 ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' interview, "instead of me coming up with the basics of the song." "Scentless Apprentice" was debuted live on January 16, 1993, in [[São Paulo, Brazil]]. The song's first studio version was recorded by Craig Montgomery in January 1993 in [[Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]]. An early title listed on the show setlist [http://www.nirvanaguide.com/images.php?id=930116] was "Chuck Bo Buck", which possibly referred to the phonetical pronunication of the song's main guitar riff. It was recorded for ''In Utero'' in February 1993 by [[Steve Albini]] in [[Cannon Falls, Minnesota]]. In the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' interview, Cobain described "Scentless Apprentice" as "a really good example of the direction we're going in." The band briefly flirted with the idea of releasing the song as ''In Utero'''s second [[music single|single]], after "[[Heart-Shaped Box]]," but this never happened; they released a [[Double A-side]] single for "[[All Apologies]]" and "[[Rape Me]]" instead. ==Meaning== "Scentless Apprentice" is based on the [[German language|German]] novel ''[[Perfume (book)|Perfume]]'', by [[Patrick Süskind]]. Published in [[1985]], the novel tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a boy born without [[body odour]] but with a heightened sense of smell. Grenouille grows up to be a [[perfume]] [[apprentice]], and uses perfume to mask his lack of odour. He also becomes a [[murderer]], stealing the smells of his female victims in his quest to create a human odour for himself. More recently, the source material was filmed as ''[[Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (film)|Perfume: The Story of a Murderer]]''. In a [[1993]] [[MuchMusic]] interview, Cobain claimed that his copy of ''Perfume'' almost never left his pocket. Cobain said he related to Grenouille's alienation. Cobain also related to Grenouille's fascination with odor. "I’m really interested in smells," he revealed in a 1993 ''[[Spin magazine|Spin]]'' interview. "I think I’d like to own a perfumerie someday." ==Other versions== A live version, performed on December 13, 1993 in [[Seattle, Washington]], appears on the band's [[1996]] live compilation album, ''[[From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah]]''. A rehearsal "demo" version, over nine-and-a-half minutes long, appears on the band's posthumous box set, ''[[With the Lights Out]]''. This version actually documents the song being written, starting with working around the main riff while Cobain improvises lyrics and guitar parts. == Covers == A cover version can be found on the 2000 ''[[Smells Like Bleach: A Punk Tribute to Nirvana]]'', performed by [[Flipper (band)|Flipper]]. Krist Novoselic is currently touring with Flipper as their bassist and Kurt Cobain was a notable fan of Flipper. Another version, by [[Bile (band)|Bile]], can be found on their 2002 album ''[[The Copy Machine]]''. Electronic musician/producer [[Girl Talk]] often closes live sets with his own rendition of the song. Australian band The Vasco Era have played the song live on a handful of occasions. In 2007 Scentless Apprentice was mashed-up with Smells Like Teen Spirit by Canadian, DJ E-MIX. Smells Like a Scentless Apprentice was released as his first single. ==In popular culture== * In the [[Through the Looking Glass (Lost)|season three finale]] of the popular [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] show ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', "Scentless Apprentice" is heard playing on [[Jack Shephard|Jack]]'s car stereo as he is driving in Los Angeles. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwMnv7aBfyk&eurl=] *[[Noise rock]] band [[Flipper (Band)|Flipper]] put out a cover of the song before Krist Novoselic joined in 2006. It has now been put into rotation on the band's live setlists. ==See also== * [[List of songs based on a film or book]] ==Accolades== *Ranked #11 in ''[[NME|NME's]]'' "Top 20 Nirvana Songs" (2004) *Ranked #9 in ''[[Q Magazine|Q's]]'' "10 Songs Based on Novels" (2004) ==References== *Azerrad, Michael. ''Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana'', Doubleday, New York: 1993, ISBN 0-86369-746-1 *[http://www.jimdero.com/News2002/CobainMar10.htm A piece of Kurt Cobain] by [[Jim DeRogatis]], March 10, 2002 * Smashing their Heads on the Punk Rock by Darcey Steinke, ''[[Spin magazine|Spin]]'', October 1993. {{Nirvana (band)}} [[Category:Nirvana songs]] [[Category:1993 songs]] [[es:Scentless Apprentice]] [[pt:Scentless Apprentice]]