Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit Meaning

Song Released: 1991

Covered By: Malia J (2021)

Smells Like Teen Spirit Lyrics

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

hello, hello, hello, how low?
hello, hello, hello, how low?
hello, hello, hello, how low?
hello,...

1. anonymous

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   Feb 15th 2011 !⃝

   I think this song is about lost youth generations all over the world that are lost in consumers world and dont know how normal life should be:And I forget just why I taste,oh yeah I guess it makes me smile.
   People forget why they live,probably to try to be happy,but its hard to be happy when everything in society these days proclaims material life and it cant bring happiness,so if you look for spiritual you are in minority
   and there isnt much you can do alone so he says I find it hard,its hard to find oh,well whatever,nevermind.
2. mario2324

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   Jan 24th 2011 !⃝

   I believe it is about how confused generarion X was, and how people kept things from them and kept them in the dark. "with the lights out, it's less dangerous."
3. anonymous

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   Jan 2nd 2011 !⃝

   Ok people, if you look it up in the books, one of Kurt's friends did indeed write this on a wall: "Kurt smells like teen spirit". And taking this for a more deeper meaning turned it into a song name. There is more interpretation for the song lyrics, but the name of the song goes nothing beyond this.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 17th 2010 !⃝

   this song is like an athem for the grung prowd, its about the movement that he started. its saying here we are now (the common american teen) enterian us, saying look here we are were not fake big haired rock stars were the kids working in ur coffee shop wit real problems and we need a change.
5. Noobe13

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   Nov 1st 2010 !⃝

   This song is about an evening Kurt had with Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of the group Bikini Kill. Kathleen gave Kurt the idea for the title when she spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti. This was referring to Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail, which was Kurt's ex girlfriend. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Kathleen was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent. The song is basically a synopsis of the night and conversations. The line "Here we are now, entertain us" was something Cobain used to say when he entered a party. Kurt didn't know it when he wrote the song that Teen Spirit is a deodorant. Kurt thought Hanna was complimenting him on his rebellious spirit.
6. asdffdsa

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   Oct 25th 2010 !⃝

   Who knows. but the last verse is about him giving his girl some oral :)
7. anonymous

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   Oct 12th 2010 !⃝

   Yea scratch that Krist said it but yes this song is about lazy teenagers like I said. I mean really you guys thought it was about deodorant. You guys remind me of the song in bloom. Watch this interview they even say so in the beginning. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVeVCwI4VV0
8. anonymous

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   Oct 10th 2010 !⃝

   You guys do know that kurt cobain said himself that this song is about teenagers being lazy. just listen to the song. "Bring your friends its fun to lose and to pretend" Teenagers just not careing if they lose they just want to be with their friends. "With the lights out its less dangerous" they always want to sleep. "Here we are now entertain us" yea simple teenagers showing up now entertain us. "I feel stupid and contagious" laziness is contagious in teenagers, once you become a teenager your tired all the time and lazy.
9. Awesomedude

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   Jul 31st 2010 !⃝

   R.I.P. Kurt. But Song is about him and his friend saying he has good smelling deodorant.
10. anonymous

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    Jul 30th 2010 !⃝

    now the song "smells like teen spirit" could have so many meanings but the one that is true we never know because kurt took that one to the grave. but certain parts of the song seem to have a stronger meaning like 'with the lights out its less dangerous' is how people felt about the truth as if with lies insted of the truth they cant get hurt as much. wich conects with the end of the song 'a denial' where it seems to mean the same thing people were in denial of the truth. ' im worst at what i do best' is simply he doesnt think hes good at being famus.
    R.I.P. kurt
11. shanon2885

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    Jun 14th 2010 !⃝

    In actuality from what I've read on numerous things written by Kurt this song came out of a brief encounter he had with a female he was trying have sex with in a public bathroom. apparently she turned him down telling him he smelled like teen spirit. Kurt originally thought that she was referencing teen angst and his grunge persona, however he later found out she was referencing the deodorant "teen spirit" after he had written the song. Kurt grew to despise this song especially after it soared to the top of the charts and became an overplayed anthem...he never did care for the spotlight. RIP KURT
12. anonymous

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    Jun 10th 2010 !⃝

    I think the song is about how ridiculous the hair band scene of the eighties was. The 80's scene sent out a message like, "I'm f**cking awesome!" followed by "Oh, no, I said a bad word." Kurt probably hated all these posers stealing the scene, and I think "Teen Spirit" was his answer, with lyrics like, "Oh no, I know a dirty word", and "With the lights on, it's less dangerous", and "Here we are now, entertain us." One time I wrote an essay on Kurt for school and my teacher called my parents for a conference for it.
    Long live Nirvana.
13. anonymous

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    Apr 23rd 2010 !⃝

    There isn't a lot of room for interpretation. Basically the narrator goes to a party and doesn't get laid because he's trapped in his own head. The themes are where the depth is. 'A denial' at the end is the part where the narrator turns around dejected. He saw it coming though. Here we are now. Entertain us.
14. anonymous

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    Apr 13th 2010 !⃝

    your all retarted. smells like teen spirit was a misunderstanding to kurt. he thought he was being called somewhat of a "punk rock" god. so he made an anthem to all the stoner kids who he thought he was the leader of. yes this song was suppose to be a joke, yes it is a diss to the establishment, yes it is whatever you want it to be. but, kurt did put meaning into it. "im worst at what i do best, and for this gift i feel blessed"- simply means that he thought that he was terrible at being famous, like he couldnt handle the pressure. therefore causing him more pain, adding to the meaning of his lyrics. which as we are all confirming, his goal was accomplished. in the verse "and i forget just why i taste, oh yeah i guess it makes me smile"-a taste is a hit of heroin. he has lost his mind, therefore forgetting why he does it. but then he does it and is happy. the verse "i found it hard, its hard to find. oh well whatever nevermind" is one of the hardest to hear and i think one of the saddest verses he wrote.it basically sums up his whole life. he found it hard to find a father, he found it hard to find friends, he found everything that normal kids would find easy hard. also referring to heroin, i found it hard meaning the solid form of heroin, its hard to find meaning not easy to get (although it wasn't for him). basically "it" being a general term for everything he lacked in his life.
15. anonymous

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    Mar 14th 2010 !⃝

    well, personally i think this song could mean anything. people hear, and interpret things differently. therefore having different meanings for virtually everything. at some points i don't even think kurt knew what he wanted this song to mean. which is what makes it incredible.

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