Nirvana fans all over the world have collected a number of different versions of one of Nirvana’s most popular song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit. Well, whether you have studio recorded versions or live concert versions, you’ve probably never heard Nirvana like this.
The Seattle-based grunge rock band helped to change the face of music when they came on the scene in the early 90s to help usher in the alternative scene.
The band reached mainstream success after the release of their second album in 1991 titled Nevermind. Their most popular song on the album, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” propelled them to the top of the music charts in 1992. It was their biggest hit and reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100.
Cobain said the song was inspired by one of his favorite bands, 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 said in a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone. “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.”
The title was thought up after Kathleen Hanna, who was the lead singer of Bikini Kill at the time, wrote “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the wall which was the brand his girlfriend at the time and Bikini Kill band member Tobi Vail wore.
Cobain claimed he didn’t realize it was a brand name until after the song was written.
One of the lyrics was inspired by something Cobain used to yell out at parties to break the ice, “Here we are now, entertain us.”
“A lot of times when you’re standing around with people in a room, it’s really boring and uncomfortable,” he explained. “So it was ‘Well, here we are, entertain us.'”
In 2012, Isolated Tracks posted a version of the song where they got rid of the music and isolated the vocals to the song.
Cobain’s words are more visceral than ever in this version of the song where he goes from crooning to screaming in a mix of heavy metal and punk rock.
You can check out this version of the song in the video below.
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