Nirvana had no idea that “Smells Like Teen Spirit” would become one of the greatest rock songs of all time and would continue to influence the grunge scene today. After its release, the song catapulted to the charts, which helped shine a spotlight on the Seattle underground grunge scene that had been hidden from mainstream music. Thanks to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” grunge music became a dominant force in mainstream music.
What some new listeners may not know is that the inspiration behind the song came from a deodorant brand, meaning the brand is responsible for the song’s long-term success. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was also born from the late Kurt Cobain and former girlfriend Tobi Vail’s breakup, and Vail’s and her Bikini Kill bandmate Kathleen Hanna’s drunken antics. Thanks to deodorant, alcohol, and an unfortunate breakup, the song helped cement Cobain’s legacy despite his passing before he reached his prime.
How Kurt Cobain Created the Anthem That Defined a Generation
In August 1990, Vail and Hanna came across a deodorant named Teen Spirit in an aisle at a grocery store. The same night, Hanna drunkenly trashed Cobain’s apartment, where she found a Sharpie marker and wrote “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit,” unknowingly launching a cultural phenomenon. When Cobain and Vail broke up, he channeled his angst into his new songs, with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” being one of them. He then got in touch with Hanna to ask for permission to use her drunken Sharpie writing, which she happily agreed to despite being perplexed.
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Despite Cobain’s creativity flowing from a deodorant can, the early feedback was not as encouraging. Bassist Krist Novoselic deemed the song and the lyrics “ridiculous” when they began rehearsing the song’s guitar riffs and the chorus. Cobain also shared some negative feelings over the song, as he felt it was “clichéd” and similar to Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”. The song soon came together when they continued to rehearse. However, Novoselic soon elevated the song with his smart suggestion of slowing the tempo and laying the foundation for the verse, providing space for drummer Dave Grohl to jump in with the beat.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Exploded Into a Global Hit
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released to radio stations on August 27, 1991, weeks before it was released as the lead single for their sophomore album Nevermind on September 10. The song did not initially chart, as Nirvana expected, but it performed well in some regions in the United States. However, the song would soon become a phenomenon to the point that Nirvana became uncomfortable with its success.
The follow-up single, “Come as You Are”, was supposed to get the success ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” got, as it was planned to be the single that became mainstream across radio formats. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” ended up being the song that radio stations played heavily on rotation, despite only being intended to be a base-building alternative rock cut from the sophomore album. However, many American Top 40 stations restricted the song to nighttime play due to their reluctance to play the song during the day.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during the same week that Nevermind reached number 1 on the albums chart. The song then reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. After the song reached number one, it was certified platinum in April 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America. Soon, it became one of the most iconic songs to exist.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Opened the Doors to Grunge Music
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was so successful, it opened doors for grunge music to become mainstream. After releasing Nevermind, the album went on to outsell the legendary Michael Jackson’s album Bad, as it soon became number one on Billboard. With “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on rotation and Nevermind becoming the top album on Billboard, Nirvana had proven that the grunge scene could become a dominant force in music, and it did.
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The song’s mainstream success also showed that the grunge rock genre resonates with wider audiences, as the public reception was more than positive upon release. As the song and the grunge scene centered their sound around the themes of youth culture, angst, rebellion, and freedom, many young listeners related to the song and the grunge genre. Due to the song’s popularity, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” helped solidify and confirm that grunge and alternative rock are legitimate genres.