Heart-Shaped Box

"Heart-Shaped Box" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana, released as the first single from their third album, In Utero, by DGC Records on August 30, 1993. It was written by the vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It was one of two songs on In Utero remixed by Scott Litt due to the Geffen executives dissatisfaction with the mixing by the producer, Steve Albini. The Litt remix also featured additional vocal harmonies and guitar by Cobain, which were the only elements on the album's 12 main tracks not recorded during the original sessions with Albini in February 1993. Cobain explained that "Heart-Shaped Box" was written about children with terminal cancer. The song is generally also believed to be about his relationship with his wife, Courtney Love, of the American rock band Hole. To avoid competing with album sales, the single was not released in the United States, but received considerable American radio play, reaching number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The single reached the top 10 in countries including Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, and New Zealand, and the top 40 in numerous other countries. "Heart-Shaped Box" was the final song performed at Nirvana's last concert, on March 1, 1994, in Munich, Germany. It was also the final Nirvana song to receive a music video before the suicide of Cobain in April 1994. The video, directed by Anton Corbijn, won two awards-Best Alternative Video and Best Art Direction in a Video-at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.