Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
| Released | September 10, 1991 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | May 1991 |
Lyrics
Load up on guns, bring your friends
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, was 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
___________________________________________________________________________
Story of an Ideal Pop Song by Nirvana
This song was written by Kurt Cobain specifically for
the band Nirvana, and it was finished during a jam session. He stated: "I
wanted to create the ideal pop song. In essence, I was trying to copy The
Pixies."
After a night of partying and spray-painting graffiti
across the Seattle region, Cobain's bedroom wall was covered in "Kurt
Smells Like Teen Spirit," which was sprayed by the lead singer of the band
Bikini Kill. Prior to meeting Courtney Love, Cobain dated Tobi Vail, the main
vocalist of the band Bikini Kill, but she dumped him. Hanna was suggesting that
Cobain was marked by the aroma of Vail's Teen Spirit deodorant because Vail was
wearing it.
As Cobain spray-painted "God Is Gay" on the
wall of a religious facility that they thought was impersonating an abortion
clinic and warning people they would go to hell if they aborted their child,
Hanna explained that she was Cobain's watchful eye early in the night. That
night, they got pretty tipsy, and Hanna recalled, "I broke up a bunch of
s—t in Kurt's flat. It was really sort of silly of me to write all over his
bedroom wall with a Sharpie marker because it was a rental. I dozed off while
holding the marker and awoke groggy. She received a call from
Kurt Cobain six months later asking for permission to use the words she had
scrawled on the wall as lyrics. "I wondered how he was going to use 'Kurt
Smells Like Teen Spirit as a lyric," Hanna remarked.
Teen Spirit was a deodorant product marketed to
teenage girls when Cobain wrote the song, but he was not aware of this at the
time. Kurt thought Hanna was applauding him because he was a renegade and a
good example for kids. Sales of Teen Spirit deodorant soared after this gained
popularity, despite the fact that it is not referenced in the song's lyrics.
This was the first "alternative" song to
have a big hit, and in many respects it redefined the term because it was
accepted by the mainstream despite the word "alternative" connoting a
lack of popularity. Some business people used the term "modern rock"
to describe the genre, which became a popular radio format, in an effort to
protect the name for artists like Porno For Pyros and Catherine Wheel. Nirvana
swiftly gained recognition as a "classic alternative" band as the
term "alternative" evolved to be more of a catch-all for music
performed by white people that didn't match the pop or country styles.
This song by Nirvana served as the catalyst for the
grunge movement, which was defined by angst-filled lyrics, loud guitars, and
flannel. Grunge was a damaged, emotional aesthetic and sound that was
popularised by bands from the Pacific Northwest. Other notable grunge bands of
the time were Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, who were also influenced by the Nevermind
album. "People were passing around advance copies," Eddie Vedder of
Pearl Jam recalled. "The songs" were a big deal to everyone.
When questioned about the phrase in early interviews,
Kurt Cobain frequently dismissed it as a worthless label, but their bassist
Krist Novoselic clarified that it was a snarling, organic guitar sound that
defined it.
According to Cobain, he was "disgusted with my
generation's apathy, and with my own apathy and spinelessness" when he
penned this song. This detached feeling is what inspired songs with lyrics like
"Oh well, whatever, never mind." Added Krist Novoselic: "Kurt
hated the mainstream so much. The mass conformity attitude was the main theme
of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
On MTV, the video was a major hit. Samuel Bayer, a
1987 alumnus of the New York City School of Visual Arts, directed the "Pep
Rally from Hell" concept shoot on August 17 at Culver City Studios in
California. Two days prior, the band performed at The Roxy Theater in Los
Angeles, where fliers were distributed with the following message: "You
must participate in Nirvana's future music video. You should be between the
ages of 18 and 25 and assume a high school persona, such as preppy, punk, nerd,
or jock. Be ready to remain for a while. Come out and enjoy yourselves while
supporting Nirvana."
The shoot lasted closer to twelve hours, during which
time the extras were instructed to sit in the bleachers and seem uninterested
as the music was played. Bayer stated: "I needed them for 12 hours, but
nobody wanted to stay more than 30 minutes. Can we damage the set? they asked
me in the eleventh hour when the band had had it with me and the kids were
furious with me."
With all their pent-up enthusiasm, the kids who were
invited down by Bayer to start a mosh pit proceeded to destroy the set. This
spontaneous and authentic destruction served as a good cap to the video.
The Ramones' Rock and Roll High School and Cobain's
favourite film Over the Edge, which featured disobedient youth trashing a high
school, served as the inspiration for the music video.
Cobain was reportedly becoming really upset with the
session, but Bayer required another try. In the performance you can see at the
end of the video, Cobain expresses his annoyance by yelling and slapping his
face against the camera. His genuine rage served as a fantastic acting cue.
Cobain didn't like the original edit of the video,
which Bayer had made since he had cut it too literally and featured a main
character in several frames while the music was playing. In order to recut the
video and make it more bizarre, Cobain collaborated with him. He added his
crazy expression to the second-to-last shot and made sure that his hands were
placed incorrectly during the guitar solo.
Cobain's original concept for the cheerleaders in the
video called for them to be extremely overweight and unsightly. The
cheerleaders were given "sleeve" tattoos and clothing with the
anarchy symbol despite the director Samuel Bayer disliking the notion. His
claim that he hired them from a nearby strip club helps to explain their
unusual cheers.
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