RockLists.com
Cover of Nevermind by Nirvana
Cover: Nevermind

Song · Nirvana

“Polly” by Nirvana

From the album Nevermind (1991)

“Polly” by Nirvana appears on 50 radio countdowns from 19 stations between 1995 and 2026. It was first released in 1991 on the album Nevermind. Its best result is #5 on the Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002). In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #225 alternative song of 1995 and #340 alternative song of all time.

50countdowns
19stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1995–2026years charted

Watch

Nirvana - Polly (Audio)

Video from YouTube (NirvanaVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Polly" is the sixth song on Nevermind, the Nirvana album DGC released in September 1991, and it's the record's hardest listen. Kurt Cobain wrote it about a real crime: a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped and tortured on her way home from a punk show in Tacoma, Washington, in 1987. He sang it from the point of view of the man who did it, which forces the listener to stand inside a rapist's head and face what's there.

Musically it's stripped almost bare: Cobain's guitar and flat, weary voice out front, Krist Novoselic's bass and Dave Grohl's drums in quiet support, and Grohl and Novoselic adding backing vocals. Butch Vig produced with the band and Andy Wallace mixed, and they leave it hushed and unadorned, so there's nowhere to hide from the words.

Cobain was blunt about why he wrote it. He counted sexual assault among the worst crimes on earth, and in 1991 he told an interviewer that what needed doing was teaching men not to rape.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1995 58 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1995 107

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1995 210 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1999 292 KROQ KROQ Top 300 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 1999) 300
1999 415 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 405 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 108 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 623 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 356 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 5 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 347 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 108 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 414 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 62 WBCN WBCN Grunge Top 104 (2004) 104
2005 416 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 314 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 413 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 267 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2007 218 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 273 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 322 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 215 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 79 CFNY 102.1 The Edge The Top 200 Songs of the 90's According to 102.1 The Edge 200
2009 247 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 222 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 177 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of All-Time (2009) 200
2010 53 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 227 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 228 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 96 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 102 New Rock Songs of All-Time 102
2013 227 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2013 870 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 229 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 557 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 879 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 341 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2020 222 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2020 910 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 307 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2021 408 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 221 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 308 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 389 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 220 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 738 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2023 218 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2024 274 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) 400
2026 419 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Polly (New Wave); (New Wave) Polly; New Wave Polly.

Charting alongside it in 1995

Best songs of 1995 →
  1. 1You Oughta KnowAlanis Morissette
  2. 2LumpThe Presidents of the United States of America
  3. 3Lightning CrashesLive
  4. 4Bullet With Butterfly WingsThe Smashing Pumpkins
  5. 5NameGoo Goo Dolls
  6. 6My FriendsRed Hot Chili Peppers

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Polly" by Nirvana.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.