At first glance, this front cover seems fairly calm and natural, through the shades of blue in the undisturbed water and what seems like a cute and innocent baby. Then after a second look we gain an entirely opposite perspective of the front cover; the image now radiates a vivid impression of the naked baby chasing after a Dollar note, that seems to be hanging off a fishing line.
After gazing at this image I now understand that it is not so calm and the baby is not innocent at all. In fact the entire front cover is very effective in conveying the corruption of the world. The baby is meant to symbolize nature and all things pure and innocent within the world. The money, on the other hand, is symbolic of the corruption of the world which corresponds to a famous Biblical quote: 'The love of money is the root of all evil'. The naked baby is looking at, and appears to be swimming towards the money which can signify the corruption of innocence within the world. The fact that the money is dangling from a fishing rod can further suggest that this money corruption is man-made and is a temptation to the world as someone must be at the other end of the fishing line. Just as bait hanging off a fishing line is tempting for a shark even though it may lead to their death, the money has now become a temptation for the innocent baby almost murdering his purity.
In relation to the band, Nirvana's values and beliefs are strongly reflected through this front cover as they were a band who expressed their hatred for society and their belief in how society has become corrupted through their music. Many of their songs, like 'The Man Who Sold the World' and 'In Bloom' reflect this idea of the world becoming a bad place that has altered this idea of innocence and nature into greed and lust.
Nirvana - 'The Man Who Sold The World'
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