What we can learn about Kurt Cobain, Freddie Mercury and Beyonce from their denim

"Pop music is full of references to denim from the opening lyrics of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" "Blue jean baby" to Flo Rida's ode to an Apple Bottoms pair in "Low." But musicians don't just sing about jeans. They also live in them. And those garments sometimes reveal intriguing details about the people who wear them, as the new Amped: Music Icons in Levi's Denim exhibition at Levi's headquarters in San Francisco shows."

"One of the exhibition's marquee items is a pair of Levi's 501s once owned by Kurt Cobain. The late Nirvana frontman's jeans set a Guinness World Record in 2023 when they sold for more than $412,750 at a Nashville auction. Tracey Panek was there. "I was bidding on it," Levi's in-house historian and archivist told NPR. "But sadly one of my rivals got it." The winning bidder, private collector Tom Coyne, agreed to loan the jeans to Levi's for the exhibition."

"There are heavy stains, rips and patches, including a colorful psychedelic print lining the hem. "They're just a signature grunge-looking pair of jeans," Panek said. The pants also tell more subtle stories. Panek points to faded, upside-down lettering on the right leg a four-letter word beginning with F scribbled on a patch. While the artist was famously a left-handed guitarist, Panek said the scrawl suggests Cobain was actually ambidextrous. "You can tell he was writing with his right hand while he was seated," she said."

Pop music frequently references denim while musicians also wear denim that reveals personal and cultural details. Levi's Amped: Music Icons in Levi's Denim at Levi's San Francisco headquarters presents iconic jeans tied to famous performers. Kurt Cobain's worn Levi's 501s, which sold for more than $412,750 in 2023, feature heavy stains, rips, patches and a psychedelic hem and include faded, upside-down lettering suggesting ambidextrous handwriting. Other exhibited pieces convey different traits: Freddie Mercury's slim, light-blue jeans show sharp creases consistent with ironing and meticulous care, and a rhinestone-festooned western denim set once worn by Beyonce offers a contrasting, glamorous portrait.

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