Released as a Nirvana B-side, and later reimagined by Foo Fighters, the song’s beauty lies in its understated beauty, reflecting Grohl’s ability to craft music to its stripped-down essence.
Grohl sings in almost a whisper-‘All in all the clock is slow/ Six colour pictures all in a row/ Of a marigold’-is pure zen. With harmonies and gentle percussion, you feel warmth of the quite burst of yellow that the flower possesses.
The poetic, ambiguous quality of the lyrics is magically mirrored in the simple melody, a counterpoint from someone otherwise as drummer of Nirvana and frontman of Foo Fighters is known for his raw loudness.
What makes ‘Marigold’ truly remarkable is its timeless, meditative quality, and its placement in oeuvre of songs that we have come to enjoy for their passion. But despite its gentleness-or, perhaps, because of its extreme gentleness-Grohl’s quiet masterpiece is indeed another side of punk rock aesthetics.
