Aneurysm

The first woman who ever made Kurt Cobain so nervous that he felt physically ill was Tobi Vail, a founding member of Bikini Kill. Cobain was talking about her and about his queasy experience when he sang the line: "Love you so much, makes me sick." Vail and Cobain had a brief relationship in Olympia, Washington in July 1990; they'd met four years earlier while hanging out with the Melvins. By all accounts, Cobain was much more into Vail than Vail was into Cobain. Some friends of the time recall not even being sure the two were actually dating, because of Vail's dismissive attitude.

Vail is notable for multiple reasons beyond being the center of this early Nirvana scene. In addition to founding the groundbreaking feminist band Bikini Kill, she also started a magazine titled Jigsaw, which was influential to the growing riot grrl scene in Olympia. Oh, and as for "riot grrl," Vale's also the one who originally concocted the "grr" spelling of the term. She plays a part in another key event of the Nirvana mythos. When Kathleen Hanna, another riot grrl figurehead, spray-painted "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" on Cobain's bedroom wall, she was referring to Vail's deodorant. Vail and Cobain didn't last long as an item, but they remained friends after breaking up. Cobain didn't take it well, though. He'd been much more attached to Vail than she was to him, and "Aneurysm" documents the emotion.

The song was first recorded on January 1, 1991 with Craig Montgomery producing. The song appeared as the B-side to "Smells Like Teen Spirit."