Nirvana Charts A New Single, 30 Years After Breaking Up

Forbes

5 days ago

Nirvana's Live at the Tunnel, Rome debuts at No. 94 on the U.K. Official Physical Singles chart, ... More marking the band's seventh entry on the tally. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Kurt Cobain (1967 - 1994) performing with American grunge band Nirvana at Palasport, Modena, Italy, 21st February 1994. (Photo by Raffaella Cavalieri/Redferns/Getty Images)
It's been more than 30 years since Nirvana disbanded following the death of frontman Kurt Cobain, yet the grunge icons continue to regularly appear on rankings in many Western markets. In fact, it's more common to see the band charting than not, with Nirvana often scoring a bestselling song and album at the same time.
No new music is expected from the long-defunct rockers, but Nirvana still manages to land a new hit in the United Kingdom this week.
A rarely-discussed short collection debuts on the Official Physical Singles chart, a list that ranks the bestselling individual songs and, in this case, very short EPs available in any physical format in the U.K. This week, Live at the Tunnel, Rome, Italy, 23 Feb 1994 opens at No. 94 on the roster.
The live recording gives Nirvana its seventh career placement on the Official Physical Singles chart. The band didn't reach the ranking until a year after it disbanded, when 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' finally appeared. Nirvana wouldn't return to the tally until 2013 — nearly 20 years later — with 'Heart-Shaped Box,' which still stands as its lowest-charting title, as it peaked at No. 97 on the 100-spot tally. It's only been less than a year since 'Sliver' earned the group another win on this roster.
The Live at the Tunnel EP was recorded during a show at a venue named Tunnel in Rome. The band played on February 23, 1994, as its lengthy title explains. Around that time, Nirvana's European trek was cut short, partially due to Cobain's declining health. He was hospitalized for what appeared to be a suicide attempt while in Italy and spent time in both a hospital in the capital city.
Tragically, the singer-songwriter died just a little more than a month later. The concert immortalized in this brief release aired as a tribute on Italian television, and it remained a thing of legend for many years — especially among die-hard super fans who seem to know everything about Nirvana.
Nirvana's EP is back in the spotlight, at least in part, due to the story of the band's final shows in Italy being told in a new documentary. Italian music journalist Daniela Giombini recounts her tale of booking the group in her country before the rockers made it big, and then later on when they were the most famous in the world, in her new film, Rome As You Are. The movie was released just months ago in theaters in the European nation.