"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
Nivana 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, hello
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, how low, 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
Yay!
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, hello
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, how low, 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
Yay!
Hey
Yay
And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, was hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind
Hello, hello, hello, hello
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, how low, 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!
Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has been hailed as a classic rock anthem and a defining song of the grunge era. The lyrics of the song are thought to be inspired by teenage angst and disaffection, which Kurt Cobain wanted to express through the song. The song starts with "Load up on guns, bring your friends," which could be interpreted as a call to arms or a cry for help. The second line, "It's fun to lose and to pretend," is a statement about teenage rebellion and feeling invincible.
The verse continues with "She's over-bored and self-assured, oh no, I know a dirty word," where "she" may refer to the societal expectations or pressure that young people feel. The dirty word could simply be a curse word or something more profound like challenging the authority. The chorus of the song repeats "Hello, hello, hello, how low?" which could be seen as a questioning of one's place or worth in the world. The verse following the chorus includes the lines "With the lights out, it's less dangerous, here we are now, entertain us," which is a commentary on how escapism can offer some temporary relief from the harsh realities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Load up on guns, bring your friends
Let's take the world by storm and bring everyone along for the ride
It's fun to lose and to pretend
Sometimes it's more enjoyable to not have everything figured out and just wing it
She's over-bored and self-assured
She's bored with the status quo and confident enough to push boundaries
Oh no, I know a dirty word
I'm aware of the rules, but I'm not afraid to break them
Hello, hello, hello, hello
Greeting the world with an energetic entrance
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Asking how low we can go, how far we can push the limits
With the lights out, it's less dangerous
Sometimes it's easier to be reckless when the lights are off
Here we are now, entertain us
We demand to be entertained, or we'll find our own way to have fun
I feel stupid and contagious
Being a part of this reckless lifestyle sometimes leads to feeling foolishly confident
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido
A random combination of things that make no sense, but it's cool, man
Yay!
Expressing excitement and joy for no apparent reason
Hey
A casual greeting, unimportant yet affirming one's existence
I'm worse at what I do best
I excel at being mediocre, which is ironically my greatest strength
And for this gift I feel blessed
I'm grateful for this strange combination of skills and attributes that make me uniquely me
Our little group has always been
We've always been outsiders, rebels, and we're okay with that
And always will until the end
We're a family that sticks together through thick and thin
And I forget just why I taste
I'm enjoying life so much that sometimes I don't even remember why
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
But whatever, who cares, it's making me happy right now
I found it hard, was hard to find
Sometimes it's tough to figure out what you really want or what's important to you
Oh well, whatever, never mind
But hey, we'll just keep rolling with the punches and see where it takes us
A denial! A denial!
Obligatory meaningless chant to wrap things up
A denial! A denial!
Obligatory meaningless chant to wrap things up
A denial! A denial!
Obligatory meaningless chant to wrap things up
A denial! A denial!
Obligatory meaningless chant to wrap things up
A denial!
Obligatory meaningless chant to wrap things up
Contributed by Maya A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.