Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Single by Nirvana from the album Nevermind, released on September 10, 1991. Recorded May 1991.

Kurt Cobain wrote this song for Nirvana; it came together in a jam session when he played it for the band. He said: “I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies.”

Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the group Bikini Kill, gave Cobain the idea for the title when she spray painted “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti around the Seattle area. In his pre-Courtney Love days, Cobain went out with Bikini Kill lead singer Tobi Vail, but she dumped him. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Hanna was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent.

Cobain didn’t know it when he wrote the song, but Teen Spirit is a brand of deodorant marketed to young girls. Kurt thought Hanna was complimenting him on his rebellious spirit, as someone who could inspire youth. Sales of Teen Spirit deodorant shot up when this became a hit, even though it is never mentioned in the lyrics.

This was the first “alternative” song to become a huge hit, and in many ways it redefined the term, as “alternative” implies lack of popularity, but the song was embraced by the mainstream. In an effort to save the moniker for acts like Porno For Pyros and Catherine Wheel, some industry folks referred to the genre as “modern rock,” which became a common radio format. “Alternative” became more of a catchall for music played by white people that didn’t fit the pop or country formats, and Nirvana quickly became a “classic alternative” band.

The music video for the song is based on the concept of a high school pep rally which ends in chaos and riot, inspired by Jonathan Kaplan’s 1979 film Over the Edge and the Ramones’ film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. It won two MTV Video Music Awards, and was in heavy rotation on MTV during the 1990s. In subsequent years Amy Finnerty, formerly of MTV’s programming department, claimed the video “changed the entire look of MTV” by giving the channel “a whole new generation to sell to”. In 2000, the Guinness World Records named “Smells Like Teen Spirit” the “Most Played Video” on MTV Europe.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of The Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2001, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ranked the song at number 80 on their Songs of the Century list. In 2002, NME ranked the song the number two on its list of “100 Greatest Singles of All Time”, while Kerrang! ranked it at number one on its list of the “100 Greatest Singles of All Time”. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked “Smells Like Teen Spirit” fifth on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2017, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Official Music Video)04:39

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