Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Kirst Novoselic of Nirvana. Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Seven of the best Nirvana cover versions

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Muse and St Vincent both performed covers of Lithium over the weekend. Here a few more of our favourite Nirvana interpretations – which others would add to the list?

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On the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, the seismic influence of Nirvana's legacy continues to reverberate across the worlds of rock and pop. This weekend, Muse and St. Vincent paid their respects in separate covers of the song Lithium, from 1991’s Nevermind – the former during their headline set at Brazil’s Lollapalooza festival, and the latter while on tour in Chicago.

Muse – Lithium

St. Vincent – Lithium

Where some of the best covers succeed is in providing a new spin on a classic track; however most bands seem to revel in the opportunity to cut loose and adopt Kurt and co’s quiet-LOUD battering-ram dynamic.

While Lithium was the popular choice for this weekend’s tributes, various notable artists have delved deeper into the Nirvana’s back catalogue over the years:

The Flaming Lips – Pennyroyal Tea

The Flaming Lips strip back their eccentric psychedelia for a cover of In Utero’s Pennyroyal Tea, with Wayne Coyne giving good throaty rasp on vocals.

Lana Del Rey – Heart Shaped Box

Lana Del Rey’s carefully crafted artifice may appear to be in direct opposition to Cobain’s no-frills grunge, but her penchant for sweeping balladry proves fitting for a cover of In Utero’s Heart Shaped Box.

Weezer – Sliver

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has made no bones about his adoration of Kurt Cobain – the band takes direct influence from the soaring pop melodies at the heart of all that distortion. Having once performed a full Nirvana covers concert under the pseudonym Goat Punishment, Weezer later took to performing Sliver on their 2008 tour.

Titus Andronicus – Breed

New Jersey punk-rockers Titus Andronicus entered the studio to lay down a cover of Breed for SPIN magazine’s 20th anniversary Nevermind tribute album. Frontman Patrick Stickles nails the sneering neuroticism, while the daft video sees guitarist/vocalist Amy Klein chasing the band around the studio in a skeleton outfit.

tUnE-yArDs – Lithium

OK, it’s Lithium again, but this one’s notable for tUnE-yArDs (aka Merrill Garbus), backed by members of Wye Oak and Dirty Projectors, ditching the intricate world music influences of her own records in favour of pogoing around the stage when the first chorus kicks in.

What’s your favourite Nirvana cover? Do you like them raw and raucous or with more of the covering artist’s influence? Tell us in the comments below.

This blogpost was edited on 9 April 2014. The orignal YouTube clip attributed to Lana Del Rey was in fact by Hayley Richman

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