Sturgill Simpson Covers Nirvana’s "In Bloom"

Sturgill Simpson‘s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music follow-up is called A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. It’s out April 15 on Atlantic, and it features a cover of Nirvana‘s single “In Bloom.” Today, he’s shared the cover in a strange music video directed by Matt Mahurin. Watch it below. “I remember in seventh or eighth grade, when that album dropped, it was like a bomb went off in my bedroom,” he said of Nevermind in a statement. “For me, that song has always summed up what it means to be a teenager, and I think it tells a young boy that he can be sensitive and compassionate—he doesn’t have to be tough or cold to be a man. So I wanted to make a very beautiful and pure homage to Kurt.” 

Update (2:43 p.m. EST:) Speaking with Zane Lowe on his Beats 1 show, Simpson revealed that his “In Bloom” cover almost didn’t make it onto the album because he sang the incorrect lyrics to the song’s chorus. Simpson heard Cobain’s line “Don’t know what it means, when I say” as “You don’t know what it means to love someone.” He only realized the mistake when his manager pointed it out, after the completed record had been turned in to Atlantic. Fortunately, the slightly-altered “In Bloom” cover was eventually cleared after Simpson penned a hand-written note to Cobain’s estate explaining the situation. “I just wanna say, ‘Thank you’,” he said of the mishap, “and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to screw the song up.” Listen to Simpson and Lowe’s chat above.

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