(Single from album, “Nevermind”)
This is one of those songs that everybody's heard. Whether it's as the opening track to the incredible "Nevermind", as a single on the radio, or just in the background, looking for Jim Reeves CDs in HMV, you'll know that opening riff, the second it starts. You'll also be familiar, if you've heard it played publicly, with the DJ or genius manning the stereo racked with trepidation as they attempt to turn it up, knowing they shouldn't, but eager to hear it played AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE, which, in my opinion, is the only way. In fact, this review has been positively painful to write as, since I usually loop the song I'm writing about, my ears are now bleeding, my headphones sounding equally worn out. What I love however, is that it really doesn't matter.
The mastermind riff casually strolls in and opens the track, and indeed, the album, with initially stunning results, even by the first 6 seconds in, as the first 'wacka-wacka' sound gets churned out of Kurt's lefty guitar shortly before a crashing drum, driving bass, and seriously, seriously grungy guitar attack your brain, musical lobotomy style; from the word 'go', Nirvana wanted you to know this was a loud song.
It's not crappy grunge music either. Nirvana's previous efforts with "Bleach", their 1989 debut, had me lost in a sea of samey, annoying, thrashy guitar rock that was just too loud. Here, the melodies are concentrated, the rhythms are calculated, the lyrics are clever, and the whole thing sounds fantastic. Very refined in fact. Similarly to other albums released around this time, most notably work by Primal Scream and Massive Attack, the album "Nevermind" features a relatively wide range of very intelligently selected and executed genres applied to the specific band's own style. Nirvana's best-selling album opens with this grunge track, but also features the acoustic anti-rape song "Polly", the very poppy "Lithium", a druggy, dubby "Come As You Are", and of course, the incredibly heavy "In Bloom" and "Even In His Youth", amongst others, such as the wonderful "Something In The Way".
The Seattle grunge scene wasn't impressed by "Smells Like Teen Spirit", in the same way that Green Day's latest efforts have been condemned by original punk legends such as John Lydon; the success was seen almost as a betrayal, and famously, Cobain himself couldn't handle the almost 'overnight' change from zero to hero.
Does it matter though? No. It's the same as my destroyed eardrums; the music surpasses the importance of all else existing and not. The bass line is simple and effective, and the guitar is composed in such a way that it's whining during the chorus and Twilight Zone-esque "da-daaas" in the verses, create a menacing atmosphere. The drums roar over the top, and overall, it feels like the airwaves have been invaded by teenage angst, the lyrics cementing the attitudinal themes. And what about that whining, screeching lead guitar in the bridge? Mimicking the vocal pattern was Butch Vig's choice and, as producer, he also implemented the double tracking on Cobain and Grohl's vocals - a tactic used a lot by John Lennon, the mention of the latter, being what he used to get Cobain to agree with him.
The artwork's not so good, but give them a break, it was 1991, and as album art shows us, it was virtually impossible to find a decent record sleeve designer in the early 1990s. The video however, is a different story. Truly, it is a great depiction of teenage riot and raw emotion to match the raw quality of the track, heartfelt and strong to the end. Gritty, edgy and rock 'n' roll from start to finish, critics argue that the video made MTV famous, overnight. The director however, claims that his video is none of these things, and merely admits that whilst the band picked him to be antiestablishment and 'punk', it only really worked, because he 'was s**t'. Fair enough.
★★★★★
Versions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Album Version - 5:01
Single Version - 3:48