Fact Finder - Music

Released in September 1991, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was the lead single from Nirvana’s second album, 'Nevermind.' The song's title came from a graffiti message written by Kathleen Hanna of the band Bikini Kill, who wrote 'Kurt smells like Teen Spirit' on Cobain’s wall (Teen Spirit was a brand of deodorant). Cobain, unaware of the brand, thought it was a revolutionary slogan. The song's success was unexpected; its raw, distorted sound and 'loud-quiet-loud' dynamic structure became the blueprint for the 1990s grunge movement. It effectively ended the dominance of 1980s hair metal and synth-pop on the charts. The music video, featuring a chaotic high school pep rally, became an anthem for Generation X. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is frequently cited by music critics as one of the most influential rock songs ever recorded.