“I would say the biggest influence I’ve ever had would be The Beatles.
I listened to The Beatles since I was five years old up until I was in the
4th grade, the same three records over and over every night.”
Immortal grunge legends NIRVANA released their titanic slam-dunk single SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT on 10 September 1991, 35 years ago today.
It peaked at #6 in the US, #7 in the UK. Having sold over 13 million
copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling songs of all time.
Thus far, the song has gathered more than 3,075 billion streams on Spotify.
As the story goes, Kurt Cobain attempted to write “the ultimate pop song,
inspired by the soft-and-loud dynamics of the Pixies.
The title derives from a phrase written by his friend Kathleen Hanna, from
riot grrrl band Bikini Kill: “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit.” Hanna was referencing
the deodorant Teen Spirit, but Cobain misinterpreted it as a revolutionary
slogan, and the rest is loud history.
“When I was 11 I saw Kurt Cobain singing ‘Heartshaped Box’ on MTV and it really
stopped me dead in my tracks. I thought he was the most beautiful person I had
ever seen. Even at a young age I really related to his sadness.”
Nirvana‘s late legend KURT COBAIN and KIM DEAL (Pixies / Breeders) on the 1993 Xmas cover issue of British music weeklyMelody Maker (legendary British
music weekly from 1926-2000)