Positioned between stark melancholy and the anguished spirit of the punk era, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain consistently resisted straightforward interpretation in his lyrics. It wasn’t until much later that the potential true essence of ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ became clearer, following years of debates. According to Courtney Love, the 1993 composition carries a much more intense sexual charge than first anticipated.
Among the tracks on In Utero, ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ was one of two that underwent remixing by Scott Litt before the album’s official launch. This decision stemmed from the band’s discontent with the initial mixing undertaken by producer Steve Albini, the man behind the group’s breakout record Nevermind. The Litt mix incorporated supplementary vocal harmonies and guitar contributions by Cobain. These were the sole elements across the album’s twelve primary tracks that hadn’t been captured during the original sessions with Albini in February 1993.
‘Heart-Shaped Box’, which was initially named ‘Heart-Shaped Coffin’, was an endeavour that emerged in the wake of the remarkable success achieved by the band’s second album, Nevermind. Accompanying that fame was a surge of critiques, many of which were directed at Cobain’s lyrical content. While Cobain disdained this newfound scrutiny, he also harnessed his celebrity status to address deeply meaningful matters.
Upon the release of ‘Heart-Shaped Box’, Cobain asserted that the song drew inspiration from a television report depicting children grappling with cancer. While this might have triggered the creative process, there’s a widespread contention that the song predominantly delves into the tumultuous dynamics of the songwriter’s marriage with Love.
Following their initial encounter, Love supposedly sent Cobain a diminutive heart-shaped box containing an assortment of odds and ends, like a doll’s head detached from its body. The inclusion of references to their respective zodiac signs, Pisces and Cancer, seems to lend credence to this interpretation. However, given Cobain’s absence to provide firsthand insight, the significance remains an enigma.
Despite many attempting to interpret the meaning behind the title itself, with many pointing toward so many needless Valentine red-hearted boxes providing a simple simile, some have said that the ‘heart-shaped box’ represents a uterus. The track’s lyrics discuss an aborted fetus from its first-person viewpoint with pointed detail. Others have contested that it could instead be a tangible box used for Cobain’s needles, an actual heart, or a box of love letters.
It’s well-known that Cobain often expressed passion for anti-misogyny and ensuring the right treatment of women, both in song lyrics and rock and roll culture as a whole. ‘Heart-Shaped Box’, aside from tackling Cobain’s feelings for Love, also demonstrates his attitude towards the treatment of women. While a lot of Cobain’s rock and roll counterparts divulged in more derogatory language when it came to ‘appreciating’ women, Cobain talks about his love eyeing him “like a Pisces when I am weak”, and being “locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks”.
Even though Cobain’s lyrical poeticism comes through as poignant as the metaphor itself, Love has since given her take on the song following a cover by Lana Del Rey at an Australian concert in 2012. In a series if quickly deleted tweets, she wrote: “you do know the song is about my vagina right? Throw down your umbilical noose so I can climb right back umm. On top of which some of the lyrics about my vagina, I contributed”.
Ultimately, the single performed well, reaching the top ten in several countries, including Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, and New Zealand. During 1993, on MTV, it occupied the top spot as the most frequently aired video, which culminated in the band receiving two Video Music Awards from MTV in 1994 for the song. Unfortunately, however, the ceremony coincided with Cobain’s tragic death, resulting in the remaining band members stepping onto the stage to collect the award.
Cobain was contented with ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ prior to his passing. The video marked his final work before his tragic suicide. He expressed that this particular video aligned more closely with his creative vision than any previous endeavours.
At once twisted and strangely romantic, ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ conveys a deep and maniacal obsession of two people for whom love is as addictive as drugs, and like the most addictive narcotics, it is simultaneously as able to bring death as it gives life to those who crave it. The kind of love Nirvana is singing about, the kind that comes in a heart-shaped box, is not only sickly sweet like so many chocolates but destined to make your teeth fall out.
