In December 1988, Jack Endino was deep into recording Nirvana's debut album, 'Bleach,' when Kurt Cobain presented a song he'd written for the record that he was unsure about. That track -- the gentle, bittersweet 'About a Girl,' -- wasn't as heavy and punk-inspired as the rest of the record. Instead, the wistful, melodic song contrasted sharply with angst-heavy cuts like 'Negative Creep.'

"At the time, when it came to recording 'About a Girl,' he was very apologetic," Endino tells Spinner. "He was like, 'I don't know if anyone's going to like this little pop song.' He was uneasy, because this was Seattle in 1988. Everyone was starting to get a little self-conscious thinking, 'Oh, we're supposed to make these heavy rock records.'"

'Bleach,' which will be reissued by Sub Pop on Nov. 3 in a special expanded 20th anniversary edition, was released in June 1989. It became an underground hit, carving out an audience and preparing the groundwork for the unprecedented success of 'Nevermind' a few years later. However, if Nirvana had been better known when 'Bleach' was released, Endino thinks that the gorgeous 'About a Girl' had the potential to be a huge hit, just like 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.'

"If Sub Pop had been able to have a hit at that time, it probably would have been 'About a Girl,' Endino says of the nascent label's promotional capabilities in the 1980s. "But they were still pretty small then."

Perhaps that worked out in their favor. Having the only pretty pop song on an amped-up rock record would have created the wrong impression. "Anyone buying the album on the strength of 'About a Girl' would have thought... 'What the?" Endino interrupts with a chuckle. "Yes, it's probably just as well."

Download: 'About a Girl' (MP3)

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