Smells Like Teen Spirit

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was the song that brought Nirvana and grunge music to the attention of teenagers around the world. While melodically and harmonically simple, it featured a minimalistic, moody verse with stream of consciousness lyrics rising to a ferocious chorus, and Kurt Cobain's voice showing its range from tuneful melancholy to primal scream. It is based around a riff using four power chords (F-Bb-Ab-Db) with more than a passing similarity to a section of Boston's AOR classic "More Than a Feeling", as well as Blue Öyster Cult's "Godzilla". But the starkest similarity is with a song called "Mr Chips" recorded by Crazy Horse, Neil Young's backing band. It should be noted that Kurt Cobain was a big fan of Young's music.

Related Topics:
Nirvana - Grunge music - Stream of consciousness - Kurt Cobain - Power chord - Boston - AOR - Blue Öyster Cult - Crazy Horse - Neil Young

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The song reached number 1 for many weeks on singles pop charts around the world in 1991. It was voted as the best single of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. Sales of the single and album in the United Kingdom were slowed by an appearance on the BBC's Top of the Pops music chart show, during which Cobain sang in a deliberately low, mournful tone, a protest against the show's requirement that bands must not play their instruments live. He would later claim it was a tribute to The Smiths frontman Morrissey. This performance can be found on the 1994 home video Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!.

Related Topics:
1991 - The Village Voice - Pazz & Jop - BBC - Top of the Pops - The Smiths - Morrissey - Live! Tonight! Sold Out!!

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"Teen Spirit" is a U.S. deodorant brand. Cobain got the song name when friend Kathleen Hanna spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his wall (some accounts claim Tori Amos was responsible, but Hanna is more commonly cited). Since they had been talking about anarchy, punk rock and similar and other topics, Cobain took it to be a slogan in that vein. The meaning, however, was that Kurt smelled like the roll-on deodorant brand, that Tobi Vail, Hanna's band mate, and Kurt's then-girlfriend, wore. Cobain claimed that he did not know it was a brand of deodorant, and in retrospect was unhappy that a commercial product was named in the song.

Related Topics:
Deodorant - Kathleen Hanna - Tori Amos - Punk rock - Tobi Vail

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"Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind" Much of the song reflects Kurt's depleted views on life, although he maintained that he was a happier person than people thought.

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In Heavier Than Heaven (ISBN 0786865059), Charles Cross' biography of Kurt Cobain, an argument is made that the song is a reference to Kurt's break-up with Tobi Vail. This argument is backed up by lyrics which were present in earlier drafts, which can be seen in Kurt's Journals (ISBN 1573222321), such as "Why don't you cry when I'm away / Oh yeah we want what's best for you" and "Who will be the King & Queen of the outcasted teens".

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Nirvana's Nevermind album, on which "Smells Like Teen Spirit" appears, took its title from the name of an album by the Sex Pistols (whom Kurt was very fond of) - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols.

Related Topics:
Nevermind - Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols

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The music video with its surreal high school setting was also notable. It was inspired by the 1979 film Over the Edge, of which Kurt Cobain was a fan. The video featured the band playing at a dimly-lit high school pep rally that quickly transformed into a mosh pit.

Related Topics:
Music video - Over the Edge

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The song was covered by Tori Amos on the Crucify E.P. and by the jazz band The Bad Plus, as well as the industrial act Xorcist. In 2005 it was covered as a swing song by 1950s star Paul Anka. It was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "Smells Like Nirvana", a song about Nirvana itself. Weird Al's parody was about how nobody can understand Cobain's lyrics, which was appropriate as Kurt's vocal was mixed down in the song, rendering it unintelligible. According to both Kurt and Yankovic, when asked if he would be okay with Yankovic parodying the song, Kurt asked, "it's not going to be about food, is it?" (A reference to some of Yankovic's previous parodies, including "Eat It") Kurt admitted in interviews to being very fond of the parody. In a diary entry later published in Journals, Kurt described "Weird" Al as the closest thing America has to punk rock. Band mate Krist Novoselic later said that the band realized that they had arrived as rock stars when Weird Al parodied them.

Related Topics:
Cover - Tori Amos - The Bad Plus - Xorcist - Swing - Paul Anka - Parodied - "Weird Al" Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana - Punk rock - Krist Novoselic

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In a January, 1994 Rolling Stone magazine interview, Kurt, months away from his death, admitted that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was an attempt to write a song by the Pixies: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it." He also talked about his dislike for the song, mostly because of its success, and how "Drain You", from the same album, was "definitely as good as 'Teen Spirit'." Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" the ninth best song of all time. Smells Like Teen Spirit won 'Best New Artist' and 'Best Alternative Group' at the MTV Video Music Awards 1992. Also in the year 2000 Guinness World Book Of Records - Most Played Video On MTV Europe: Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Related Topics:
January - 1994 - Rolling Stone - Pixies

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