On Sept. 10, 1991, groundbreaking trilogy Nirvana released what was about to become the signature representative song of the angsty youth of the grunge era, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” from their album Nevermind:
Over the past three decades, this song has been sampled in movies and musicals, parodied (thank you, Weird Al), covered by artists of all genres, quoted, and over-analyzed by critics and music historians. I just read the obligatory “it was a cultural reset that captured a generation’s frustration with societal norms and corporate culture…” blah blah blah in some music post. More than anything, it is just an amazingly motivating and rockin’ song that still makes you want to shout out the lyrics…or at least the lyrics we understand.
I’ve been seeing a lot of little tributes to this song from newer generations lately, and on this anniversary of this mega hit, I’ll share some favorites.
For instance, this really cool Flash Mob version circulating on TikTok and Instagram last week:
K-Pop star Chanyeol of the group EXO did a huge solo tour performance in Seoul about three days ago, but the most shared clip with thousands and thousands of views and shares was just 30 seconds of him bursting into the intro to Nirvana…just because. Chanyeol is 31, FYI, not too much younger than the song.
DECO, a feel-good pop band from London who excels in 80s style mashups, gave the song a ridiculously catchy fun twist with some Soft Cell influence last month:
However, it is still hard to be beat the gathering of 1,000 rockers from around the globe in 2019 performing this anthem in the over-the-top, fantastic rollicking spectacle it deserves. You can see one kid on the drums toward the end who looks around 10-years-old…and that is awesome:
Although Gen X first rebelled to this banger 33 years ago today, it is still a favorite both millennials and Gen Z are loving. That’s not a bad thing.
That’s the power of good music…and the need for every generation to stand out from the others. Nirvana’s reign may have been short-lived, but their music, and “Teen Spirit” continues to endure.