The two songs that are being noted about here are two versions of the song “In the Pines,” one by Nirvana during the nineties, and one by Bill Monroe and his brothers back in the fifties.  It can be argued that if someone listened to these two versions of the same song, that person would say that Nirvana’s version had a more authentic feel than the version played by Bill Monroe almost forty years earlier.  The singing in Nirvana’s version of the song “In the Pines” is a more emotional and dark then its fifties counterpart by the Monroe brothers, which has more of an at-the-beach sort of feel to it, according to the beat, but the lyrics beg to differ.  Nirvana interpreted the song as a sort of sad love story that expressed heavy feelings.  Bill Monroe’s version of the song interpreted it as a journey back home, then, like Nirvana’s version, focuses on a love affair gone the wrong way.  Nirvana also takes the song in the direction of a relationship gone dark, hence the name of the song being “Where did you Sleep Last Night?”  Bill Monroe takes “In the Pines” and focuses on a walk back home and ends in a divorce.  Despite the pseudo-sad tone “In the Pines” had, “Where did you Sleep Last Night?” still had graphic images of death, as said in this part of the lyrics; “His head was found in a driving wheel, but his body never ever be found (Third Stanza).”

    In terms of authenticity, Barker and Taylor said in there article, “Where did you Sleep Last Night?” posed the question of what is authentic, and pointed out Cobain’s desire for authenticity; “By almost any standards, Kurt Cobain’s version of “In the Pines” seems “authentic.”  There doesn’t seem to be anything “fake” here (Barker 21).”  About fifty years before, the Lomax brothers recorded and archived authentic African-American music back in a search for the purest forms of music of that type.  Cobain had the same desire, as mentioned by Barker and Taylor in their article; “Cobain was also searching for something “authentic” and pure, but he wasn’t necessarily looking for the roots of American music (Barker 22).Meanwhile, applying the same concept of “authenticity,” Bill Monroe’s recording can be seen as “fake” in Cobain’s eyes because his version was more commercialized.  Even though MTV was present when Cobain sang his version of “In the Pines,” he still did the song in an authentic way that can be compared to the original version by Leadbelly. 

    When Barker and Taylor meant “…savage simplicity (23)…” they meant being tied to the commercial world and the media.  Cobain was one example of someone who would not allow them to be bound to the commercial ideal, rather than Bill Monroe, who did when he did his version of “In the Pines” in the late fifties.  This concept of “savage simplicity” goes back to the forties when Leadbelly had to put up with the same ideal.  Bill Monroe’s recording, when listening to it, felt “acquired” rather than authentic because of where he recorded his music at the time, given the song information, at a studio.  To Cobain, the idea of being a role model for future generations was something to consider.  If he was constricted to the norms of the commercial world, Nirvana would not have been as popular as they were while they were at the height of their popularity, and Cobain would not have been a very good role model if the scenario came true.  Barker and Taylor wrote a similar thing on their article; “So for Cobain, as for most rock stars and fans today, real rock’n’roll must be shackled to the kind of primitivism that accompanied Leadbelly’s career, an idealization of “savage” simplicity.  If Cobain had broadcasted the facts of his own painful life in the wordy, sophisticated tradition of Loudon Wainwright III rather than the bare-bones tradition of Leadbelly, he would have been a role model for next to nobody (23).”  By looking at the quote, one could argue that the commercial world is manipulating what music come and goes and what the audiences hear or don’t get to hear.