Frequently described as one of Cobain's strongest and most melodic early compositions,[1][2][3] "About a Girl" was written about his then-girlfriend Tracy Marander.

[4] The earliest known recording is a solo electric home demo that was posthumously released on the band's rarities box set, With the Lights Out, in November 2004.

"[5] On October 26, 1989, a version of "About a Girl" was recorded by Ted de Bono at Maida Vale Studios in London, England, during Nirvana's first BBC Peel Session.

On November 18, 1993, "About a Girl" was performed as the opening song on the band's MTV Unplugged appearance at Sony Music Studios in New York City.

"About a Girl" was performed for the final time live at Nirvana's last concert, at Terminal Eins in Munich, Germany on March 1, 1994.

[7] "About a Girl" is composed in the key of E minor, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans one octave and six notes, from the low-note of B3 to the high-note of A4.

[7] During the verses, Cobain repeats the same two chords as Krist Novoselic's bass line continuously ascends while a vocal harmony and tambourines appear in the background.

[8] It was also described as a pop song by Cobain, producer Butch Vig, and original Nirvana drummer Chad Channing.

The lyrics address the couple's fractured relationship, caused by Cobain's refusal to get a job, or to share cleaning duties at their apartment, which housed many of his pets.

In a 1993 Rolling Stone interview with David Fricke, Cobain revealed that he had initially been apprehensive about including "About a Girl" on Bleach, knowing that it risked alienating the band's then largely grunge fanbase.

"Everyone talks about Kurt's love affair with... the whole punk scene, but he was also a huge Beatles fan, and the more time we spent together the more obvious their influence on his songwriting became," Vig told the NME.

"[17] Evan Rytlewskia of Pitchfork called it "a glimpse at the melodic impulses that would make [Cobain] one of the defining rock musicians of the ’90s.

"[19] The NME described it as "Kurt's first true masterpiece," which "showed Nirvana's soft underbelly could be just as arresting as their ear-splitting thrashes.

Club's "Essential Nirvana: Their 30 greatest songs, ranked" list, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine describing it as being "driven by one of Kurt Cobain’s prettiest melodies.

[30] The cover has been widely criticized and ridiculed, with most of the focus being placed upon vocalist Wes Scantlin's strained, off-key vocals.

[31][32] On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musician Post Malone as part of his 15-song Nirvana tribute concert live-streamed on YouTube, which raised more than $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

[39] Reviewing MTV Unplugged in New York for the NME, John Harris wrote that the song's "musical backdrop suggests The Beatles in 1964, at their lovelorn best: minor-key introspection gives way to regular traces of lightened-up calm, only to regain the upper hand within bars.