"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was Nirvana's biggest hit in most countries, charting high on music industry charts around the world in 1991 and 1992, including topping the charts of Belgium, France, New Zealand and Spain. The song garnered widespread critical acclaim, including topping the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll. The song was dubbed an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X, but Nirvana grew uncomfortable with the attention it brought them. In the years since Kurt Cobain's death, listeners and critics have continued to praise "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as one of the greatest songs of all time.
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 music television. 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 #80 on their Songs of the Century list. In 2002, NME ranked the song the #2 on its list of "100 Greatest Singles of All Time", while Kerrang! ranked it at #1 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singles of All Time". In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" #5 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2017, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was one of several songs written following Nirvana's first recording sessions with producer Butch Vig in 1990. Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain began writing it a few weeks before recording their second album "Nevermind" in 1991. He said it was an attempt to write a song in the style of the Pixies, a band he admired:
"I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily that I should have been in that band—or at least a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard."
When Cobain presented the song to his bandmates, it comprised just the main guitar riff and the chorus vocal melody. Cobain said the riff was "clichéd", similar to a riff by Boston or the Richard Berry song "Louie Louie". Bassist Krist Novoselic dismissed it as "ridiculous"; in response, Cobain made the band play it for an hour and a half. Eventually, Novoselic began playing it more slowly, inspiring drummer Dave Grohl to create the drum beat, which drew from disco artists like The Gap Band. As a result, it is the only song on "Nevermind" to credit all three band members as writers.
The title derives from a phrase written on Cobain's wall by his friend Kathleen Hanna, singer of the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill: "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit." Hanna meant that Cobain smelled like the deodorant Teen Spirit, which she and Tobi Vail, his then-girlfriend, had discovered during a trip to the grocery store. Cobain said he was unaware of the deodorant until months after the single was released, and had interpreted it as a revolutionary slogan, as they had been discussing anarchism and punk rock.
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, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: David Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabe3282
1 billion for a guy that died before youtube existed
@Emilyokcool
Ah nevermind
@Reubenator27
@@Emilyokcool Kurt Cobain, he died 29 years ago.
@dusanvasiljevic1916
Legends never die
@iwakeupcookrice4421
And your point..?
@kevinkibble8342
He died over a decade before YouTube existed too
@elcoleccionistav9027
Nirvana says goodbye to 2019 with a billion views
@kevinboyle3104
El coleccionista:v and all of the 2010s
@ethanwinters3378
You are a papulince why do use the ";v"
@martinpociecha4287
777 likes i AM NOT GOING to like this