In Bloom was the fourth and final single released from Nirvana’s Nevermind. The familiar and famous video debuted in 1992 featured the band parodying 1960’s style television musical performances (think the Ed Sullivan show). It’s a tounge-in-cheek humorous production showing a somewhat more playful side of a band whose image (and the social movement it tipified) was generally sullen and full of, you guessed it, angst.
But behold! the original video for the song. Shot in 1991, the so-called “Subpop” version is dripping with aspects of early 90s grunge zeitgeist, including the city of Seattle, flannel shirts, rockers with unkemped long hair, titled-camera angles and cheesey video effects.
Check it out, marvel at the cultural time capsule, and be glad it was scrapped in favor of a better concept.
I’m ready for early 90s nostalgia to begin, now. Oh, and this tune is used in the video game Rock Band so there are some additional “alternate” videos out there 🙂
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tunequest Reply:
May 1st, 2008 at 8:31 am
We are at the point now where people who were in their childhood (the “nostalgia years”) during the grunge era are in their 20s so some “good ol’ times” revisiting is surely right around the corner.
Also, there are multiple versions of the “variety show” In Bloom video. One is a straightforward emulation of a tv show performance, with the clean cut band subduedly playing in suits.
The second take shows the band frolicking around the same set in dresses, dancing, cutting up and destroying things. The set does not look like it is strong enough to hold Krist Novoselic, yet it does not collapse from beneath him.
The two version were spliced together for the publicly-released video.
Suits (without screaming audience sound effects):
Dresses:
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