Lake of Fire (song)

"Lake of Fire"
"Lake of Fire"
Promotional single by Nirvana
from the album MTV Unplugged in New York
Released	1995
Recorded	November 18, 1993 at Sony Music Studios in New York City
Genre	Acoustic rock
Length	2:56
Label	DGC Records
Songwriter(s)	Curt Kirkwood
Producer(s)	Alex Coletti, Scott Litt, Nirvana
Nirvana singles chronology
MTV Unplugged in New York track listing
	show 13 tracks

"Lake of Fire"
"Lake of Fire"
Single by Meat Puppets
from the album Meat Puppets II and Too High to Die
Released	March 12, 1994
Genre	Cowpunk (1984 version); Hard rock (1994 version)
Length	1:54 (1984 version)
Label	London Records
Songwriter(s)	Curt Kirkwood
Meat Puppets singles chronology

"Lake of Fire" is a song by the American alternative rock band the Meat Puppets.^[3] It appears on their 1984 album Meat Puppets II and also appears as a hidden track on their 1994 album Too High to Die.

The Meat Puppets have played this song at most of their concerts, and even after the Meat Puppets, Curt Kirkwood has performed this song himself at most of his concerts. "Lake of Fire" was notably covered by Nirvana on MTV Unplugged, in 1993.

Background[]

Curt Kirkwood said, "I lived with [bandmates] Cris and Derrick, and probably Cris' girlfriend, Kelly. ... They went to a Halloween party and I was disgruntled because I thought it was nonsense that adults should callously attempt to alter their appearances, that we are already sufficiently foul. ... I was younger then. I just said, 'Talk about man's fall from grace. This is it.'" He also described the song as a "toss-off" and a "cartoon".^[4]

Promo single[]

The fourth promotional release to boost the Too High to Die record. Released after they played on MTV Unplugged with Nirvana.

Track listing

(All songs by Curt Kirkwood unless otherwise noted)

"Lake of Fire" (1994 version) – 3:12
"Lake of Fire" (acoustic version) – 1:58
"Lake of Fire" (live) – 2:56

Nirvana cover[]

Along with "Plateau" and "Oh, Me", the popular grunge band Nirvana performed "Lake of Fire" for their MTV Unplugged appearance in 1993 and were joined by the Kirkwood brothers. This version appears on Nirvana's 1994 live album, MTV Unplugged in New York and was released as a promotional single.^[6]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[7]	17
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[8]	22
US Rock Tracks Top 60 (Radio & Records)^[9]	18

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Top Rock Tracks (Radio & Records)^[10]	92

Other covers[]

Lena Hall recorded a live version of the song for her 2015 album Sin & Salvation: Live at the Carlyle.
In 2018, Eric Bachmann covered the song and released it as a single.^[11] His cover was also featured in the 2018 film Tag.^[12]

References[]

^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. March 5, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
^ Prato, Greg. "Too High to Die - Meat Puppets | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
^ "Song Facts - Lake of Fire".
^ Hernandez, Raoul (April 9, 1999). "What is This?". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
^ Bosso, Joe (August 23, 2019). "The 25 best acoustic rock songs". Guitar World. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
^ Lake of Fire - Nirvana Collector's Discography. livenirvana.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8516." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
^ "Nirvana Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
^ "Rock Tracks Top 60" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. June 2, 1995. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "Top 95 of 95" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. December 22, 1995. p. 86. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lake-of-fire-single/1397637460
^ https://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/102553/Tag

External links[]

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[1] "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. March 5, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

[2] Prato, Greg. "Too High to Die - Meat Puppets | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

[S-LOF-H-01-3] "Song Facts - Lake of Fire".

[4] Hernandez, Raoul (April 9, 1999). "What is This?". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 31, 2021.

[5] Bosso, Joe (August 23, 2019). "The 25 best acoustic rock songs". Guitar World. Retrieved April 28, 2021.

[6] Lake of Fire - Nirvana Collector's Discography. livenirvana.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.

[sc_Canadarock_-7] "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8516." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2016.

[sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Nirvana-8] "Nirvana Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.

[9] "Rock Tracks Top 60" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. June 2, 1995. p. 56. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[10] "Top 95 of 95" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. December 22, 1995. p. 86. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[11] ttps://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lake-of-fire-single/1397637460

[12] ttps://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/102553/Tag

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show v t Meat Puppets
Curt Kirkwood Cris Kirkwood Elmo Kirkwood Derrick Bostrom Shandon Sahm Ted Marcus
Studio albums	Meat Puppets Meat Puppets II Up on the Sun Mirage Huevos Monsters Forbidden Places Too High to Die No Joke! Golden Lies Rise to Your Knees Sewn Together Lollipop Rat Farm Dusty Notes
Singles	"Swimming Ground" "I Am a Machine" "I Can't Be Counted On" "Backwater" "We Don't Exist" "Meat Puppets Promo" "Roof with a Hole" "Lake of Fire" "Scum" "Taste of the Sun"
Other songs	"Plateau"
EPs	In a Car Out My Way Raw Meat You Love Me
Other albums	No Strings Attached Live in Montana Live Classic Puppets Rare Meat
Related articles	Discography MTV Unplugged in New York Alive in the Nineties Eyes Adrift Volcano