Songs That Changed Music: Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

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At the start of the nineties, amid the polished perfection of pop and the glamour of hair metal, one band broke through and revolutionized the entire music landscape. With their 1991 hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana took the raw, authenticity of their Seattle grunge peers, and merged it with phenomenal melodic writing and performance. In doing so, the band changed the course of rock and roll history.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released on September 10, 1991, as the lead single from the band’s second album, Nevermind. The album followed two weeks later. One week before the album was even released, Nirvana was scheduled to play a performance at the Beehive Record Store in Seattle. They arrived to an overflowing, sold out crowd that swarmed them, forcing them to escape to the tavern across the street while teenage fans (who weren’t allowed into the over-21 tavern) snapped pictures of them through the window. When they finally made it to the store to begin their performance, it was clear that everyone already knew the song and were fully aware that they were witnessing rock history in the making.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was an instant success on the college radio circuit, but it also became the unexpected crossover hit that took Grunge mainstream. A couple months after its release, on November 22, the song hit number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart - the same week that the Nevermind album hit number 1. It also hit number 7 in the UK, staying in the charts for 184 weeks!
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” has remained an iconic track in the history of rock, even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll” in 1997 - only 6 years after its release! MTV and Rolling Stone listed it number 3 on their list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs, and NME named in number 2 on their 100 Greatest Singles of All Time. Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time named “Smells Like Teen Spirit” number 9.
It has been credited with transforming the 90s rock landscape, which had previously been dominated by hair bands and polished pop. It ushered in a new sound for rock and roll. A sound which was both revolutionary, and yet somehow still apathetic - paralleling the band’s signature contradictory sensibilities in their sound and songwriting.
Written by: Caitlin Vaughn Carlos
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[@Producelikeapro]

Do you remember hearing this song for the first time? What other songs do you believe changed music?

[@marc_leblanc]

This song came out while I was in high school. Everybody at my school knew of it even if they didn't listen to that particular genre. The same could be said about Enter Sandman by Metallica.

[@pitbullvicious2505]

I think I heard in on MTV's 120 minutes, which I used to record on VHS on a timer, as they were aired sometime in the night. I went and bought the cassette, while my friends mocked me "What the hell is 'Nirvana'. Stupid cover". Two months later and no-one was mocking me or the Nirvana :) That all being said, I don't think you've done any Pixies songs / albums yet in this series? My absolute favourite group. In fact, I'm wearing a Pixies T-shirt as I write this :)

[@normanleroy1874]

I was driving around with a friend back home after a few years away, playing music for him, feeling very hip, when he stopped everything and said, "but you have to listen to this." I was fully prepared to scoff, but he put on Nevermind and it really was like a black-and-white world bursting into color.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@marc_leblanc thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@pitbullvicious2505 I understand and relate to that so much!!

[@ThinkTwice2222]

I was a ghetto Black kid in Alabama, had Very little exposure to rock music but when I heard it it touched me. Not one single human I knew listened to it so I was my own island surrounded by booty shake rap and country [not bad just didn't fill me up]. When I heard SLTS for the first time it freed me. I could feel it, sing it, love it... It was mine alone. No one else I knew liked it or even heard of it. Years and years went by before I realized its impact.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!!

[@ThinkTwice2222]

@@Producelikeapro Thank YOU for the video.. I'm on my 4th watch!

[@carlitobrigante330]

Now that - is something!

[@grahamstubbs4962]

Can't argue with that!

[@raindog8684]

I love this story.

[@jswjanjan]

Waitressing in Toronto - lunch rush was over - kitchen staff took over the sound system - i was wiping down tables when i stopped cold in my tracks. What the hell is this? The cook screamed it out loud: NIRVANA!!!⭐💫⚡

[@Producelikeapro]

Amazing!!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@jswjanjan]

@@Producelikeapro my pleasure dahling🎶👑⚘

[@Producelikeapro]

@@jswjanjan I remember just hearing in the radio and being what the….! Haha

[@jswjanjan]

@@Producelikeapro it was that kind of moment🎶🛸

[@alchristensen8121]

I was a 39-year-old Boomer when this song hit - and it hit me hard. It changed me. Now I'm 71 and I still crank it up whenever it comes on.

[@johnqpublic2718]

The note Kurt hits when he sings the first “pretend” in Teen Spirit is so perfect. Also, “Sappy” is a heavily underrated song.

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic! Thanks ever so much Luke!

[@r00t_sh3ll]

This was amazing. I was there for when this was huge. My parents thought this was a phase I would go through. Here I am, grown man with children still listen to videos about music that shaped my life. Thank you for this.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@nicholasromig5506]

I was 10 years old. It was my birthday, May 25th, 1992. my buddy and I were celebrating by watching MTV's 200 greatest videos of all time list. And then this came on. and I had never seen anything like it. like, I was sort of dimly aware of punk and that there was heavier music than my parents' U2 and Steely Dan and Simon and Garfunkel, but this was my first time seeing it enacted for real. I grew out my hair, I started wearing flannel (which is so goofy considering that I was some tiny little kid from Pennsylvania and I had no idea what the Seattle "grunge look" was even about) and it started a journey for me into alternative and punk and metal and hardcore and goth and industrial and shoegaze and hip hop and everything else I have ever listened to. that one moment really did change it all for me.

[@NathanWind99]

This song was the clear delineation between the 80s and the 90s. Goofy, good time hair metal overstayed it's welcome. Grunge was coming in but it was Nirvana that made it pop-ish and hooky enough for a massive hit while still keeping that hard, sludgy sound. It's hard to overstate just how much this song Changed Music. I'm still waiting and hoping for another seismic shift like this, but maybe the music industry has changed and it's not possible anymore.

[@Producelikeapro]

It definitely was a momentous shift!

[@monteharrison1478]

"maybe the music industry has changed and it's not possible anymore." Hit tunes are computer-generated now. That kinda puts the kibosh on revolutionary music events

[@chiju]

@@monteharrison1478 Hit tunes were highly polished by then-modern technology when this happened. The pendulum will come back around.

[@kaizerpenta8798]

Well, I went from the Sabotage video to this one to come across a Nathan WInd comment. That's weird

[@rudeboys28712]

i feel you, rock is not rock anymore. somewhere they lost their edge or just can't figure out how to make any good rock music but im glad the big hair rock is gone.

[@jblackjack]

I was a soldier on the Greek Island of Kos in 1992. I was interviewed by a local TV video show on the street and asked for my video request…I asked for Smells of Teen Spirit ! Well weeks later the host stopped and spoke to me . Told me that my request had spread like wild fire throughout Greece , making Nirvana #1 that summer. Still one of my favourite songs of all time for how it makes me feel.

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s a wonderful story! Thanks ever so much for sharing

[@clowncleaner]

The bartender at a punk rock bar I used to go to was a huge Nirvana fan before this album came out. One night I walked in and this song was playing real loud in the bar. You knew without a doubt Nirvana was going to be huge. I had never heard an alternative band put out anything that was so well produced and yet it still sounded so cool. Great songs, great performances, great production.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@JasonSavorn]

They exploded onto the screen as if they were angels that everyone immediately flocked to. It wasn’t an infatuation with them, but in the music which emanated from them. Their music blew our minds; the sound, texture, melody, was unlike anything we’ve ever heard. It was a religious experience.

[@Producelikeapro]

Very well said Jason!

[@paulkartsyart4415]

I was driving south on Interstate 5 in Seattle at the Michigan Street exit when this song came on the radio. I played my soccer game, then went and bought the album. Life changing. Their amazing show at the Seattle Center was something I’ll never forget. The show was electrifying, and I was in a flannel shirt with cutoff pants cropped by my scissors. I was at the heart of the grunge scene and loving every rebellious minute of it.

[@zachary963]

It cracks me up when actual guitarists complain that Kurt isn’t a good guitarist. Like, dude. Listen to his playing. It’s really clever and difficult to copy.

[@philipmcp]

Dave Grohl recently shared that he modeled his drum fill pattern in the intro after the band Cameo. It's the part that always immediately gets my heart beating faster and my head thrashing. I remember seeing--and hearing--this song for the first time in 92 on MTV at my cousin's house. I walked over to the TV mid-conversation and was both frightened and transfixed. We were all less than age 10, and watched in stunned silence. All I wanted was to see it again and again over that.

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@Tonia682]

That explains why the beginning was such a groove!

[@thanksfernuthin]

Wow... playing the bass and drums at the same time was a great idea. Talk about the group being more than the sum of it's parts! They interact beautifully.

[@Producelikeapro]

The best way to make records!

[@csn9935]

The roaring "yeah" Cobain lets out at 21:12 gives me goosepumps every.. single.. time. It has got to be one of the most powerful and amazing 'yeah's anyone has ever let out. Im incredibly sad that the band ruled the world before my life had even began but also incredibly happy that their music speaks to me and still after all this time helps me get through some of my lifes hardest moments. Rest in peace Kurt! Your voice really does echo throughout generations. ♥️🙏

[@NellyGandhella]

Everything is the best of all time with people like you

[@csn9935]

​@@NellyGandhellasounds like a great way to live life to me

[@Uninterested69420]

The drums really drive this song in my opinion

[@Producelikeapro]

Absolutely! Dave Grohl is a monster!!

[@robertcronin6603]

I remember *exactly* where I was when I first heard Teen Spirit...I was 19 and working in the kitchen of a golf resort...it literally stopped me in my tracks - I was completely blown away and stayed completely blown away for years after...there's really no way to fully describe the profound nature of this tune - it's more than just music and production, it's a mystical and spiritual type of thing... an alignment of different life circumstances and a perfection of timing... It had a massive affect on me as a young musician and his death was shocking but somehow not surprising...great episode! 🔥

[@edzielinski]

I always enjoy Warren's unique take on the songs and artists. He has that insider's view of things, with all of these really neat details and stories that make it relatable and accessible, so you feel like you're only two degrees away from that history and those groundbreaking moments.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Ed! That’s very kind of you!

[@Muuney]

The song, album and band that got me into playing and writing music and now I still reference it, as a recording and mixing engineer.

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed, everything about them is fantastic

[@stevenbatke4167]

Butch Vig had those magic ears for this and Siamese Dream. Boy, did those albums shape the early ‘90s in a fantastic way.

[@chrise13]

I've watched most of these episodes, and watching Warren react to Kurt's isolated vocal the same way I do is way cool.. Really a testament to how mesmerizing and visceral Cobain was as a vocalist. The guy grabbed you by the soul and squeezed. I remember being 9 years old hearing this song for the first time. I was walking through my Grandma's living room in Mason City, Iowa and the video came on MTV. I stopped like a deer in headlights and just stared.. Nirvana was the reason my best friend and I started a band. \m/

[@Producelikeapro]

Still one of the best love shows I’ve ever seen!

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@Producelikeapro Typo? NOPE!😉👍

[@circulati]

Same here, except it was my parents living room in Targoviste, Romania, Eastern Europe and I was 16. I just stood there in the middle of the room, my jaw on the floor and eyes glued to the screen.

[@chrise13]

@@circulati Shared experience on different sides of the world. Isn’t music the best?? It saved me for sure. ‘Recognize this as a holy gift. Celebrate this chance to be, alive and breathing.’ -Tool parabola-

[@aaronholmes8568]

I was literally a kid. In the lorry with my dad, driving from Londonderry to Belfast. I got my first guitar that Christmas. Nigh on 30 years later still have it.

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s amazing to hear!

[@Rick01650]

I like the way you combined music history with production details and isolated tracks. Really cool insightful episode!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!!

[@inphanta]

I first heard this song on the radio circa 91, and I remember the moment exactly. I was 15, doing my art homework, and when the chorus hit, it seemed to awaken something within me that I didn’t even know was there. I’d heard plenty of rock songs on the radio up until that point, but this was of a different order entirely to my young ears. I didn’t just hear it, I felt it. This song, and the band itself would then serve as something of a gateway to a whole new world of music. Thank you so much for this video, man. 👊🏿

[@corbinbrodie2636]

This has slowly become my absolute favourite youtube channel. Music covered in such depth and breadth....a whole education all by itself.

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thanks ever so much

[@thejonathandoan]

The more I study Cobain’s guitar playing, the more I’m drawn in. At the time, I was not big on Nirvana or Grunge. It took more than a few years to grow on me. Now that I can hear isolated tracks, and really delve into it, the sound was truly mesmerizing, how he could take simple chords everyone knew and make them sound different, and better. His strumming technique really put a lot into his playing, and trying to mimic it is more difficult than I once thought. More and more I feel they truly deserve their status as a changing point in Rock history.

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s fanatic hear! Yes, great guitar parts and so well arranged!

[@freebee8221]

Kurt used the guitar like a paintbrush. He didnt know music theory AT ALL but he had a great ear, he knew what sounded good. And he had his own vision.

[@TheChzoronzon]

@@Producelikeapro 2º typo?? Again, NO!!

[@soulsurvivors7565]

Man, the isolated tracks, especially the vocals. Goosebumps on steroids.

[@howardowens721]

Great breakdown of a great song. I introduced my 13-year-old stepson to punk. I took him to his first concert, Nirvana at the San Diego Sparta Arena. He was crushed when Cobain killed himself. By 18, he was a heroin addict and a felon. He ODed in 2018 at age 35.

[@jean-francoistremblay143]

I will always remember, septembre 21 1991. Foufoune electric in Montréal. The place was not even full. Kurt jumped on Dave from the second floor and smashed the drum set.

[@Producelikeapro]

Amazing! What a memory to have!

[@PJWEnglish]

I too saw Nirvana at Reading in '92. I was right at the front, Sunday 30 Aug. They were the last band of the weekend on the main stage. It was a great festival, but now all I remember is that one awesome performance. The wheelchair, the long blond wig, the straight jacket. Then the power. My god, the power.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! What an amazing show! We are blessed to have been there

[@me109cito5]

Love the fact that, not only do you dissect the song in question, but the fact that you take the time to give us a brief biography of the Artist or Band as well, really enjoy watching your videos.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@gutekzpoligonu]

To add to what Warren said: When Andy Wallace was mixing SLTS, as much as everyone loved the Sound City live room, Wallace didn't like the room mics, so He added a outboard gear reverb, so it's not a 100% this famous sound city drums sound. Of Course Wallace used His snare and kick samples - the same He was using over the course of the 90s. It was just His sound. Also there was (the urban legend) one PCM 42 trick. Nirvana didn't like/use delays at all so the legend goes that Wallace use the Lexicon PCM 42 built in limiter to make guitars more hairy, more in Your face. He did that by using delays on minimal 1-2 seconds level to just run it and then crank the output. If You compare the final mix of Butch Vig work and final mix of Andy Wallace, then You know why mixing is an art. A Butch version is more like "You know You're right", which is a compromise for Nirvana between no reverb "In utero" and a lot of reverbs on "Nevermind". Obviously Kurt knew that and He asked for Wallace, couse He liked what He did to Panthera records at tha time. and finally: It's another example how the records recorded in a super studio on Neve 8058 and mixed on SSL are FAR FAR more better than others. Even a simple chord recorded that way had that texture and that smell - and Yeah, they recorded it also through the tape. Have a nice day/evening Warren! ps. I also myself play guitar/bass and sing in a grunge band in Poland : )

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for the details! Love Poland! My wife is Polish from Łódź

[@gutekzpoligonu]

@@Producelikeapro Nice connection! I'm from Warsaw. Łódź is just few miles from my place and about a 40 minutes by train.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@gutekzpoligonu lovely! She also has family outside Krakow as well

[@gutekzpoligonu]

@@Producelikeapro I\ve played few gigs in Kraków. Well well Warren. A rock mixer from England with Polish "heritage", now leaving in LA - no wonder You're such a great guy with this kind of worldwide roots! Cheers, and to kind of quote the great James bond: FROM POLAND WITH LOVE!

[@sadsongco]

It always sounded to me like Andy Wallace had used kick and snare samples, but I did see an interview with him where he stated there were no triggered samples on the kit for Nevermind, except for his trick of triggering a blast of gated white noise from the snare that only fed into the reverb. Sorry I don't have a link, but it is on KZbin somewhere.

[@ComfortRoller]

I grew up outside of olympia wa in the 80s. I remember seeing these guys on Saturday Night Live, and thinking they look/sound familiar, haha. There were so many bands you could see for $3 on a friday/Saturday night. Theres a video floating around of Nirvana, Sonic youth and maybe Tad at the Capitol theater Oly and almost the whole audience were my friends. Good time to be alive but it wasn't a 'thing' we were just living.

[@liamfitzgerald7528]

I was in high school in Seattle when this song came out. I of course had to play the Gen X contrarian role and dislike it. "Nirvana? Whatever man" At the time I was more into the Stones, Bowie, Buck Owens, and Johnny Cash. As I grew up though I began to understand what a great songwriter Cobain was and how amazing it was that bands like Nirvana were getting attention and airplay.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha I hear you! I was playing in bands, already had my first record deal when this came out, I wasn’t a big fan of US metal, but suddenly here was a band that had all the energy of Punk and Sabbath mixed together!

[@Lexbannister]

Nirvana is over rated. He was depressed troubled kid so those that thought like him, related to him, this likes his depressing sounding music. Teen spirit was a cool song, but I was born in 1979 and grew up on ALL the rock in the world. If you’ve heard that there’s no way you think Nirvana is revolutionary 😏

[@ErixSamson]

that bass sound is incredible

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed amazing!

[@edalder2000]

I have said before that I grew up near DC with WHFS playing so much of The "English Indie" of the 80's Canon. WHFS also had The Replacements, Husker Du, The Pixies and more. Nirvana on "Bleach" sounds a lot like The Pixies meets The Beatles. Nice, but didn't amaze me at the time "Smells Like Teen Spirit?" The production was totally different. Muscular, slick and that first riff a hook from the Gods. I can't remember exactly WHEN I first heard "Teen Spirit." But I remember the the first thought in my mind upon hearing "Smells Like Teen Spirit." "Holy S***, We've won."

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@edalder2000]

@limelight81 I have. It’s great.

[@circulati]

😅🙌🏻

[@a1guitarmaker]

I remember. In the fall of 1992 I had been working at a company in London on a 6 month contract to train their technicians to build, test, and install a video post production system that we had designed in America. They asked me to stay longer, but I wanted to go home, so I offered to find a replacement. My friend Frank agreed to do the job. The day he arrived I picked him up at Gatwick at 7:30am. We dropped his stuff off at our flat, then took the train downtown, drinking and sight seeing all day. We came back early and spent the evening in my local pub till closing time. Back at flat we opened another couple of cans. Frank pulled out the Nirvana cassette and asked, "Have you heard this?" I said no. So I heard "Teen Spirit" for the first time, and the second time, and the third time lying on the floor that night, drunk with Frank in my flat in Worcester Park.

[@Sierrahtl]

Having given up on music television, months later and chasing up the corporate ladder, I turned on some tunes.. on the tv… I heard this song, its totally destructive sound.. exactly what I needed..

[@Producelikeapro]

Marvellous! Thanks for sharing

[@sansintierra]

Two bands blew my 16-year mind at that time and made me fall in love with music so hard I started having bass lessons that year: Garbage and Nirvana. Little did I know some guy by the name of Butch Vig was involved in both little revolutionary records. (tbf, Garbage to this day keeps expanding the frontiers of sound with the same power as it did back in that era).

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!!

[@kylehegedus5498]

I first heard this fantastic song in 2003 when I was 11. I’ve been into Nirvana for so long that it’s almost hard to imagine that there was a time in my life where I didn’t know who they were. I’m gonna be 30 this coming Saturday.

[@DimitrisPlagiannis]

You're so right! This is one of the very few songs that I do remember hearing for the first time. I was stuck in a sofa with broken limbs after a motorcycle accident, watching MTV. When the vocal started I was like "Whoa! Who is this?"

[@monkeymouse1403]

I was in college when Nirvana hit the scene, it was first considered “alternative “ music until someone coined the word grunge

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, I remember both terms vividly

[@EmreCanKorkmaz]

Oh the unforgettable feeling of getting a punch in the face upon hearing it for the very first time... this track has already matured into something beyond a song. It is a sonic monument to the collective catharsis of a whole generation.

[@MuddyRavine]

I was a dj and music director at my college radio station outside Chicago. We got the single, probably about a month before the album came out. I put the cd on in the studio and immediately knew it was going to be big. Of course I knew Bleach, Mudhoney, The Buck Pets, Pixes, Soundgarden's Louder than Love was great, but this was more than all those. Jane's Addiction had really started to get big and Lollapalooza had rolled through sheds that summer, so I thought, it will be huge and sell 1 million, which would have been huge for a college rock band, but of course it went on to sell more than 10x that. Caught them at the Metro in October with 1,099 other people. Never in my time had I seen the whole of the Metro getting down and going crazy like that, that show was really something special. Got a black eye from somebody's knee, wore it proudly like a badge for a few days after.

[@HRilho]

When I was a teenager (born in 82), everyone seemed to have a Nirvana shrine in their houses. If you did not like them, you were not cool. I did not look grungy, just a middle class shy kid who liked to listen to classical music, James, U2 and REM. Nirvana was just too "alternative" for me. But then again, 97% of my high school just could not shut the f#€@ up about them, so in a sense, I was the real alternative kid... It was only when I went to university that my cousin, who lived two floors below me, had lent me his Nevermind vinyl and had a chance to listen to the whole album. Despite all the rage, the pop sensibility of the songs was the thing that struck me the most. And then it all made sense: everyone likes to listen to a good tune. It's just that some kids take it more seriously than others.

[@SoulsTongueRecords]

The first time I heard Nirvana I was 12 or 13... and I must say that the energy of their music changed my life forever. They are one of the reasons why I'm a singer/songwriter, musician and producer nowadays. Thanks Warren!

[@Sierrahtl]

The greatest compliment ever given during a concert is.. “It’s Just Like The Record!”

[@bpabustan]

I never knew it until now that the distorted guitar is double track hard panned. Anyways, it was January 1992, the album is just newly released in our country. A radio station plugs the newly released Nevermind album. I was a few steps to my bedroom when I heard the opening riff. And then suddenly like Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock in the '50s, The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand in the '60s, Smells Like Teen Spirit - everything changed!

[@nicoz007]

Plot twist: Warren was the fourth guy on stage at their smells like teen spirit performance.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hahah funny! It was an amazing show!!

[@MartinLuxen]

Thank you Warren. I'm jealous that you got to see them live! As a millennial (1984) I know that this band has had a HUGE impact. Everybody that was into heavy music in my high school period was wearing Nirvana shirts etc.. even though I was 10 when Kurt passed. It shows indeed how influential this band was. Great songs, great band, amazing musicians. I can totally understand why you (seem to be) a bit emotional in the end when you talk about it! Great video, Warren. THANKS!

[@jordanshreds747]

Thanks so much for doing this one! This song was the very first "Rock" type song I ever remember listening to, and it was completely by accident. My parents almost exclusively only listened to country music in the car when I was with them. I remember being 4 years old and riding in the car with my Mom (RIP) when she was was changing the radio to another station to avoid commercials. I don't remember exactly why she didn't just use a radio preset, but instead she was using the seek button and I heard this for a couple of seconds and BEGGED her to put it back on. It was right in the middle of the first chorus. I had no idea at the time, but this would be the very first CD I'd ever own once I really got into exploring music on my own. I don't listen to Nirvana much anymore, but I'll never be able to skip this song when it comes on. Sorry about the long comment. This one means a lot. Thanks for what you and everyone at PLAP do, Warren!

[@mookie714]

Whenever I watch one of these types of videos that talks about music I inevitably wander off in the middle of it to go listen to the music then come back in an hour or so and finish it.

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s great to hear!!

[@magicknight8412]

I was also there at Reading 1992 and saw Nirvana. Absolutely amazing, even though we were all puzzled as to what the deal with the wheelchair and dress thing was :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha yes, that was crazy! Where are based? I saw you said you cycle through Church Crookham

[@magicknight8412]

@@Producelikeapro From Richmond, but in exotic Farnborough now! Church Crookham is part of my local loop, some nice pubs there.

[@Bsmiley333]

Yeah Warren, that Jag clean tone with chorus sounds awesome. Had to pull the car over when this song came on Live105 in Sept. 91. Wow, wtf was that?! With Nevermind, Ten, BSSM, Badmotorfinger, Gish, & Loveless out in 1991, hair metal was over, that's for sure. Nirvana's October 91 Warfield show was like Redding for you, highly anticipated and electrifying. One of the greatest concerts I've ever seen. Nice to know you witnessed that legendary show at Reading from close up.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing my friend! Yes, I’m a full blown musical junkie! Haha I’ve been blessed to have seen many amazing concerts

[@alansmith2162]

This is the one I was waiting for. This song definitely did change music. One day... hair metal... the next day... grunge. August and September of 1991 were the end of the 80s and the true beginning of the 90s.

[@karlomoonblade]

I was born in 2002 and I thought this song is from mid to late 2000s, it sound very modern for 1990 and feels like a 2000s song, can't believe this song is from 1990.

[@Producelikeapro]

It’s a great production indeed!

[@cordeliachase601]

Same with the song Somethings in The Way. Kurt was just very revolutionary with music.

[@adamsgrad93]

The Beatles, Queen, and Prince are legends that should be explored at length.

[@Producelikeapro]

Absolutely!

[@kobuk]

I saw them at the Cow Palace in S.F. when they were headlining a benefit with the Breeders, L7 and Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy(Michael Franti). It was the only time at a show when I thought I might die of asphyxiation. The entire floor was a mosh pit and it was really hard to get to the sides when you needed a break. I remember watching the crowd from the bleachers during Lithium and everyone was jumping at the same time it was amazing. The show ended when Kurt jumped from the top of his amp into Dave's drumkit. The roadies just carried him away and that was it. One of my housemates was watching from backstage and she said he looked completely out. It was an incredible show.

[@patkelly8309]

@Sean Kobuk Man that sounds like an awesome show!

[@czofnas]

This song was absolutely a big deal when I was a teen growing up in the 90s.

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed! We were all talking about it!

[@czofnas]

@@Producelikeapro Like already mentioned in the comments- America produces some proper postpunk,..or maybe just Seattle.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@czofnas and Punk! It all comes from Iggy, MC5, New York Dolls!

[@mistryl]

A few years ago I stumbled upon a flyer asking for fans to be extras in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video. I was a few years too young back then, but it was filmed just a couple of miles from where I grew up (and lived at the time). I had no idea. I just can't even being in the room when history was being made like that. At least I can say I was close. :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@mariodriessen9740]

I was studying jazz guitar at the conservatory of music at the time. The day I listened to the album 'Nevermind' was the day I got back the joy of making music. 😊

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing that!

[@rome8180]

I never realized the snare had such a distinct high ringing note. And guess what? That note is an F. The same as the key of the song. Well tuned drums.

[@flapjack413]

It was a big ol' 8x14" Tama bell brass snare. Sick drum!

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! That would have been Ross the drum Dr!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@flapjack413 yes!! That was it! I’ve used it myself many times with Ross

[@J-DUB-F1]

@@Producelikeapro I remember doing a cartage drop off to Ross sometime around 95 or 97?? . I asked him about the "Terminator". He said something like, "that thing is never here". A very popular drum it became!!.....damn thing was at least 20 lbs !!

[@dangenoirartist6450]

It's a sample.

[@stef4492]

I was one year out of high school, riding in the back of my friend's brother's bright red 1989 Honda Civic in Tucson, AZ when the song came on and his brother said "have you guys heard this song?" I will never forget it... He had a great stereo in that car too.. Amazing.

[@J-DUB-F1]

I remember exactly where I was when I first heard it, 92 in a recording studio in NoHo(Amigo)....when I first saw them(SNL 92) To be honest, I was such a deep prog head from the late 80s to early 90s, that they didn't really resonate with me. I saw three slovenly looking Seattle dudes on SNL, making a helluva noisy racket!!. It wasn't till a couple years later that I really started to appreciate them and the songs....and then not long after that, driving to San Diego to deliver some studio gear the radio announced the tragic news. Such a shock. Really hits me when I think Kurt would have been about my age were he still with us. That's really something that you watched them from stage side at the Reading festival !!....what a memory to have!!

[@shadehunter]

Being born in '92, I have always said "Nevermind" and "The Black Album" were the first two records I remember hearing all the way through. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was raised on those two records.

[@garfieldharrison510]

Appreciate the quirk story on how he came up with the phrase "Smell Like Teen Spirit". I thought it meant something else. But, now I see the genius in Mr. Cobain. He was always thinking. Great song for a life that left the world so early. Rest In Power Kurt.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Garfield!

[@kylereece1979]

That timeline- those months of August- November '91 saw a mass of classic albums that signpost peoples lives to this day. Nevermind, Pearl Jam's "Ten", Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger". All released within weeks of eachother. Metallica's Black Album, Guns n Roses "Use Your Illusion" double set. U2's "Achtung Baby". It was a wonderful time for rock music, with landmark albums like that impacting the world still today.

[@Imabassplayer2]

I can't remember where exactly but I do remember when. It was 2003 I was 13 and really getting into music. I was about a quarter into my second year of secondary school. You Know Your Right was the first song I heard from Nirvana and it floored me and my friends. I had never heard a song like it. Then I became hooked forever. Then my cousin showed my more on the school computer one lunch time and that may have been one of the first times hearing Teen Spirit. From then on my love deepened and I'm glad it did. Getting the With The Lights Out box set on Christmas 2004 was something special and one of my treasured memories. Krist and Flea are the reasons I wanted to learn the bass. It's become an easy/meaningless thing to say Nirvana changed music. But actually they did and a very important impact at that. Easy underestimate a bands importance until you sit down and really think about it. Shame we lost Kurt so young. We still have his body of work to appreciate and love. I'm off to listen to some Nirvana, why not eh.

[@arianah9472]

I would stay up late on Sundays because MTV would play new videos. So 1 of those Sunday nights they played Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit and I was hooked. The next day I was hyped going to school and nobody knew of Nirvana. It was like that for weeks to a month. The radio wouldn't play them. Their excuse was because they couldn't understand the lyrics. During the time I started wearing grunge type clothes. People noticed that lol. I kept hyping Nirvana. Then it happened, the radio started playing Smells Like Teen Spirit. There was no turning back. Everyone at school knew who Nirvana was and they were like why didn't you tell us. I said I did and even changed my outfits. Talk about missing the boat. My town was too conservative.

[@gummybearlesbianmafia]

I remember extremely clearly the first time I heard this song. It's changed the music landscape for me as a teenager, it opened my mind to music I would of never listened to if it wasn't for Nirvana. It's altered so much of my life in some the best ways I just wish Kurt was still here to see all the good his music did.

[@nicolas.grisanti]

Cobain and this song made me grab a guitar at 12 years old, and never put it down. This was my first cassette i ever bought, and then the first CD i ever bought, now i'm 37 so this song and album change my life forever.

[@paulbruce4630]

Andy Wallace.... EQ and compression master... Cleaned up and thickened (6k boost) the gtr at the same time. SSL 4000 g series.

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic! Agreed, true Master

[@uremawifenowdave]

That whole weekend at Reading Festival was so bloody muddy, but a total hoot. Great fun.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! It was a blast

[@prschuster]

Kurt's 2 or 3 note guitar riffs are pure genius.

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed 100%!!

[@michelhv]

You guys remember 1991 too? When we were listening to Dark Side of the Moon and thought it was so old, even though it was good? Well, it was twenty years old. It’s 2021 and Nirvana’s song is now thirty years old. Which one is older to you?

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha I hear you! Crazy how time flies! Yes, Dark Side of the Moon was before me and Nevermind was of my time! Crazy

[@michelhv]

@@Producelikeapro Yes, time has not moved at the same speed between decades. I once asked my dad who was born in 1944 about it, and he concurred that decades since didn’t have all the same length. I’m still shocked that people are “nostalgic” about the 90s because it doesn’t feel like they’re over yet. 80s are.

[@l.shooknahs2028]

I was a fifth grade latch key kid. I’d come home and turn on MTV and crank it up as loud as that floor model TV would go. I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit and shortly after that I discovered AIC.

[@vangogh330]

If things had gone differently I assume Kurt would have been a world class pop producer. He tried so hard to avoid "that sound" but he had such a talent for making catchy, accessible melodies. Nirvana definitely introduced me to all sorts of other bands and sounds.

[@peterbondmusic]

I remember clear as day the first time I heard this song. It was like a revolution coming out of the speakers. It's hard to overstate how fresh, exciting and mind blowing it was at the time.

[@davidsgardell]

My late friend borrowed me this CD in -94 when I was 14 and I was hooked! Like someone else wrote; the song, album and band that got me into playing and writing music. I grew up in a tiiiny town in Sweden, very few were into them or rock music - it was mainly rap or techno. But I managed to start a band with three others, and we played Nirvana covers and had a blast! Later the other guitarist dropped out, so we were, just like a nirvana, a three piece band. Good times! I have so much I could say, but I’m not gonna waste anyone’s time, haha. Fun fact: the chord progression was later (probably unintentional) reused on the song Dumb. Thanks for the video!! 😎🤘

[@efcjuan]

I was in Tasmania, a family friend came back from the US. She lent us a cd of Nevermimd, saying it was pretty popular. As soon as those first chords rang out i grabbed my tele and started jamming. It was an epiphany. We reluctantly returned the CD. Had to wait 3 or 4 months for it to be available where we were

[@ashtonturner2862]

This song came out when I was in the 7th grade. It changed everything for me when it came to music.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@Gr8Layks]

Great video! Almost like it was produced professionally! 😉 PS, Your blue/green Jazzmaster is the prettiest version of that Fender model I’ve ever seen! Gorgeous!! (I’m jealous.)

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! I’m really glad you loved it as much as I did

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

How true> The Mardyke Pub, Hotwells, Bristol. It was that drum drop, it is still one of the best

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks! Yes, amazing drum intro

[@breakbad9753]

6:35 reminds me of the movie Night at the Roxbury with the head bobs😂

[@jacksmith4460]

hearing the doubled vox in iso really proves how good Kurt was as a singer, the pitch was so on point, not just in accuracy but how long each note was held

[@keithbertschin1213]

I was at Reading in 92. What a crazy, great weekend leading up to Nirvana on the Sunday. Hey Warren, it might have been you who passed me the J 😀

[@Producelikeapro]

Shhh busted! Haha great times!

[@keithbertschin1213]

@@Producelikeapro 😂 sure was mate

[@dontdoit6986]

“Lalalalalala” -Nirvana haters denying how often Nirvana come up in so many documentaries as a band that changed so many things in the music industry and pop culture.

[@Tonia682]

I was a college student with MTV playing while I was studying. The intro was such a groove that I stopped and looked up. Then the video was nothing like I’d ever since…like a dystopian HS pep rally…😄…u could tell it was going to usher in a new musical era.

[@twistedviewlabs]

I know, I know..this song became beyond overplayed but your breakdown really highlights the still stunning qualities of this still amazing song. For varying reasons, this one still gets to me...in a positive way. It takes me back to being 16 years old....no real responsibilities but feeling like "wow, this guy really gets people like me". One of the biggest regrets in life I have is not seeing this band live when I had the chance in early 1992. I did the "oh, they'll be back"...and in 1993...had another chance but again said "they'll be back" and ended up seeing Depeche Mode instead. While I don't regret that DM show (The The was the opener) since I got to see the lineup that got me into DM in the first place, I had taken this group for granted. If time travel was possible, Nirvana would be one of the bands I'd definitely see live. I never thought of Kurt as the "voice of a generation" but more like "one of us". When he passed, it was like we all had lost our really cool friend that completely got us. Years later, my son took up guitar....he plays left handed as well. ...and to tie this all up, by the time I'm ultimately posting this, he'll be less than an hour away from turning 16 years old. The same age I was when I first heard this song that not only changed music, but changed most of our lives.

[@whiskeycan529]

That blue jag is gorgeous

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! Love that guitar!!

[@raindog8684]

I don't remember where I heard this the first time, but I remember being at a party in the Fall of 1991 where the "cool" girls asked my to play "that Nirvana song." I replied "Smells Like Teen Spirit?" They could only reply, "that cool one..." When I gave them cassette to look, they played and began to dance as if it was the perfect song at the perfect time. On a humorous note, my brother's best friend would belt out the ending lyrics, "A denial" as "bloody night owl..." He thought it made sense in the grand scale of song......

[@janetownley]

I remember having to spend a whole 3 minutes teaching my teenager the 4 chords to this song.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha and it sounded great!!

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

Smells good to me, faaantastisc episode Warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Ady!

[@MarkHolden73]

Defiantly one of the best breakdowns and look back at the time. I was lucky enough to see them at The Mayfair in Newcastle UK for the Nevermind tour. A band called Captain America were the support. Nirvana certainly were still performing with all the passion of there first shows you mention. With Kurt going on to destroy the drum kit at the end of the set. I remember feeling at the time that this spectacle was not an act but maybe an out burst of some inner frustrations. At least that's how it looked to me. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Faith No More alongside the likes of Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament and many more were certainly part of my sound track of the time.

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s amazing! What an amazing experience and memory.

[@hollywooda111]

I can vividly remember coming down to get ready for school and MTV was on in the front room and they played Smells like Teen spirit that morning and my mouth hit the floor!!, it changed me forever.

[@Scotlanz]

I'm 60 and music is pretty much my life, both playing and recording. In 2007 I eventually got into The Smiths, so it feels about right that in 2021 I'm finally giving Nirvana the critical listening that they deserve. Probably because I don't listen to much new music. I prefer songs that have two writers or less. Digging deeper into the past is way more productive for me than the present, and presumably the future. Love, The Kinks, The Velvets, early Roxy Music. There's so much gold there.

[@whitefantom]

I was just about to turn 12 when this came out, so I kind of missed it when it was brand new, but a couple of years later, I heard it for the first time thanks to my friend Joey, who was a phenomenal guitar player himself. He used to like to play guitar while we were talking on the phone, and one day he pulled up Teen Spirit and started playing along with Kurt's guitar, and that was the very first time I heard it. Joey was a huge Nirvana fan, and he introduced me not only to them, but to a number of other grunge bands as well, and I honestly believe he would have been among the greats like Kurt himself if he'd lived long enough--sadly, he was killed in a car accident just over a week before he turned 21. Nirvana, and Smells Like Teen Spirit in particular, will always have a very special place in my heart because they always make me think of Joey, and I always imagine the heights he might have reached if he were still here now.

[@johnkelly4166]

I'm very sorry - may his memory be a blessing

[@jas137]

I love your content! I am surprised you didn't also mention Husker Du as one of their main inspirations to pair chaotic punk with rich melodies!

[@Julia-zz1gq]

What a beautiful video about the song and Nirvana overall. You've captured the uniqueness very well. Would love to see other videos about Nirvana on your channel

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@sspbrazil]

I remember when I first heard this song, I was driving to my job at a record shop, I didn’t know what to think of it, it didn’t sound like anything else, they had already heard “Bleach”, this song was something else.