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On 24 September 1991, the release of one album changed music forever. That record was Nirvana’s Nevermind: a blast of blind rage, existential angst, catchy riffs, dirty guitars and youthful rebellion from three twentysomething Americans. They were bassist Krist Novoselic, drummer Dave Grohl and charismatic singer, guitarist and frontman Kurt Cobain. And they would soon be global megastars.
The album invented a genre – grunge – and encapsulated the mood of an entire generation. Nevermind also changed the fortunes of Nirvana, an obscure alternative band who found themselves catapulted to international rock stardom almost overnight. Seared into the minds of every fan alive at the time are the rip-roaring video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – the first single from the album, played non-stop by MTV – and the haunting opening hook from “Come as You Are”, the contradictory second single.
Propelled by the success of its catchiest two singles, in January 1992 the album reached number one in the Billboard chart, knocking Michael Jackson off top spot. It would go on to sell over ten million copies in the United States alone, and more than 30 million worldwide.
As well as 49 minutes (ghost track included) of revolutionary rock, something else about Nirvana’s Nevermind looms large in the collective imagination: the album cover. Who can forget that startling image of a baby underwater, outstretched arms grasping at a dollar bill dangling from a hook?
But where did the idea for this image come from? How was the lettering created? And what other intriguing anecdotes lie behind this picture? Read on to discover the story behind the Nevermind album cover.
Nirvana’s Nevermind cover: a hook, a dollar bill and an underwater baby
Before Nevermind came out, Nirvana were far from famous. They were just another small-time band from Seattle, albeit one with a distinctive raw sound and a reputation for chaotic live shows.
Then, in 1991, the band got a their big break when they signed to major label Geffen Records. Yet even then, nobody had any inkling that Nevermind would become one of the most important albums of all time.
The man who created the cover was Robert Fisher. Today, Fisher has a long and glittering career behind him, with a portfolio that includes album art for acts as diverse as Beck, Megadeth, No Doubt and Smash Mouth. But back in 1991, he was a young designer fresh out of college and finding his feet as an art director at the label.
Nevermind’s album art has curious origins. The initial idea came from Kurt Cobain, who shared it with Fisher at their first meeting: Cobain wanted an image of a baby born in water. So the designer set to work scouring books on childbirth for the right image (in the pre-Internet era, that’s what you did). But the images he found were too explicit and none really fit the bill.
What’s more, Fisher didn’t think the idea of a newborn in water was enough. It needed an extra something. Again, Cobain’s sinister imagination came to the rescue: why not add a hook to the picture?
But what bait would be on that hook? Fisher recalls how he spent an entertaining afternoon with the band imagining what this might be. Among the stranger suggestions were a big fat steak, a burrito, a CD and a dog. Then someone – he can’t remember who – suggested a dollar bill, and everyone seemed to like it.
What the Nevermind album cover means
A baby swimming underwater. A hook. A dollar bill. From these ingredients a cover was concocted, apparently without a clear idea of its message.
And yet the result was a powerful piece of symbolism: no sooner are we born than we’re forced to chase after money, trapped in a system that deceives and enslaves us. That’s what many saw, an interpretation that chimed perfectly with the anti-system growl of Nevermind.
Others read it as a self-aware joke: the baby represents Nirvana themselves who, for their second album, “sold out” to a major label and turned their backs on the alternative scene that birthed them.
Shooting the baby: how Nirvana’s Nevermind cover was made
While argument still rages over the meaning of the Nevermind cover, there’s more agreement on how it was made.
With the key elements decided, it was time to create the image. Fisher hired specialist underwater photographer Kirk Weddle after seeing a sample of his work in a photographers’ directory.
As Weddle explains, taking a photo underwater was not easy at that time, nor as common as it is today. The camera had to be placed inside a metal case, there was no autofocus, nor were there digital screens to preview the shot.
The photoshoottook place at a local swimming pool in Pasadena, California. A few parents with newborns were invited along in return for 200 dollars.
A doll was initially used for some test shots, then the actual babies were passed underwater by their parents, and Weddle snapped away. A few weeks later, the Fisher received the proofs from the shoot. There were about fifty shots. Only one, according to Fisher, was right for the picture: “The positioning, the look on the baby’s face, the way that his arms were stretched out like he was reaching for something – everything about it was just perfect.”
Next, the photo was edited: the dollar on a hook and air bubbles were added, and the bottom of the pool airbrushed out.
The final touch: the wavy “Nevermind” lettering
Now only the album title and band name were missing. These were placed in the bottom right-hand corner, with an aquatic effect used for the “Nevermind” lettering.
But how exactly was the “Nevermind” lettering created? Remember that it was 1991 and, as for the rest of the cover, everything had to be done manually. First, Fisher printed the title lettering in ITC Franklin Gothic Heavy, a very popular font at the time. Then, to create the wavy effect, he put the print out in a photocopier and jiggled it about while copying.
Positioned right above the album name was the Nirvana logo, which had already been used on the band’s first album, Bleach, released in 1989. The font used was Onyx, which would become Nirvana’s trademark typeface. This, too, was somewhat of an accidental choice. Nirvana’s first LP had been put out by small indie label Sub Pop and the cover was produced by its art director Lisa Orth in the offices of The Rocket, a local music zine where she also worked. Working in a hurry, she chose the typeface from the limited selection available on the magazine’s typesetting machine!
Spencer Elden: the baby who grew to sue
Nevermind launched Nirvana to stratospheric stardom. And it made a fortune for many involved in its making, not least the band and their record label, which put other projects on hold to cash in on the unexpected hit on their hands. Decades later, however, one person began to feel left out from this success: the person pictured on its cover.
Spencer Elden was the baby on the cover. He has always had conflicting feelings about appearing, without his consent, on one of the most famous album covers of all time. In 2008, a teenage Elden posed for a photo shoot that recreated the iconic cover. And he did another in 2016, this time revealing a “Nevermind” tattoo on his chest.
But more recently, Spencer has sued the band (unsuccessfully), claiming that the use of his naked image amounted to sexual exploitation. As it happens, Geffen Records initially wanted to cover up the baby’s genitals to avoid legal issues, but the band refused. The only compromise they would accept was placing a provocative sticker over the baby’s bits. Geffen eventually backed down and released Nevermind with the naked Spencer in all his glory.
The Nevermind cover today
The emotional impact of Nevermind’s cover art reaches far beyond its unwitting star. Now part of our collective imagination, it is frequently referenced in pop culture around the world.
There are many Nevermind parodies that recreate the iconic image with different characters. Perhaps the best known is the Bart Simpson spoof.
Others have featured Yoda and the Squirtle Pokémon.
While the cover screamed anti-consumerism rebellion upon release, it has since been slapped on innumerable items of Nirvana merch. Some pretty tacky, like this smartphone case.
And others more tasteful, like posters, tote bags, fridge magnets and puzzles.
