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Smells Like Teen Spirit

Status
Nirvana Song


Song Author
Kurt Cobain


Writing Period
1991


Recording Session(s)
March 1991 - Boom box / 4-track demos

May to June 1991 - Sound City, Van Nuys CA {prod by Butch Vig}

(Television) November 8, 1991 - BBC Studios, London "The Word TV"

(Television) November 28, 1991 - BBC Studios "Top of the Pops"

(Television) January 10, 1992 - MTV Studios, NYC

(Television) January 11, 1992, NBC Studios, NYC "Saturday Night Live"


Notes
Kathleen Hanna (of the band Bikini Kill) once wrote "Kurt smells like teen spirit" on one of Cobain's walls. Kurt mistakenly thought Hanna was referring to the "teen revolution" people used to talk about in Olympia, so he took it as a compliment. She was actually referring to the deodorant!

In Come As You Are's introduction, Michael Azerrad describes a song called "The Hit" in which Kurt screws up the opening chords. Azerrad was being sarcastic; he's referring to "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

For the music video, Cobain was inspired by a 1979 film about the rebellious adventures of a group of teens called Over The Edge. Kurt wanted to use the same theme in the video, but director Samuel Bayer rejected the idea because MTV wouldn't have been able to broadcast it.

Here is the original script Cobain wanted for his clip: it's a party in a school. Everything was as usual, until some young people decided to wreck the area, cars and houses. They then kidnap the headmaster and hold him in the gymnasium. Finally they burn it.


 
Availability


Alternate/Working Titles
None Documented


Common Mislabels
Teen Spirit
SLTS
Teen Gothic
The Hit


Mislabels in the Bootography
None Documented


Lyrics
Nevermind version

Load up on guns, bring your friends
It's fun to lose and to pretend
She's over bored, self assured
Oh no, I know a dirty word

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x4)

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yay

I'm worse at what I do best
And for this gift I feel blessed
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x4)

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yay

And I forget just why I taste
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard, it was hard to find
Oh well, whatever, nevermind

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x4)

With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us
A mulatto
An albino
A mosquito
My Libido
Yay


From Kurt Cobain's Journals (page 136+137, transcribed by DN member BleachedBlack)

Come out and play make up the rules
have lots of fun we know we’ll lose
Our little group has always been and always will until the end
To know oh no (next bit scrubbed out) a dirty word
Load up on guns & bring your friends I know I know it’s wrong to offend
We merge ahead this special day this day giving amnesty to sacrilege
Oh no I know a dirty word
Now I forget just why I taste – oh yeah I guess it makes me smile why don’t you cry when Im away Oh yeah we want whats best for you
repeat is something new
The finest day Ive ever had was when tomorrow never came I’m bad at what I do best Im blessed to know And for this gift I feel blessed that most are tame (this bit may be from above line)
My credit ran away from me.
With the light out its less dangerous Here we are now entertain us I feel stupid and contagious Here we are now segregate us
A mulato an albino A mosquito My libido YAY
Come hang yourself with umbilacle noose
Uh oh oh no a dirt word



From Kurt Cobain's Journals (page 141, transcribed by DN member BleachedBlack)

Come out and play make up the rules
Take off your clothes Ill see you in court
We’ll lose but we wont be bored
Come out and play, make up the rules,
Dyslexic idiot savant with bad hearing
load up on guns & bring your friends The secret handshakes pretend
our little group has always been and always will until the end we cut our hands & made a pact & swore wed never going back
A mulato an Albino A mosquito my libido
YAY
A deposit for a bottle stuck inside it no role model
A denial
Who will be the King & Queen of the outcasted teens. I hate to use percentages its nice to know there is a choice.



1991.04.17 - Seattle, WA

Come out and play make up the rules
I know I hope to buy the truth
It's not enough to save you
Oh no I'm not afraid of you

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x3)
Hello, hello, hello

Well I'm lyin' and I'm famous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and I'm lyin'
Here we are now entertain us
An albino, a mulatto
A mosquito, my libido
Well I'm lyin' and I'm screamin'
Here we are now entertain us, yeah
Hey (x6)

Come out and play make up the rules
I know I hope to buy the truth
It's not enough to save you
Far away run away

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x3)
Hello, hello, hello

Well I'm lyin' and I'm famous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and I'm lyin'
Here we are now entertain us
An albino, a mulatto
A mosquito, my libido
Well I'm lyin' and I'm screamin'
Here we are now entertain us, yeah
Hey (x4)

Come out and play make up the rules
I know I hope to buy the truth
It's not enough to wait for you
Oh no I'm not afraid of you

Hello, hello, hello, how low? (x3)
Hello, hello, hello

Well I'm lyin' and I'm famous
Here we are now entertain us
I feel stupid and I'm lyin'
Here we are now entertain us
An albino, a mulatto
A mosquito, my libido
Well I'm lyin' and I'm screamin'
Here we are now entertain us, yeah
???

A denial (x11)




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