The first studio version of "Aneurysm" was recorded on 1 January 1991 by producer Craig Montgomery and it appeared on the 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as a b-side. The second studio version of the song was recorded on 9 November 1991 at Maida Vale Studios for Mark Goodier's BBC session and it was first aired on 18 November 1991. A live performance of the song by Nirvana was recorded in 1991 at Del Mar Fairgrounds, California. It was released later as a promotional single in 1996 on the live album "From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah".