1992 Grunge Rock Anthem Was Inspired By the Tragic True Story of a Hollywood Actress

When Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain, was in high-school, he read a controversial biography of Seattle-native actress, Frances Farmer. Cobain became fascinated by Farmer’s tragic life, and even related to her more as his own life started to change with the fame garnered from Nirvana’s success. Cobain’s interest in Farmer ran so deep Courtney Love wore a satin lace dress previously owned by the late star for the pair’s wedding, and they named their only daughter after her.

But who was Frances Farmer?

Frances Farmer was an actress and performer originally from Seattle, Washington who was prominent in Hollywood and on Broadway in the mid-1930s to early 1940s. When reports of erratic behavior and aligning with atheism and Communism began to be spewed her way, Farmer was arrested and involuntarily committed to an institution in Lakewood, Washington for over five years. There, she was given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and held at the request of her mother and other family members.

In Farmer’s autobiography, Will There Really Be a Morning?, she alleged she was subjected to horrific abuse in the hospital saying she “was raped by orderlies, gnawed on by rats and poisoned by tainted food. I was chained in padded cells, strapped into strait-jackets and half-drowned in ice baths.”

Farmer was released from the hospital in 1950 and fought to break the conservatorship from her mother and make a comeback at acting. At the age of 56 Farmer was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and passed away in 1970.

Cobain wrote the song based on Farmer’s life, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” in 1982. Cobain wrote the composition first, leaving the lyrics for last while piecing the song together. “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” made its way on to In Utero, Nirvana’s third and final studio album.

In the 1993 biography, Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, Cobain discussed his thought process behind the track saying: “The story of Frances Farmer is so sad and it can happen to anybody and it almost felt at a time that it was happening to us… but it’s mainly just exposing the Frances Farmer story to people.”

Over the years, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” has been included on many lists of Nirvana’s best songs. Rolling Stoneranked it at number 25 on their “No Apologies: All 102 Nirvana Songs Ranked” and The AV Club placed it at number 23 on their list of Nirvana’s “30 greatest songs.”

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