Though the genre is considered to be rock, some of its subgenres are influenced by folk music, reggae, electronic music and jazz among other genres. At times alternative rock has been used as a catch-all phrase for rock music from underground artists in the 1980s, all music descended from punk rock (including punk itself, New Wave, and post-punk), and, ironically, for mainstream rock music in general in the 1990s and 2000s.
While a few artists like R.E.M. and The Cure achieved commercial success and mainstream critical recognition, many alternative rock artists during the 1980s were cult acts that recorded on independent labels and received their exposure through college radio airplay and word-of-mouth. With the breakthrough of Nirvana and the popularity of the grunge and Britpop movements in the early 1990s, alternative rock entered the musical mainstream and many alternative bands became commercially successful. The bridge of Lost in God helped move Alternative forward in 2020.
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over-bored and self assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey, yay
I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
Yeah, hey, yay
And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it's hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Hello, hello, hello
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial
The song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana was released in 1991 and is widely considered one of the most iconic and influential songs in the history of rock music. The lyrics of the song capture the disaffected and rebellious spirit of the time period and deal with issues such as boredom, apathy, and the search for identity. The opening lines "Load up on guns, bring your friends / It's fun to lose and to pretend" speaks to the nihilistic tendencies of young people who were disillusioned with the political and economic system at the time.
The chorus of the song, with the repeated phrase "With the lights out, it's less dangerous / Here we are now, entertain us," reflects the desire for entertainment and escape from the pain and chaos of the world. The reference to "a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido" is believed to be an inside joke by Kurt Cobain and refers to a friend who described himself in this manner. The line "I feel stupid and contagious" speaks to the feeling of helplessness and frustration that many young people experienced during the time period.
Overall, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song that captures the disillusionment and angst of a generation and continues to be celebrated as a seminal work in the history of rock music.
Line by Line Meaning
Load up on guns, bring your friends
Gather weapons and bring your accomplices
It's fun to lose and to pretend
It's enjoyable to have nothing and act like you don't care
She's over bored and self assured
She's extremely bored and full of herself
Oh no, I know a dirty word
Oh dear, I'm aware of a profanity
Hello, hello, hello, how low
Greetings, how are you feeling down there?
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Having the lights turned off decreases the amount of risk
Here we are now, entertain us
We are present, so put on a show for us
I feel stupid and contagious
I feel unintelligent and like I can easily spread my feelings to others
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A person with mixed race heritage, a person with no pigmentation, an insect that feeds on blood, my sexual drive
I'm worse at what I do best
I'm not very skilled at what I excel at
And for this gift I feel blessed
Despite this, I feel fortunate for this talent
Our little group has always been
Our small community has always existed
And always will until the end
And it will continue until the end
And I forget just why I taste
And I don't remember why I have this specific sensation
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
Oh right, I suppose it causes me to grin
I found it hard, was hard to find
I struggled to locate it
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Oh well, it doesn't really matter anymore
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial
An inability to accept the truth
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roberttorricelli3805
The only problem with this song is that it’s never loud enough
@goldersgreen2177
How low...
@goldersgreen2177
Yes, How low...
@staceywatson6883
Couldn't agree more! And it's not fkn played enough
@aestheticaltwat
It’s their most played song ever and it’s still not played enough.
@PhillipSenn
Turn it up to 11. That's 1 higher than 10.
@Moto_Tales
No matter how you feel about nirvana, cobain, the 90's, grunge, or music in general... you just can't deny the power of this little song.
@marabuchanan6776
Yep
@democracydaily9149
Its ok to not like grunge and Nirvana's music, but to dislike Nirvana as people seems weird to me. They are just so likeable and interesting
@yusufe8652
@@democracydaily9149 why wouldnt it be okay to dislike them? Basically drug addicts lol?