Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit‘: How Nirvana‘s Unlikely Hit Changed Everything

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On this, the final Season 1 episode, Butch and Kevin dig into "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana's seminal grunge anthem from 1991. This is the song that often gets credit for squashing hair metal once and for all, but the Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit Hole hosts take a deeper dive into the cultural shift it brought about, including comparing it with another notable song that brought about a similar seismic shift decades earlier. A few points:

  • Yes, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" essentially killed hair metal.
  • The title of the song doesn't even show up in the lyric. Where did that phrase come from and what does it mean?
  • How important was the video to the song's popularity? Ugly people on MTV was a new thing.
  • Of course, Kevin has to bring the Knack into the conversation.
  • The opening riff to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sounds a bit like the main riff to this rock classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4QK8RxCAwo
  • And, as promised in the episode, here's a link to "Weird" Al Yankovic's parody of the song and video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklUAoZ6KxY
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    Rock 'n' Roll Rabbit HoleBy Kevin Gibson/Butch Bays