Song · Nirvana
“Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam” by Nirvana
“Jesus Don't Want Me for a Sunbeam” by Nirvana appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2004 and 2024. Its best result is #15 on The End Top 77 Songs of 2004. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #279 alternative song of 2004 and #5,666 alternative song of all time.
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"Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam" started out as "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", written by Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee and first recorded by the Scottish band the Vaselines for their EP Dying for It, a send-up of the children's hymn "I'll Be a Sunbeam". When Nirvana took it on in 1993, they turned the title inside out.
On MTV Unplugged in New York, Kurt Cobain introduces it as an old Christian song done the Vaselines' way. At a show at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on 30 December 1993, Cobain dedicated it to River Phoenix, who had died shortly before. Two more Nirvana versions surfaced on the 2004 box set With the Lights Out.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 15 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 77 Songs of 2004 | 77 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 297 | 107.7 The End | The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) | 500 |
| 2006 | 82 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 107 Songs of the Millennium (December 2006) | 107 |
| 2024 | 796 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
Also listed as: Jesus Doesn't Want Me For A Sunbeam.
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