10 Fascinating True Stories Behind Iconic Music Album Covers
3. Nevermind - Nirvana (1991)
The story of the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind - despite the album being released over 30 years ago - is still an evolving one, with a lawsuit in late-2021 thrusting this legendary album cover back into the spotlight.
The original concept for this cover thought up by Kurt Cobain was for a baby to be born underwater. Designer of the cover Robert Fisher, after trying to make it work, ruled the idea out for being too graphic and impossible to create. Instead, Kurt and Fisher settled on the now iconic concept of the baby, the fish hook, and the dollar bill.
About 50 shots were taken of different babies underwater in different poses, before the one on the album was chosen. The dollar bill and fish hook were then scanned in and added to the photo to create the final version of the album cover.
The cover's model, Spencer Elden, has long been uncomfortable with his role as the most famous baby in music history. In late-2021, he unsuccessfully sued the band, seeking personal damages resulting from his image being on the album cover.