Come as you are, as you were
As I want you to be
This line reminds me how hard it is to be different people for all those around us. There is who we are and who people want us to be and this song is playing with the tension of contradictions. Kurt is forcing us to balance different ideas. Like...
Friends and enemies
Take your time, hurry up
Doused in mud, soaked in bleach
The video also plays with the imagery of the front cover of the album Nevermind. I am curious what you think about the photo of the baby being lured by the money? What could that be saying?
Final note, I remember thinking that it was so cool that he had dyed his hair red for this video. It inspired several hair colors for me in the coming years.
Check out the acoustic version of this song from the Unplugged album that came out a few years after.
I agree that the opening riff is super cool, and maybe I will try to play it sometime or make something of my own. I also think that the line come as you are, as you were, as I want you to be is very symbolic but I personally took it in a different direction I thought that it could mean that someone is bringing in all types of people and changes them to "as they want them to be". Also the imagery with the baby and the money could mean how society is raising children to be more obsessed with money but I'm not really sure.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree and like the idea of exploring why people try and change each other instead of accepting each other as we are.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the baby and obsession with money is a pretty obvious symbol. One thing that is interesting is that Kurt came from a poor(ish) family where his parents divorced, but became one of the most famous people in the planet. He was never at peace with being rich and famous. He hated it and fought against it his whole life. The anger of how he was seen and judged eventually killed him.