"Scentless Apprentice" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain, drummer Dave Grohl, and bassist Krist Novoselic.
Based on the novel Perfume by Patrick Süskind, "Scentless Apprentice" is unique among Nirvana songs in that the main guitar riff was written by Grohl, rather than Cobain.
"I think most of the reason that song sounds good is because of the singing style and the guitar parts I do over the top of the basic rhythm," Cobain told Azerrad, "But hell, that was great.
[5] The first recording featuring Cobain is a boombox-recorded rehearsal demo, over nine minutes long, that was later released on the posthumous Nirvana box set With the Lights Out (2004).
"[6]: 45 The final live performance of "Scentless Apprentice" was at Nirvana's second-to-last show, at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, Slovenia on February 27, 1994.
[citation needed] "Scentless Apprentice" is a grunge and hard rock song that runs for a duration of three minutes and forty-eight seconds.
[9] "Scentless Apprentice" is composed in the key of F Minor, while Cobain's vocal range spans one octave and four notes, from a low of B♭3 to a high of F4.
[4] The novel is set in France in the eighteenth century and tells the story of an orphan who is born with two notable characteristics – he has an extraordinary sense of smell, but he himself gives off no body odor of any kind.
But as the song's music turned out quite fierce, the need arose for some strong lyrics to match, prompting Cobain to base them on the grim story of Perfume.
[4] Cobain was pleased with the recording, telling Spin in a 1993 interview that the band wanted to release the song as the album's second single, following "Heart-Shaped Box.