“Nevermind,” the second studio album by Nirvana, was released on September 24, 1991, and it is widely considered to be one of the most influential albums of the 1990s. The album’s cover art, featuring a naked baby swimming towards a dollar bill on a fishhook, has become just as iconic as the music it represents.
The story behind the “Nevermind” cover art is that the image was captured by photographer Kirk Weddle. The baby in the picture is Spencer Elden, who was four months old at the time the photograph was taken. Elden has since recreated the image several times in adulthood as a nod to the enduring legacy of the album.
The album’s producer, Butch Vig, reportedly suggested that the cover art feature a picture of a baby swimming towards a dollar bill on a fishhook as a nod to the idea of chasing after success and commercialism. The image is also meant to represent the struggle between innocence and adulthood.
“Nevermind” was a commercial and critical success, with its lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” becoming an anthem for the alternative rock movement. The album was a major turning point in popular music, marking the end of the 1980s hair metal era and paving the way for the rise of grunge and alternative rock.
The album’s sound was characterized by its raw and unpolished production, intense and abrasive guitar riffs, and frontman Kurt Cobain’s powerful and cathartic lyrics. It has been described as a mix of punk, metal, and classic rock, with elements of pop-sensibility thrown in for good measure.
