Happy 16th birthday, floating Nirvana baby! Otherwise known as Spencer Elden, this boy will forever be known to many as the underwater baby on the cover of Nirvana's album Nevermind.
According to an interview Elden did with NME in 2006, he's a fan of Nirvana, saying "Most bands around today can't even get near to what Nirvana did on that album, and I'll always be happy to be a part of it." It's a good thing this kid grew up to like Nirvana. Imagine if he didn't?
I wasn't all that old when Nevermind came out, but it's still jarring to see the teenage version of a baby I thought would forever be floating nakedly toward that dollar bill, and possibly drowning a little. In honor of this momentous occasion, I'm going to go listen to "Lithium" and see if I can't dredge up some leftover angst.
Benefit
An awesome album.
1Uh, wow! Yeah, that really did make me feel ancient.
2I feel old too, I think I was in 9th grade when this came out.
3Oh wow, that does make me feel old!
4I feel old.
5I was in middle school when it came out.
It just occured to me that next year is my 10 year hs reunion.
I need a drink!
I'm getting old, too. Nirvana baby, the harry potter kids.... Yikes!
6omg... YES THE HARRY POTTER KIDS !!!!
7HP is even showing his naughty bits on stage!
this is crazy.
the world needs to stand still!!!!
You know you see stuff like that and think "Oh this isn't a real baby, they just photoshopped it." But they really did go all in and put the baby in the water, clearly. I wasn't very old when this dropped, but I do kind of feel surreal.
8I remember how they issued "Nevermind" with the kid's privates photoshopped out, like he was a girl. I guess it was seen as rude or something to see an innocent (boy) baby swimming naked -- toward money!!
9YIKES! Thanks for that...
10I was feeling old when I got up this morning but now I feel positively ancient.
11he looks like Bug Hall [the kid that played Alfalfa in Little Rascals]. imdb him! swear, a blonde version.
12Fabulous Album. I always thought the cover was great. Remember when that was considered a controversy... By todays measures, it sure seems tame.
13Nirvana is amazing. I love them.
14no freaking way! that seriously dates me.
15love nirvana! glad to hear that spence here feels the same way
16OMG -- It can't be that old! I still have the angst, so I'm going to dig up those old songs too!
17I could care less about the Harry Crapper kids, (does it make me old that I don't know who they are, and that I don't care??). This guy turning sixteen really does make me feel old, though. I was in the 8th grade when that album was released.
18There is something wrong in our society when even 20-somethings start feeling "old." I swear whenever I check out music videos that came out when I was in high school there always some lil' kid with a screen name like ohmigod1992 that says, "I love this song! It came out when I was 4! (insert dipsh*t emiticon here)" No wonder American teens have always been so damn narcissistic: marketing revolves around them, which isn't shocking considering they're so malleable. I hated teens when I was a teen.
Corporate America is evil in its genius. The marketing aimed at teens today is radically different in a disturbing way from even 10 years ago (For ex., today: all women and girls are synonymous with slurs; back then we were still called "girls"), but if you ever dare question it you come off as, "Sheesh, kids today!" It's like Clockwork Orange (the book).
19Callis mama: I believe the reason why it was considered a controversy was due to safety reasons (the baby) rather than message, no?
20Thanks for that disturbing picture
21I can't say this makes me feel old, because I was 6 and still young enough when this came out that I pointed and giggled in the record store when my dad bought it.
I find it funny how people are talking about Photoshopping and this album cover. PS 1.0 was released a year before this album, and there was no way this type of editing was part of the software lol.
*hides under her geek blanket*
22wow
23dolla dolla bills ya'll
24Wow! I remember seeing this album when I was younger thinking that it was brand new. I had no idea it came out so long ago.
25haha but how does he feel about being naked on the cover? Well atleast when his mom digs out the naked baby pics to show ppl...he will have a cool one
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