10 Mistakes In Songs So Good They Kept Them In

4. Kurt Cobain Jumped His Cue On "Polly"

Even by Kurt Cobain’s standards, Polly is a dark song. Written about the real life kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Tacoma, Washington, Cobain tells a disturbing story from the perspective of the man responsible.

Downbeat and hauntingly visceral, it provided a disconcerting moment of reflection at the heart of one of the 90s’ most seminal records, Nevermind.

Of course, Nirvana were not afraid to flaunt their imperfections, and at times it seemed that they even played up to their ramshackle reputation - Polly was recorded on a battered old five-stringed acoustic Cobain had bought from a pawn shop for just $20 - but it was rare for them to make mistakes on record.

Polly was an exception though. In the brief interlude before the final verse, when Krist Novoselic’s bass comes to the fore, Cobain jumps his cue and sings the words “Polly said” a bar too early. For whatever reason, producer Butch Vig made the call to keep the slip up in the mix, and it feels strangely fitting for a song that came from such a murky, warped place.