It Still Smells Like Teen Spirit!

It’s hard to believe that ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, the iconic Nirvana song (and dubbed anthem for Generation X) is 20 years old. Both lyrically and musically, this one song boasts mainstream success and popularity, and it’s pretty easy to see why. With one of most well known guitar riff’s in music history and a chorus that has the entire world screaming along, it’s way too easy to understand just why Nirvana shot to fame with Cobain’s attempt at emulating The Pixies.

The simplicity of the song makes it that much sweeter, and not only because it’s easy for aspiring rock stars to at least try. The undemanding guitar riff and the straightforward solo prove that you don’t need to have guitar skills like Synyster Gates to write a banging tune.

This easy riff is brilliantly joined with Dave Grohl’s beastly drumming, adding an awesome dimension to the song, that make it so hard to not want to mosh like your life depends on it, and with the brilliant bass line that steadily repeats the main riff makes sure that it’s forever engraved in your memory.

Cobain’s unique vocals, however, are so hard to imitate, it just shouldn’t be attempted 98% of the time for any Nirvana song (I say 98%, purely because Seether’s cover of You Know You’re Right is pretty good).

Most of the world would agree with me in saying that this is a good song (not my personal favourite Nirvana song, which should tell you just how much I love their music) and whoever says that it’s the worst song on the album *cough*Time Magazine*cough* needs to get their ears checked out.

I think it’s safe to say that ‘…Teen Spirit’ is timeless, and that there’s no danger of it ever being forgotten, or lost in music history. If it were up to me, this song and this whole band would be taught in school to each and every person, just so everyone is aware of this genius song!