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About

Genius Annotation

Melody Maker, in their August 21, 1993 interview with Kurt Cobain, explained:

The lyric for “Dumb” seems peculiarly direct, a song about life’s simple, silly little pleasures. Like “I think I’m dumb/Or maybe just happy.” Is it intended to reflect that new-found optimism you’ve mentioned, or should we be reading it ironically?

Cobain: “That’s just about people who’re easily amused, people who not only aren’t capable of progressing their intelligence but are totally happy watching 10 hours of television and really enjoy it. I’ve met a lot of dumb people. They have a shitty job, they may be totally lonely, they don’t have a girlfriend, they don’t have much of a social life, and yet, for some reason, they’re happy.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Nirvana say about "Dumb"?
Genius Answer

Kurt Cobain answered some questions about “Dumb” in an August 21, 1993 interview with Melody Maker:

MM: The lyric for “Dumb” seems peculiarly direct, a song about life’s simple, silly little pleasures. Like “I think I’m dumb/Or maybe just happy.” Is it intended to reflect that new-found optimism you’ve mentioned, or should we be reading it ironically?

KC: That’s just about people who’re easily amused, people who not only aren’t capable of progressing their intelligence but are totally happy watching 10 hours of television and really enjoy it. I’ve met a lot of dumb people. They have a shitty job, they may be totally lonely, they don’t have a girlfriend, they don’t have much of a social life, and yet, for some reason, they’re happy.

MM: Are you ever envious of them?

KC: At times. I wish I could take a pill that would allow me to be amused by television and just enjoy the simple things instead of being so judgmental and expecting real good quality instead of shit. And just using the word “Happy” I thought was a nice twist on the negative stuff we’ve done before.

MM: So this has a negative tone, too, you’ve just hidden it?

KC: Yeah (laughs)

What has Cobain's daughter said about the song?
Genius Answer

Francis Bean Cobain, Kurt’s daughter, told Rolling Stone that, “I don’t really like Nirvana that much” but that this song makes her cry every time she hears it.

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Genius Answer
Credits
Produced By
Written By
Mastering Engineer
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Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Art Direction
Recording Engineer
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Technical
Remastered at
Recorded At
Pachyderm Studio, Canon Falls, MN
Release Date
September 21, 1993
Songs That Interpolate Dumb
View Dumb samples
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