Kurt Cobain. While he was only in the public eye for a handful of years, his impact on popular culture and rock music was as if he lived 100. The former frontman for the grunge group Nirvana, Cobain famously died by suicide at the height of his fame on April 5, 1994. He left behind daughter Frances Bean and wife Courtney Love.

It was a sad moment for his home city of Seattle and the world at large. Thankfully, Cobain lived in a time of recorded music and his songs, albums, and performances live on. But when it comes to the albums of his band Nirvana, which track on each is best? If you had to single out one song on every record from the band, which would you choose?

That is the exercise for us today. Here, we wanted to explore the very best song on every Nirvana album the band’s fans hold dear. The top of Cobain’s creative prowess. From the band’s debut in the late 1980s to their Unplugged album from the mid-1990s, these are the best of the best Nirvana songs. The cream of the grunge crop.

“About A Girl” from Bleach (1989)

Love Nirvana? Then dive into this song, which shows off the band’s roots and potential. While Bleach wasn’t quite the album that Nevermind was, “About A Girl” shows just what the Pacific Northwest-born rock trio was capable of—specifically blending buzzy rock music with lyrics that stick to your ribs.

This song was further immortalized on the Nirvana Unplugged record in 1994, but it all began five years prior on the Sub Pop-released Bleach, which was produced by “The Grungefather”, engineer Jack Endino.

“Lithium” from Nevermind (1991)

While Cobain was a model-handsome, blonde, square-jawed songwriter for the ages, Nirvana never viewed itself as some global product. And yet… On their seminal 1991 LP, Nevermind, they rose to the status of all-timers. Few albums even rival that one for impact, lyrics genius, individuality, and staying power. “Lithium” is one of the many reasons why.

As a song, the tune shows off both Nirvana’s pop abilities and its dreary melancholy moodiness. It begins slow and reflective and then it crashes into a tidal wave of sonic strength.

“Turnaround” from Incesticide (1992)

Few grunge fans are even aware of the 1992 Nirvana album, Incesticide. It’s technically not an official follow-up to Nevermind. But it was released in the wake of the success of that record.

The 1992 album features B-sides, radio recordings, and demos that the band had in its back catalog. It shows a rawer version of the Seattle rock group and “Turnaround” is one of the recordings on Incesticide that displays Nirvana’s talents in full. Cobain sings over electric guitar riffs and sounds like the herald of a vengeful god.

“Heart-Shaped Box” from In Utero (1993)

After the success of Nevermind, Cobain found himself in a tough place. He’d never wanted to be the status quo but now he and his Seattle friends all were thanks to the grunge revolution. And he was the pinnacle of it—and, thus, capitalism. For the beat-up-blue-jean-wearing Cobain that was a problem. And so he secluded himself.

Eventually, he exited his drug-infused stupor to create a new album with Nirvana—In Utero. It’s a great LP, albeit not as commercially viable as its predecessor. In Utero is more hardcore than punk rock. But one of the standout crossover hits was “Heart-Shaped Box,” which features the iconic line: I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black.

“Where Did You Sleep Last Night” from MTV Unplugged (1994)

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged album is a live record. Not a studio recording. It’s also one of several live albums released by the band over time.

This one came out in November 1994, several months after Cobain had died. On it, the band might be at their best. And the song that stands out the most is their Leadbelly cover of the song, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” which Cobain has also called, jokingly, “My Girl.” His deep breath near the end of the song remains the most intimate pause in rock music history. You can feel the weight on Cobain’s shoulders with one sigh.