New book reveals Mark Lanegan co-wrote Nirvana's Something In The Way

A composite picture showing Kurt Cobain and Mark Lanegan

(Image credit: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images and Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

A new book paying tribute to late Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan reveals that the grunge icon co-wrote Nirvana's Something In The Way with Kurt Cobain.

Greg Prato's book, Lanegan, features more than 20 new interviews with collaborators, friends, and admirers of Lanegan, who passed away last year at the age of 57.

Lanegan, who was also a member of Queens of the Stone Age and collaborated on a number of records with other artists, was close friends with Nirvana frontman Cobain, who died in 1994 at the age of 27.

In Prato's book, former QOTSA bandmate Nick Oliveri reveals that Lanegan helped Cobain write some of the lyrics for Something In The Way, which went on to appear on the smash hit album Nevermind.

Oliveri says that Lanegan and Cobain often collaborated and did so without being credited.

Oliveri says: “Mark said he wrote some lyrics on with Kurt on Nevermind. But Kurt had played on some of Mark’s solo stuff, The Winding Sheet. So, instead of getting paid, they just did this thing where, ‘Hey man, I added a lyric on your song and you added a lyric on my song. Let’s just call it even. Whatever happens, happens.’

"Little did Mark know, if he would have had publishing on Something In The Way on Nevermind, he would have had a lot of money. I remember him kicking himself in the butt a little bit about that – 'If I had that Something In The Way publishing...'"

A re-worked version of Something In The Way featured in last year's movie The Batman, with actor Paul Dano saying Nirvana had influenced his portrayal of the Riddler.

Prato's book also features interviews with Screaming Trees’ Gary Lee Conner, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and ex-Nirvana drummer Chad Channing, among others.

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Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.