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"Pennyroyal Tea" is a
song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
by the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
, written by
vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
and
guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
. It is the ninth track on the band's third and final studio album, ''
In Utero ''In Utero'' is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana. It was released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini t ...
'', released in 1993. The song was due to be released as the third
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
from ''In Utero'' in April 1994, but the single was recalled following Cobain's death the same month.Pennyroyal 3 - Pennyroyal Tea single
crimson-ceremony.net. Retrieved on March 10, 2013.
The single was re-released, on limited edition 7 inch vinyl, for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
in April 2014, and charted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Singles Sales chart.


Origin and recording


Early history

According to Michael Azerrad's 1993 Nirvana biography, '' Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana'', "Pennyroyal Tea" was written by Cobain in 1990 in an
Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...
apartment he shared with Nirvana drummer,
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
. "Dave and I were screwing around on a 4-track," Cobain explained, "and I wrote that song in about thirty seconds. And I sat down for like half-an-hour and wrote the lyrics and then we recorded it." "Pennyroyal Tea" was first performed live on April 17, 1991 at the
OK Hotel The OK Hotel was an American bar and music venue located at 212 Alaskan Way South in Seattle's Pioneer Square district. The club's 15-year-plus life span came to an end with the Nisqually earthquake of February 28, 2001, which damaged numerous ...
in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, the show at which Nirvana also debuted their breakthrough single, "
Smells Like Teen Spirit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...
". Footage of both songs from this performance was released on the DVD of the Nirvana rarities box set, ''
With the Lights Out ''With the Lights Out'' is a box set by the American rock band Nirvana released in November 2004. It contains three CDs and one DVD of previously rare or unreleased material, including B-sides, demos, and rehearsal and live recordings. The title ...
'', in November 2004. Two unfinished takes of the song, both lacking vocals, were recorded by
Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhon ...
on October 26, 1992, at
Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
in Seattle, Washington.


In Utero

The final studio version of "Pennyroyal Tea" was recorded by
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
at
Pachyderm Studios Pachyderm Recording Studio is a residential music recording studio located in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States, 35.8 mi (57.6 km) southeast of Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is located in a secluded old-growth f ...
in
Cannon Falls, Minnesota Cannon Falls is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,083 at the 2010 census. Located along U.S. Route 52, southeast of the Twin Cities, Cannon Falls is the home of Pachyderm Studio, where many famous musici ...
, in February, 1993, and officially released on ''In Utero'' in September 1993. The song was first attempted on February 14, with the first take being an instrumental." In a 2013 interview for the audio series ''Spotify Landmark'', Albini revealed that "Pennyroyal Tea" and the album's eventual first single, "
Heart-Shaped Box "Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. ...
", were the only two songs recorded during the sessions that required "more than a couple of takes", saying that both were "recorded several times in several aerations." Albini also explained that Grohl's bass drum was replaced on "Pennyroyal Tea", as well as " Dumb", with a small one "with a full-front head on it, so that it had a very sort of bouncy, jazzy sound, as opposed to the sort of more percussive, more hard rock sound on the rest of the record." Cobain was ultimately dissatisfied with the recording, telling
David Fricke David Fricke is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years. I ...
in a 1993 ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' interview that the song "was not recorded right. There is something wrong with that. That should have been recorded like ''
Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, ''Neve ...
'', because I know that's a strong song, a hit single. We're toying with the idea of re-recording it or remixing it." The song was remixed by
Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most suc ...
, who had remixed the singles "Heart-Shaped Box" and "
All Apologies "All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the 12th track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song c ...
" prior to the album's release, on November 23, 1993 at Bad Animals in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
. This version appeared on the censored
Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
and
Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...
versions of ''In Utero'', released in March 1994. It was also the mix used on the recalled "Pennyroyal Tea" single, and became widely available when it appeared on the band's first greatest hits compilation, ''
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
'', in November 2002.


Post-In Utero

On November 18, 1993, Cobain performed a solo, acoustic version of the song during Nirvana's ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...
'' appearance at Sony Music Studios in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. A full band version, featuring second guitarist
Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs and for being a rhythm guitar ...
, was recorded in
Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
on February 4, 1994, during Nirvana's appearance on the French television show, ''Nulle Part Ailleurs''. The band had planned to perform the song on the UK TV show ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' later in 1994, as revealed by the discovery of a Digital Audio Tape containing three instrumental mixes of the song. The show allowed musicians to mime live vocals over pre-recorded instruments, and first featured Nirvana in November 1991, when Cobain mocked the show's format by singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in a lower key. "Pennyroyal Tea" was performed for the last time live at Nirvana's final concert, on March 1, 1994, at Terminal Eins in
Munich, Germany Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
.


Composition and lyrics

The song's title refers to the tea made from boiling the leaves of the plant ''
Mentha pulegium ''Mentha pulegium'', commonly (European) pennyroyal, or pennyrile, also called mosquito plant and pudding grass, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Crushed pennyroy ...
'', or pennyroyal, which is used as an
abortifacient An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: ''abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...
, among other things, in
traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
. In Cobain's unused liner notes for ''In Utero'', published posthumously in ''Journals'' in 2002, the entry for "Pennyroyal Tea" simply reads: "herbal abortive... it doesn't work, you hippie." In an interview in the October 1993 issue of ''Impact'', Cobain gave greater insight into the song, saying that it was about a person suffering from severe depression: In a 1995 interview, Cohen told ''
Addicted to Noise ''Addicted to Noise'' (ATN) was an online music magazine in the early days of the World Wide Web. Founded in 1994 by ex-''Rolling Stone'' associate editor and senior writer Michael Goldberg and online music pioneer Jon Luini, it published its fir ...
'' correspondent Peter Howell, "I'm sorry I couldn't have spoken to the young man. I see a lot of people at the
Zen Centre The Zen Centre is a Buddhist temple in London, England, and the active arm of the Zen Trust, whose object is to promote the Zen Buddhist religion for the benefit of the public. Members generally attend its meetings at the premises of the Bud ...
, who have gone through drugs and found a way out that is not just Sunday school. There are always alternatives, and I might have been able to lay something on him. Or maybe not."


Release and reception

Reviewing ''In Utero'' for ''Rolling Stone'', Fricke wrote, "In the sepulchral folk intro of 'Penny Royal Tea,' Cobain almost sounds like
Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Poss ...
at the beginning of R.E.M.'s
Drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...
'—before the heaving, fuzz-burnt chorus comes lashing down with a vengeance." In his review of the album for the ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', John Mulvey wrote that "Pennyroyal Tea" was "a terrific song – straightforward, insidious, oddly moving," but that "the guitars don't scream enough, the chorus doesn't tower like it should, and overall it's the one real 'Call
Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album ''Neve ...
' moment."


Legacy

In 2004, the ''NME'' ranked "Pennyroyal Tea" at number six on their list of the ''20 Greatest Nirvana Songs Ever.'' The same year, '' Q'' included the song on their list of ''12 Album Tracks That Should Have Been Singles, But Weren't,'' at number two. In 2015, ''Rolling Stone'' placed it at number 11 on their ranking of 102 Nirvana songs.


Single

The "Pennyroyal Tea" single was recalled shortly after Cobain's death in April 1994. The single's cancellation may have been in part due to the title of one of the
b-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
, "
I Hate Myself and Want to Die I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
", although it may have been cancelled regardless of this, so as not to capitalize on Cobain's death. In the United Kingdom, the single was scheduled to be released on May 3, 1994, but this was scrapped with ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...
'' reporting that sales of Nirvana releases had rocketed but that MCA did not want to cash-in on Cobain's death. At the time, only retail versions of the
CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
made in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
had been manufactured and distributed. The singles were recalled and destroyed by the record label or retailers, but some copies were put aside, which is apparently the source of surviving copies. Some copies may have been sold by retailers, despite the recall. Sleeves for the single's
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
release, on 7 inch vinyl and cassette, were manufactured, but the single itself was not pressed in the UK prior to the recall.Pennyroyal 3 - Pennyroyal Tea UK sleeves and inserts
crimson-ceremony.net. Retrieved on March 10, 2013.
As with all Nirvana artwork, it had been produced in the United States, although there were no plans to release the single in the US.Pennyroyal 3 - Pennyroyal 3 - Pennyroyal Tea artwork
crimson-ceremony.net. Retrieved on March 10, 2013.
However, the song did receive some airplay on US rock and alternative radio in 1994-95. A promotional CD single for the song was manufactured in the UK and exists in even smaller numbers than the German retail CD.Pennyroyal 3 - Penny Royal Tea promo
crimson-ceremony.net. Retrieved on March 10, 2013.
It features only the title track, misspelled as "Penny Royal Tea". In 2019, it was reported that the promotional single had appeared twice on
Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...
with prices of $1,120 and $1,199. In a March 2020 '' Goldmine'' article, journalist Gillian G. Garr reported a range of $346 to $1,100 as recent prices of the single, and "upwards of $1,000" for the promotional single, with one recently on sale for $2,597.


Artwork

Unlike the artwork for the previous ''In Utero'' singles, "Heart-Shaped Box" and "
All Apologies "All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the 12th track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song c ...
"/ "
Rape Me "Rape Me" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain. It is the fourth song on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released in September 1993. "Rape Me" was released as the albu ...
", the artwork for the "Pennyroyal Tea" single featured no input from Cobain. "We got it done and I don't know that Kurt was around to approve it or not," recalls designer Robert Fisher. "I think it might just have been shot to management to approve or something." The single's cover features a teacup on a table next to a used ashtray, a cream pitcher and animal crackers.


2014 Record Store Day re-release

On April 19, 2014, the "Pennyroyal Tea" single was re-released on 7-inch vinyl for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
2014, limited to only 6000 copies. It was the top-selling vinyl single of Record Store Day in the US, reaching number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart.


Music video

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
director
Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...
was asked to direct a music video for "Pennyroyal Tea", but he refused, saying he did not believe he could make a video better than the one he had made for "
Heart-Shaped Box "Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the third track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. ...
", the first single from ''In Utero''. American director Jeffery Plansker was enlisted as the director instead, but the planned video was abandoned after Cobain's death in April 1994.Pennyroyal 3 - Pennyroyal Tea Music Video
crimson-ceremony.net. Retrieved on March 10, 2013.


''MTV Unplugged'' version

Featuring only Cobain on vocals and guitar, the ''MTV Unplugged'' version of "Pennyroyal Tea" was the only solo performance of the concert. The band had tried different approaches to the song during the rehearsal earlier that day, performing it in a different key and with Smear on backing vocals. However, during the show Cobain decided to attempt it on his own, asking, "Am I going to do this by myself?" to which Grohl replied, "Do it by yourself", and Cobain joking that "if it sounds bad, these people are just going to have to wait." The song was performed in the same arrangement as the ''In Utero'' version but without the guitar solo, and Cobain paused before the third verse, as if briefly forgetting what lyric to sing next, then regained himself and completed the song. Cobain biographer Charles Cross called this version Cobain's "single greatest moment onstage", writing that "like all the high-water marks of his career, it came at a time when he seemed destined to fail." This version was officially released on the album ''
MTV Unplugged in New York ''MTV Unplugged in New York'' is a live album by American Rock music, rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana, released on November 1, 1994, by DGC Records. It features an acoustic performance recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City on Novembe ...
'' in November 1994. Footage of the performance, as well as from the rehearsals, were released on the ''MTV Unplugged in New York'' DVD in November, 2007.


Courtney Love duet at Club Lingerie version

Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain performed Pennyroyal Tea live at the Rock Against Rape benefit show September 1993 at Club Lingerie in Los Angeles.


Accolades


Track listings

All songs written and composed by Kurt Cobain unless otherwise noted. 1994 German CD single (GED 21907) #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) #"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" #" Where Did You Sleep Last Night (In the Pines)" (live) (Traditional) (Edit) 1994 UK promotional CD single (NIRPRO) #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) 1994 UK CD single (planned but never produced apart from the inserts) #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) #"I Hate Myself and Want to Die" #"Where Did You Sleep Last Night (In the Pines)" (live) (Traditional) 1994 UK
cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...
single (planned but never produced) #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) #"Where Did You Sleep Last Night (In the Pines)" (live) (Traditional) 1994 UK 7" vinyl single (planned but never produced apart from the card sleeves) #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) #"Where Did You Sleep Last Night (In the Pines)" (live) (Traditional) 2014 Record Store Day 7" vinyl single re-release #"Pennyroyal Tea" (Litt remix) #"I Hate Myself and Want to Die"


Chart positions


Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from ''In Utero''s liner notes except design personnel adapted from "Pennyroyal Tea"'s liner notes. ;Nirvana *
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
– vocals, guitar *
Krist Novoselic Krist Anthony Novoselic (; ; born May 16, 1965) is an American musician and activist. He was the bassist and co-founder of the rock band Nirvana. Novoselic and Kurt Cobain formed the band Nirvana in 1987 along with drummer Aaron Burckhard, wh ...
– bass *
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
– drums ;Production personnel *
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
producer,
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
*Adam Kasper – engineer *
Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most suc ...
mixing *
Bob Ludwig Robert C. Ludwig (born c. 1945) is an American mastering engineer. He has mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists including Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Qu ...
mastering ;Design personnel *Robert Fisher –
art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...
, design *Greg Stata – art direction, design *John Skalicky – photography


Other releases

*The second of the two instrumental takes recorded at Word of Mouth in Seattle, on October 26, 1992, was released on the 20th anniversary "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" versions of ''In Utero'' in September 2013. *A third mix of the studio version, done by Albini in 2013, also appeared the 20th anniversary "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" versions of ''In Utero''. *A live version, recorded at Pier 48 in Seattle, on December 13, 1993 for MTV, was released on the live video, '' Live and Loud'', in September 2013. An edited version of the concert, including "Pennyroyal Tea", first aired on MTV on December 31, 1993. The ''Live and Loud'' DVD also featured rehearsal footage of the song for the show, recorded earlier that day at the same venue, as bonus material. *The live version recorded during the band's appearance on ''Nulle Part Ailleurs'' in Paris, on February 4, 1994, appeared as bonus material on the ''Live and Loud'' DVD.


Unreleased versions

*The 4-track version recorded by Cobain and Grohl in Olympia in 1990 was leaked on the internet in 2015, but has never appeared on an official release. Michelle Geslani of ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' described this recording as "darker ndmore slow-burning" than the final studio version, and wrote that it "features Cobain adapting a guttural growl not unlike Leonard Cohen (interesting, given the lyrics)."


References

;Bibliography * ;References


External links


"Pennyroyal Tea" single information
at

at {{Authority control 1993 songs 1994 singles Nirvana (band) songs Songs written by Kurt Cobain Songs about depression Songs about drugs Song recordings produced by Steve Albini Record Store Day releases Recalled publications