'"[9] The instrumental interlude was also developed during this session, which Shane says changed the song's character "from metal to a more Sonic Youth noise thing.

[10] The sounds during the song's interlude were made by Cobain in a variety of ways, including using his squeaky mouse and rubber duck toys that he brought into the studio.

[11] The full session, which also featured versions of the Nevermind hidden track "Endless, Nameless" and then-unreleased "Dumb", was produced by Dale Griffin, was first broadcast on November 3, 1991.[8][page needed].

In March 1992, a live version, recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington on October 31, 1991, appeared as a b-side on the second single from Nevermind, for the song "Come as You Are".

A live version, featuring Pat Smear on second guitar, was recorded for the television show Nulle Part Ailleurs in Paris, France on February 4, 1994.

[12] The song is composed in the key of A major, while Kurt Cobain's vocal range spans two octaves and five notes, from the low-note of F#4 to the high-note of B6.

[12] The tight musical arrangement begins with Cobain strumming his electric guitar unaccompanied while singing, "One baby to another says I'm lucky to have met you.

"[16] According to a February 1997 Goldmine article by American journalist Gillian G. Gaar, "Drain You" was originally planned as the second single from Nevermind.

[17] A promotional single was released in late 1991, but the song "never really was played" on the radio, according to DGC's director of publicity Jim Merlis, possibly because it was overshadowed by the popularity of "Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Cobain cited "Drain You" as one of his favorite compositions, telling David Fricke in a 1993 Rolling Stone interview that he thought it was as good, if not better, than "Smells Like Teen Spirit.

[22] In 2017, to mark what would have been Kurt Cobain's 50th birthday, the Phonographic Performance Limited released a list of the top 20 most played Nirvana songs on TV and radio in the U.K., in which "Drain You" was ranked at number 11.

On April 24, 2020, the song was performed by American musician Post Malone as part of his 15-song Nirvana tribute concert, which was livestreamed on YouTube and raised over $4 million for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

It was released as the second promotional single from the album, peaking at number 44 on the US Alternative Top 50 chart which was published by Radio & Records, a sister publication to Billboard.

Admitting that it would've been intimidating to perform one of Nirvana's big hit singles, he claims five minutes after choosing the song, the band was "getting drunk and jamming out on it.