Written by: Sauharda Bajracharya - 26010, Grade IX
Posted on: 23 February, 2023
It is no wonder that everyone has heard the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. The song featuring the iconic guitar riff is the band’s biggest hit charting on top of the Billboard Hot 100 in several countries. But, have you ever wondered what the song is actually about? For someone listening to the song for the first time, the lyrics will be difficult to understand because of the lead singer, Kurt Cobain’s slurred, indistinct and raspy voice. Radio stations even refused to play the song because no one could understand what he was singing. However, the song has aged very well, with over a billion streams on Spotify and 1.5 billion views on YouTube and is favored by many Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z despite not knowing the true meaning behind the lyrics.
While at a grocery store in Washington, members of the punk rock band, Bikini Kill, Kathleen Hanna and Tobi Vail stumbled upon a deodorant named, “Teen Spirit” and jokingly wondered what a teen spirit would have actually smelled like. The same night, after a few too many drinks, Kathleen crashed into Kurt’s apartment when she found a sharpie and wrote on the wall, “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit.” After Kurt’s breakup with his then girlfriend, Tobi Vail, he began channeling his frustrations into songs; songs that would be his breakthrough. At first, Kurt wanted to name the song, “Anthem” but later recalled what Kathleen had written on the wall and named it, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. The song’s opening verse, “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.” talks about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. The lyric in the chorus, “Here we are now, entertain us” was an iconic line that Kurt would say every time when at a party. Following that, “A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.” refers to groups of people that feel left out in society. A mulatto is a person of mixed African and European descent whereas an albino is the complete opposite. A mulatto typically has a darker tone whereas an albino is extremely pale. This may be Kurt reflecting on outcasts like one himself. One of the verses, “I’m worse at what I do best, and for this gift, I feel blessed.” refers to how the things he does best in life are done better by others, but he still feels blessed to have the great skills he possesses. The third verse, “And I forget, just why I taste, Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile.” refers to Kurt’s excessive drug use. Following that, “I found it hard, it’s hard to find, Oh well, whatever, never mind.” refers to Kurt wanting to tell us more but then he decides not to.
People generally believe that the song is about teen-revolution and the lyrics can add up to it as well. However, the drummer of the band, Dave Grohl states that the song has no meaning whatsoever; he had seen Kurt Cobain writing lyrics, trying to rhyme words minutes before singing. Nevertheless, the feeling of frustration and Kurt trying to take it all out can be seen; that is what touched the hearts of people.
References:
“Kurt Cobain: The Inspiration and Meaning Behind Nirvana's Hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'”, Kurt Cobain: The Inspiration and Meaning Behind Nirvana's Hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', no.1, Dec 15, 2020.
https://www.biography.com/news/kurt-cobain-nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-meaning
“Nirvana: The story behind Smells Like Teen Spirit”, Nirvana: The story behind Smells Like Teen Spirit, no.1, Sep 10, 2021.
https://americansongwriter.com/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit/
