We Asked A.I. to Write a Duet in the Styles of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love – Check the Results

July 19, 2023 8:00 am

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From the 1990s and on, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love have been two of the most talked about musicians in music. To some, Cobain is a modern-day Bob Dylan but with buzzing electric guitars. A songwriter for the ages, a star of stars. To others, he is a wasted talent. For some, Love is a modern day Marilyn Monroe, a blonde bombshell who shook up the world. To others, she’s an L.A. Yoko Ono figure who helped break up Nirvana.

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Regardless, though, of people’s opinions, the fact of the matter is the two were married and even had a daughter together, Frances Bean Cobain. Some believe, too, that Cobain had an outsized impact on Love’s songwriting, perhaps even writing songs for her. Others, like Seattle’s Craig Montgomery, have said Love had just as much an effect on Cobain as the other way around.

We may never know what a song written by the two of them (openly) may sound like. Sure, they inevitably inspired each other to some degree, but what about a track released by one with the other as a featured guest? That ship has sailed, sadly, when Cobain died on April 5, 1994.

Or has it? Thanks to our friends at ChatGPT, we can ask an artificial intelligence bot what it thinks about what a duet might sound like between the two. So, we asked the A.I. and this is what it spit out.

“Etched in Stone”

(Verse 1 – Kurt Cobain):
In the darkest corners of my mind,
I’m searching for a love I’ll never find.
These wounds inside, they won’t ever heal,
But I’ll keep on trying, I won’t conceal.

(Verse 2 – Courtney Love):
My heart’s on fire, burning bright,
Lost in the chaos, day and night.
Together we’re twisted, misunderstood,
Our love’s a hurricane, it’s never good.

(Chorus – Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love):
We’re the damaged souls, the broken dreamers,
In a world of pain, we’re the screamers.
Our love’s a mix of beauty and despair,
Kurt and Courtney, a twisted pair.

(Verse 3 – Kurt Cobain):
Through the darkness, we find our light,
In the shadows, we make our fight.
A melody of chaos, our souls collide,
Two tortured hearts, forever tied.

(Verse 4 – Courtney Love):
We dance on the edge, where danger thrives,
Our love’s a drug that no one survives.
Together we scream, our voices soar,
A symphony of madness, forevermore.

(Bridge – Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love):
In this world that tries to tear us apart,
We’ll stand together, hearts beating fast.
The critics may judge, but they’ll never know,
The love we share, it’s our own rock and roll.

(Verse 5 – Kurt Cobain):
In a world so cold, we find our warmth,
In the arms of chaos, we take our form.
The scars on our hearts, they tell our tale,
A love like ours will always prevail.

(Verse 6 – Courtney Love):
We’re the misfits, the outcasts of fate,
But our love burns bright, it won’t dissipate.
Through the highs and lows, we’ll always be,
Kurt and Courtney, forever free.

(Outro – Kurt Cobain & Courtney Love):
In this duet of darkness and light,
We’ll sing our song into the night.
Kurt and Courtney, together we’ll roam,
Our love, forever etched in stone.

Final Thoughts

In truth, a song written by the two of them would be much more spare and much more poetic. But with this example, it’s nice to think a moment and imagine what the two of them would sound like, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing about their bond, their love—or about some other darker, bleaker subject. In this bot-written song, though, Love likely has the best verse, singing

We dance on the edge, where danger thrives,
Our love’s a drug that no one survives.
Together we scream, our voices soar,
A symphony of madness, forevermore.

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc