"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by The Vaselines
from the album Dying for It
Released1987
GenreIndie pop
Length3:31
Label53rd & 3rd
Songwriter(s)Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
"Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
Song by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
Released1 November 1994
Recorded18 November 1993
VenueSony Music Studios, New York City
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:37
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Eugene Kelly, Frances McKee
Producer(s)Alex Coletti, Scott Litt, Nirvana
MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
13 tracks
  1. "About a Girl"
  2. "Come as You Are"
  3. "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
  4. "The Man Who Sold the World"
  5. "Pennyroyal Tea"
  6. "Dumb"
  7. "Polly"
  8. "On a Plain"
  9. "Something in the Way"
  10. "Plateau"
  11. "Oh, Me"
  12. "Lake of Fire"
  13. "All Apologies"
  14. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by the Scottish alternative band the Vaselines. It was later covered by American rock band Nirvana in 1993 who renamed it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam".

History

"Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is a song originally recorded by the Scottish alternative band the Vaselines for their EP Dying for It.[1] It is a parody on the Christian children's hymn "I'll Be a Sunbeam", which has the opening line "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam." The Vaselines re-released the song in 1992 on the compilation albums The Way of The Vaselines: A Complete History,[2] and All the Stuff and More.

The song was little-known outside the indie-pop scene until Seattle grunge band Nirvana recorded the song in November 1993 for their live acoustic album MTV Unplugged in New York, re-titling it "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam".[3]

Two more versions were released by Nirvana on their 2004 box set With the Lights Out. These were an acoustic version recorded in Portugal in 1994, and a live electric performance on the DVD section of the box set that was recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on October 31, 1991.[4] This version was re-released in 2011 as a bonus track on the 20th anniversary edition of the Nevermind album and on the Live at the Paramount DVD and Blu-ray.[5]

In the version featured on the MTV Unplugged in New York album, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain refers to the song as "a rendition of an old Christian song, I think. But we do it the Vaselines' way."[6] At a Nirvana concert that took place on December 30, 1993, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, Cobain dedicated the song to the recently deceased River Phoenix.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Alexander, Phil (April 5, 2019). "Kurt Cobain's 50 favourite albums". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  2. ↑ Scott, Jerry. "The Vaselines - Complete History". obatik.com. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  3. ↑ Whatley, Jack. "From the Beatles to David Bowie: 10 of Nirvana's Best Covers". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  4. ↑ Furniss, Matthew. Nirvana Uncensored On the Record. Coda Books Ltd. ISBN 9781781580059.
  5. ↑ Appelo, Tim (September 26, 2011). "'Nirvana Live at the Paramount' DVD Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ Kurt Cobain, Nov. 18, 1993. MTV Unplugged in New York, DGC Records, released Nov. 1, 1994.
  7. ↑ Borzillo, Carrie (April 23, 1994). "Cobain Death Spurs Rush at Retail" (PDF). Billboard. p. 102. Retrieved December 24, 2021.


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