The private session, the band's first with drummer Dave Grohl, led to the versions of "Even in His Youth" and "Aneurysm" that were released as B-sides on the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" single in September 1991.

The song was re-recorded for the band's second album, Nevermind, by Butch Vig in May 1991 at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California.

"On a Plain" was performed during Nirvana's MTV Unplugged appearance at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993.

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

[7][8] In a July 1993 interview in New York City, Cobain told English journalist Jon Savage that "On a Plain" was about "classic alienation, I guess," although he then noted he had to change his explanation every time he was asked about the meaning to his songs, saying that his lyrics were largely taken from "pieces of poetry thrown together," and that his poetry was "not usually thematic at all.

"[9] In her review of Nevermind for Spin, Lauren Spencer cited the "beautifully harmonic" "On a Plain" as one of the songs "you be humming...for the rest of your life.

[13] 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 the TV and radio in the United Kingdom in which "On a Plain" was ranked at number 10.

The single was released in the United Kingdom on CD-R.[15] Personnel adapted from Nevermind liner notes[1] ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.