The song did not initially chart, and it sold well only in regions of the United States with an established fanbase for the group. As a result, it became the only song on Nevermind to credit all three band members as joint composers. Since they had been discussing anarchism, punk rock, and similar topics, Cobain interpreted the slogan as having a revolutionary meaning. What Hanna actually meant, however, was that Cobain smelled like the deodorant Teen Spirit, which his then-girlfriend Tobi Vail wore. Cobain later claimed that he was unaware that it was a brand of deodorant until months after the single was released. Sales rocketed of the deodorant and the grunge army were no longer smelly! Cobain later said he was trying to sound like one of heroes — former Smiths frontman Morrissey. Your email address will not be published. Random article.

His bandmates originally considered the song derivative and clichéd

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Kurt Cobain wrote the ultimate grunge anthem in , but what inspired him to coin that strange title? And what does it mean? Released as a single on 10 September , the track was the trailer for the mammoth Nevermind album, released later that month. The song became the calling card for Generation X - a nihilistic, revolutionary call-to-arms that was… nothing of the sort. But what about the title? I took out a Sharpie marker and I wrote a bunch of shit all over his bedroom wall. I woke up and I had one of those hangovers where you think that if you walked in the next room, there could be a dead body in there. There was this thing that you wrote on my wall and it was actually kind of cool. You can use whatever you want.
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It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled Nevermind to the top of several albums charts at the start of , an event often marked as the point where grunge entered the mainstream. The song was dubbed an "anthem for apathetic kids" of Generation X , but Nirvana grew uncomfortable with the attention it brought them. In the years since Kurt Cobain 's death, listeners and critics have continued to praise "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as one of the greatest songs in the history of music. The music video for the song is based on the concept of a school concert which ends in anarchy and riot, inspired by Jonathan Kaplan 's film Over the Edge and the Ramones ' film Rock 'n' Roll High School. In subsequent years Amy Finnerty, formerly of MTV 's programming department, claimed the video "changed the entire look of MTV" by giving the channel "a whole new generation to sell to".
The song that launched 1, grunge bands and changed the course of popular music found its conceptual spark in a grocery store in Olympia, Washington, in August What does teen spirit smell like? Like a locker room? Like pot mixed with sweat?