Marigold - B-Side

"Marigold" (originally titled "Color Pictures of a Marigold") is a song written and composed by American rock musician Dave Grohl, that was first released on Pocketwatch, an album Grohl issued under the pseudonym Late! in 1992.

The song is perhaps best known for the version that was recorded and released in 1993 by Nirvana, as a b-side to the "Heart-Shaped Box" single. A live version was later featured on the Foo Fighters' release Skin and Bones in 2006, garnering "Marigold" the notable distinction of being the only song released by both Nirvana and Foo Fighters, two of Grohl's most distinguished bands.

Nirvana

In February 1993, Grohl entered Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota with bandmates Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, to record what would eventually become In Utero, the third and final studio album from Nirvana, produced by Steve Albini. Towards the end of the session, Grohl decided to re-record "Marigold," this time with a more detailed arrangement including bass and drums. Like the Late! version, lead and backing vocals and guitar were done by Grohl, who also recorded the drum parts. Although Novoselic contributed bass, it has been said that Cobain was absent during the production of "Marigold", despite exhaustive rumors insisting his involvement singing backing vocal and playing either drums or guitar. The song didn't make it to the final album, however it would see limited release in August 1993 as a b-side, along with "Milk It", to "Heart-Shaped Box", the first single from In Utero (interestingly, Grohl is credited for playing drums and singing lead vocal on "Marigold", but not guitar or backing vocal). The song would later appear on the third disc of the posthumous box set, With the Lights Out in 2004. The Nirvana version of "Marigold" is significantly notable in that during the band's seven year tenure, it is the only song released by Nirvana to not include any contribution from frontman Kurt Cobain.