My First Deep Dive Analysis into Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
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Yes, I have heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" before by Nirvana, and have coached many of my students on their covers this song. But I've never deeply analyzed it, nor seen the music video. . . so there will be some firsts for me here. Also, I've been deeply wanting to hear Kurt Cobain's voice again, plus bringing back grunge. A lot of wins with this one!
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she analyzes Nirvana performing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for the first time.
0:00 Intro
0:22 Beginning of Analysis
6:34 Aura Advertisement
9:34 Analysis Continues
22:42 Outro
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Written and Performed by Nirvana
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Nirvana - Smells Like ...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
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I suggest this, beautiful Elizabeth: ua-cam.com/video/l3NhNz9-EOA/v-deo.html
You did such a great job on that commercial! You sold me!!
I feel deceived by the lead in to the ad break, much like how the sponsor is trying to deceive people into thinking all the scammers actually pay attention to do not call lists and opt-out requests.
Hey now, you were missing a Nirvana shirt in that reaction video. 😆
could you do Something In The Way? real interesting recording process on that one
Kurt Cobain found a way to sound both angry and disinterested at the same time, which was precisely the mood of the early 90s.
_I find it hard, it's hard to find.
Oh well. Whatever. Nevermind_
That also applies to his guitar playing
I really believe that mindset contributed to the front men being mostly gone and they are just now reaching their 60s. All that disinterest and anger didn't seem to work well in the real world.
@@Azznbad Never claimed it worked well, just that it was there. 😉 It's clearly dysfunctional, but that's also what makes it interesting.
100%
There's really no way to explain to younger generations how much this song and this video changed EVEYRTHING. Music, fashion, movies, TV, Tom Petty once described it as a sickle cutting down an entire field of wheat in a single sweeping motion. I don't even get mad when I see younger 'critics' call Nirvana overrated because it's almost impossible to understand how this has impacted absolutely everything you've seen and heard for 30+ years and then imagine what it was like before this song / video / album / band completely changed the world.
For me this song is younger generation 😁
Love that description.
Culture after 12 years of Reagan Bush Shallow Wall Street Preppy Banal Bull
We were starving for authenticity, and embraced the crap out of it when it finally burst through.
@@sagittatedalmost like we are now.
That really is the best way I've ever seen it put and describes why Nirvana could never be overrated in a way I'd never quite been able to put into words.
Spot on.
"He's able to maintain intensity, while sounding lazy at the same time" is such a good summary of what makes Kurt's vocals distinct.
The cataclysmic shift in the music world that happened when this was released can not be understated. It was amazing to experience.
After so long of just popping its head out from underground, saying “Hey!”, and getting a little attention, it finally crawled all the way out, yelled “HEY, YOU MF’ERS, OVER HERE!”, and that was not ignored.
Absolutely. I was working in a record store at the time and it was almost an overnight shift from boring music like Paula Abdul and MC Hammer to "alternative" music once this came out. I hear people make the claim that Nirvana was over-rated. Nope, this isn't true they absolutely changed popular music (for the best). Some people may not like Nirvana and that is fair, but they aren't over-rated.
I was working in a big record store when this was released. I was familiar with Nirvana before that & had heard it was coming… & watched as the world fucking exploded around them. We couldn’t keep it in stock & we were getting multiple cases of them a couple times a week. It was bonkers!
@@akadros310 But it isn't as if Nirvana created music. What they did was build on what everyone from Buddy Holly, to Chuck Berry, the Beatles, Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and any of the other bands who ruled the world for a while did before them.
Bands who loose their front men are always remembered for what they were at their very best and never settle back into the group of the other bands who were around at the time. The Doors never grew old and were at their best in 1970. Zeppelin never grew old and stale with records that didn't sell as they reached their 40s.
Not saying Nirvana didn't have an impact at the time or weren't influential because they were, but there were others who were every bit as huge before them, and their fame spread to those who were unaware of them because of Curts death.
There is one band in history that became bigger after the death of their front man and that's AC/DC. Most live on their past and many like Nirvana become Icons that can never be challenged because they went out on top and we never see them fade as they age. Hind sight isn't always as clear as we think it is, because we lack the stuff that might have happened in the last thirty years.
Nirvana deserve their due, but they have equals through the recent history of music.
@@Azznbad Sure they built upon people before them. But I am not even talking about how we think about Nirvana now. I am talking about when Nevermind released. There was a seismic shift in popular music following its release. Working in a record store at the time, I saw the sales shift from all that early 90s dance music to "alternative" practically overnight after the release of Nevermind. Not claiming that they didn't build off of others nor that there weren't other important artists that came out of that scene.
Dave Grohl once described Kurt's voice like this: "for a guy that had such incredible pitch, it sounded like he was boiling nails in there"
Dave Grohl is a sellout and his lame foo fighter music is a testament to just how fundamentally better Kurt was as a musician.
@@k.s.vids1 Go away quietly!
@Cat of the Castle why? Kurt's voice was like a razor blade. In the best way. Like how Lennons voice was so acidic. Totally unique.
Cobain's singing style was not healthy, vocally. Rick Beato interviewed Producer Butch Vig who said that he could only record 4-5 good takes on the vocally intense songs before Cobain's voice was GONE! Also, drummer Dave Grohl did many of the backing vocals for the band's last 2 albums. All told, it's a fantastic interview!
This would also be a good opportunity to do a vocal analysis on Dave Grohl with his post-Nirvana band, the Foo Fighters.
@R McClain yeah had Kurt survived he would either have had to take real vocal lessons, or get surgery to keep doing what he was doing. He said this himself though, citing it as a reason he wanted to do an acoustic album where he wasn't screaming all the time
Note, this is an understatement… this song was a call… a scream out of a generation. It shifted the world at the time and the ripple lives on. Forever a favorite.
I was hitting high school at the time this album came out. I wish it would of lasted longer. We got about 10 years and then it all faded away.
I’m of the same age group as Cobain was, he was only a couple years older than me, he’s my definition of Gen X.
@@c1ph3rpunk Absolutely. I was born a couple of months after Kurt, can't believe he'd be 56 now!
It's seismic and the waves are still rolling and echoing to this day
Most of us in Gen X didn’t know what the lyrics were saying, But we deeply understood this song. It’s how we all felt.
I turned 21 less than a week after this song came out. Like you said, we didn't know what the worse meant, and I'll add that we didn't need to know because it was exactly how we all felt.
Nearly 15 years old, casually watching Much Music (Canada's MTV) and this song comes on for the first time. There are very few other times in my life where I can recall such a clear "sliding doors" feeling ... within the first beat, the first bar, the first distorted sound, something in me woke up like a primal scream being freed, but slowly. I was riveted. I would not be surprised to learn I didn't blink for the entire video. I knew something was different because of this sound, and somehow I recognized it like it was always already there, just finally waking up itself with a warbled, watery, dust-filled roar. Nirvana didn't make a noise; they created a callback to the silent anger resting in every Gen Xer.
Felt this exact same thing too, only watching MTV in Australia. Mind blowing.
I think Kurt's voice expressed a kind of weary alienation, not resigned enough to be described as indifferent, but inflected with the possibility of rebellion and moments of surprised joy. Sometimes it was like he was screaming in lowercase. He was unique.
“screaming in lowecase” - perfect description!
@@AllenSJ5 Thank you!
Screaming in lower case. That is such a good description of his vocal qualities. IMHO
Yes, in that way, I think he was taking the QUIET loud QUIET style, and not just doing it verbatim, but giving his own take on it.
@@0okamino True. He was a big Pixies fan.
And snap! I’m 16 again, totally absorbed with adolescent struggles, totally absorbed by this wave of new eurodance music. And then there was this song. Totally defining a genre and an era.
Yeah it’s funny how I still remember all the lyrics
Exactly..I actually remember where I was the first time I heard this..
One of the most memorable songs to date - and probably ever will be. Its mindblowing this band only where "active" for 5 years (counting from release of Bleach), released 3 studio albums and to this day has over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify and are inducted in Rock n' roll hall of fame. A band from the 90's... Talk about undeniable impact!
Bleach is a different beast. Dave Grohl really had much larger impact on the band than people give him credit for.
Rick Beato has a video where he plays Kurt’s vocal track and it is mind blowing. The intensity in his voice is otherworldly. Thank you for sharing.
That is a must see video
Rick does a deep dive into the construction of the song, and explains that Kurt didn’t necessarily know the musical theory, yet he crafted a highly complex arrangement. genius
The drummer, a very young Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters singer), talked about playing in Nirvana in this one particular interview with another drummer. They were asking about his thrash style of playing when playing behind Kurt. He said, “I played a disco drum tempo then let Kurt do the rest. I just followed along and let the magic happen.” Just shows how inventive and different they were.
He said this particular song was inspired by The 5 Stairsteps and how they did their jazz influenced soul music.
Oh yes. Skill is knowing what to leave out as well as what to put in. I have much love for Mr Grohl, and a good deal of that is the way he knows when to step aside and let others shine.
@@micheinnz Dave Grohl doesn't get appreciation for Queens of The Stone Age, and being the drummer for Them Crooked Vultures. And my personal opinion, get far too much credit for Foo Fighters.
@@aTofuJunkie how can he get too much credit for foo fighters when he played every instrument while making their first album
@@febrizey it's a band that people always say they have never made a bad song and album. People give them way too much credit for no reason. They are good but there were way better bands in that time period.
If you weren't there when this song *exploded* through the airwaves in 1992 it would be hard to really imagine the impact this tune had on the world...no one had *ever heard* anything like this before - it was *mind-blowing* to say the least...especially to young musicians like me and my friends....holy crap, it was magic - pure and intense...every feeling of loneliness, pain, depression and anger was suddenly validated....we shouldn't ever lose track of it's importance how it changed the very face of music itself - with this song, the glam metal scene of the 80's was officially *dead* and the door had burst open to the new and terribly exciting genre of 'grunge'...I'll never forget it and even after 31 years it hasn't lost a speck of it's original magic....thank you, Kurt - you changed our lives forever ❤
grunge was born man .. I'm 55 now and the grunge movement was the best wave of music that I've experienced so far. The 90's progressive rock scene was 🔥🔥🔥
I was born the year it was released, so the first time I heard it was 2002 (my parents liked 90s country) it was unlike anything I ever heard yet so familiar. I became a super fan instantly. I was shocked Dave Grohl was the drummer. 😂 I think I heard Foo Fighters before I ever heard Nirvana.
Yep
Looking back, I'm not sure it was a good thing. It may have ushered in the current climate we have nowadays with almost EVERY young person having anxiety or being depressed. Shit, say what you will about glam metal, at least it was a good time! I'd rather chase some punani and get wild with my friends vs. sitting in my room being all gloomy and depressed and thinking 'life sucks'. That said, I REALLY like the way grunge sounds sonically, I just don't like all the negativity.
Alternative rock is the real deal!
It felt like the whole world changed when I first heard this song. I was just home from Desert Storm and still trying to acclimate to being around civilians. So much power in it. Followed by so much sadness when his music died.
yep.. i was at Univ when this hits and me and my room mate where in the 2nd floor lounge and deciding whether we needed to drop out and serve. I'm a bit ashamed to say I stayed still...
The beauty in music is it never dies friend, like many other things, they only really die if they're forgotten
the genuine anguish and rage in his voice is so heartbreaking, because it's real. he put his soul into his art, the intensity is something you cannot fake. RIP.
If you are enjoying the 90s rock music, I'd highly recommend "Zombie" by the Cranberries. The singer does some really cool Irish keening thing with her voice that is very unique. You would probably enjoy it.
I am familiar with that song, and might bring it on the channel soon as well. It's super powerful and emotional, for sure!
I agree completely. And the purpose and meaning of the song makes it even more powerful. On the topic of 90's music. MTVs Unplugged 10000 Manicas "Because the Night" is fantastic!
Anything by the Cranberries will do. I hope she eventually gets to Dreams or Ode To My Family after Zombie
@@TheCharismaticVoice The Cranberries - Promises 1999 "Paris" Live Video
this is a better look at her voice and how powerful she was for such a diminutive woman.
Dolores was really a one of a kind singer. Sorely missed.
I always loved how the last note of the guitar solo reverbs all the way through the third verse. What a note!
He's not trying to be a trained singer, he's doing what he feels and hitting the bullseye doing it. Against the system, against the established order. It's amazing, opening your mind and bending boundaries makes things makes sense and you can admire the beauty of these things once you understand them more.
funny you say that because i listen to mumble rap today and think it’s absolutely appalling. if it’s a statement it’s one of laziness and apathy, usually the domain of talentless hacks. nirvana on the other hand were deliberate and impactful in railing against musical conventions that gave the world an excess of hair metal.
There is a reason this song is always #1 on MTV top 100, it's just iconic, had the biggest impact and influence on a generation since the whole of the 60's Era and Woodstock. Nirvana opened a music door that unleashed a whole new genre of music that still is loved by many to this day. The Beatles may be the only other band I know of that made such a huge impact on a whole generation.
Nirvana was my go to band after I heard this song, I went on to own every album, live album, and everything in between the band released. My musical taste has broadened since the 90's and I love heavy metal, but grunge holds a special place in my heart and always will thanks to Nirvana.
If it wasn't for Nirvana I wouldn't have discovered the Pixies, Mudhoney, MLB, Black Flag, Melvins, Butthole Surfers, or Dinosaur Jr.
The effect on the guitar is called chorus. It’s basically the only effect Cobain used besides distortion. It’s a pitch bending vibrato effect blended with the dry guitar signal. It’s designed to give a doubling effect, but at higher settings gives that detuned, underwater sound.
Yes - and in extreme setting it becomes a "phaser", which I believe he used on the solo. But the da-danggg in the verses definitely sounds like a heavy swirling chorus.
I was 39 years old when this song came out, in the middle of a horrific divorce with 4 kids to raise, their dad didn’t want to help since a judge hadn’t done anything legal, and he had had me stay home with them! My daughter introduced me to this, Metallica and Alanis ! And I ssssooo felt their pain! I had given up on most music, during hair band era! It reignited my love for popular music but especially the “grunge” types! Truly fell for Chris Cornell, Pearl Jam, and even though they’re more rock, Alice In Chains and Temple of the Dog! I still like a few oldies but this time period spoke to me more than any other! For me, they are on a level with Led!
Kurt was a monster at shedding his vocals/control. Then you get the MTV Unplugged that clears the air on the fact that he could sing under a dry microscope.
The yodel sound in his voice was and is for me an expression of deep fragility. So deeply emotional that I can hardly put it into words. Subtle but deeply touching.
Kurt was an incredible vocalist and melody writer. He was also a masterful lyricist who often used double entendres in a very unique and clever way.
He was also a phenomenal guitarist and is often overlooked as one, because of the simplicity of them over all. Many are more intricate, and often and as a writer/composer. One wouldn’t necessarily put two parts together the way he did. He really was a musical genius in all facets.
I enjoy how Kurt played around with clichés; he had that in common with Paul Westerberg.
"If you ever need anything, please don't
Hesitate to ask someone else first"
"I'm not ready as I'll ever be
And I suppose your guess is more or less as bad as mine"
Oh well whatever Nevermind!!!!
I would get such a kick out of having Elizabeth do an analysis of Weird Al’s Smells like Nirvana😂😂😂
ua-cam.com/video/FklUAoZ6KxY/v-deo.html&pp=ygUcd2VpcmQgYWwgc21lbGxzIGxpa2UgbmlydmFuYQ%3D%3D
I came here to say this and realized it's so obvious and necessary someone else had to have thought so already.
Agreed, I love Weird Al's version, and the song and video are so close, yet so amusing.
was looking for this comment 😆
Weird Al has "ruined" so many original song for me and now i onlly hear his versions
😂😂😂
The sound of the guitar is easily one of the greatest things about this song. It sounds amazing.
Now that you've done the original, you've got to react to "Smells Like Nirvana" by Weird Al.
Kurt was happy to hear that Weird Al wanted to do a parody of his song and helped him with it. So, you definitely will want to watch the song. I'd love to see your reaction to how closely he was able to copy the inflections and style of singing that Kurt had.
Still waiting.
'Cuz we're mumbling, and we're screaming...
Fun fact weird al needed marbles in his mouth to get the grunge singing right
For me the thing which has always made Kurt “special” was his innate melodic sense. There were plenty of copycat bands who presented a similar sound and attitude to Nirvana, but none of them had the melodic creativity that Kurt did. Buried beneath those layers of loud guitars, piercing shreaks and pounding drums are some absolutely unique and beautiful melodies.
Completely agree and it's what set him apart from the pack. His sense of melody underneath a rough exterior is absolutely fantastic.
It is hard to find a more legendary song than this one. It is just amazing until this day. Bless kurt wherever he might be now. He will never be forgotten.
I remember reading a short history about the brith of grunge.
When people like Kurt (and other grunge musicians) were growing up and learning to perform in Seattle during the 80s and into the 90s. Seattle was a bit of a musical backwater. It was a bit too far away from other major cities and a bit too small, that meant the majority of band tours avoided Seattle as they didnt think the costs where worth it.
The result was that kids like Kurt didnt get much chance to see 'real musician's' perform live and so they didnt have those influences to copy. For many, they ended up just doing what sounded good to them and often making it up as they went. Its why grunge often ignores all the musical conventions common in the period and is why it sounds so unique.
Grunge was the result of what was a bit of a accident of musical history, that created a fantastically unique period in music.
It's so sad that we lost Kurt so young. I am thankful Dave Grohl went on with the guitarist of Nirvana to form The Foo Fighters. His drumming and Kurt's singing in the song is so intense it is totally captivating. I was in my 30's when this came out, and a huge classic rock fan, but this song helped me pay more attention to all music. I was a Gunnery Sgt in the Marines at the time, and I heard it played a lot by younger Marines and it helped me appreciate it more. Thank you Kurt. Gone, but never forgotten.
I love the joy Elizabeth shows when doing her reactions; she is able to deliver her opinions without ever being being disrespectful or hurtful to the artist and their fans. She always finds something positive to comment on which is much needed in the world today.
Thanks for being a ray of sunshine Elizabeth! 🌄💖
I love this woman so much!
Yeah, but I think she had to work really hard to find things noteworthy in this sample of... er, "music".
Sorry, not a fan of this group.
Absolutely--the joy that comes across on her face at times is so precious!
@@TheRaptor1967 not really, the difference is she appreciate all music and you dont lol
@@TheRaptor1967 I seriously doubt that. The song is more than 30 years old and still it's much more relevant than any pop song after a year. You have a right to dislike this kind if music, just don't diminish it just because you don't understand it. Kurt left a huge legacy behind most of the current pop singers can only dream about. Elizabeth knows this and it's clearly visible on her
I was born in the mid-late 80s and I listened to all my parents music from the 60s, 70s and 80s, this was the first time I ever heard anything as a child that made me think there was something different, something new and unique that just had a totally different vibe. Now at almost 40 I realise how important Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and the Grunge movement was to music and to showing me personally how divergent music really can be.
100% agree this song did the same for me
I still love this song after hearing it a trillion times. Power to you Generation X. ⚡😎⚡
Gen X is the most slept on Generation all we knew was war
These videos have a crazy ability to make me cry just because I love music so deeply ❤️
Kurt creates an intimacy in his music that makes you feel like he's your best friend, but also you at the same time. I feel that's why Kurt and Nirvana has impacted and resonated with myself and so many people, and why him and his music is still so relevant today. ❤
The difference between Kurt & the other grunge bands to follow was his voice was never forced. That howl is just pure raw power
Layne never forced anything either.. miss em both!
Dave Grohl was amazing in this song. His drumming coupled with the guitar riffs made the song legendary!!
They're disco beats. The opening beats to Smells Like Teen Spirit, according to Grohl, he stole from the Gap Band. ua-cam.com/video/dZCrdSC2-1I/v-deo.html
And nobody talks about the fact he held his sticks backwards! He's was (and still is) an intense drummer! Look at his short stint playing with Tom Petty, the dude played hard!
Dave’s confession of using disco beats for Nirvana is another sign that he is down to earth. He used The Gap Band as an example. Went from punk to disco technique in his early years. It worked.
lol yeah ok.
kurt had a unique way of singing the missing note in the chords he was playing as the melody...genius!
Absolutely, well said.
Yes! A great way to create color, tension, and angst.
I will never get bored of Nirvana. Kurt was an amazing performer, probably the best I've seen. So much energy, so much emotion, that's all I'm expecting to appreciate music. Love you Kurt forever in my heart.
A true voice of a generation. Cannot be easily replicated and many people have tried. His effortless range, tone and rasp was just totally unique. People criticise Kurt for not being a good guitar player. Obviously these people have never heard the incesticide album. I defy anyone to try play those awkward riffs whilst delivering complex vocal patterns. People rave about Nirvana as a whole but for me, Kurt was underrated in his talent
32 years later and I still find it close to impossible to sing R*pe Me while playing it on guitar. Each part on their own isn't hard, but the rythm when combining the two just throws me off!
Kurt is most certainly not underrated. Don’t conflate the detractors with what is generally accepted. You don’t get known as the voice of a generation by being mediocre.
@@o0Donuts0o i think he's mainly talking about his guitar playing, not just his voice or lyrics. And it's true that most consider Kurt an average or even below average guitarist, which I think is unfair. Their songs have relatively simple melodies and solos are mostly derivative (which works with their style perfectly) but that doesn't mean Kurt can't play well. It just means he's not particularly interested in playing intricate stuff, but if he was he probably could rip a complex solo no problemo
Over on Rick Beato's channel he just did a video on the complexity of Kurt's guitar playing. Specifically on the last song released "You Know You're Right" but, he's speaking in general about Kurt's chord choices combined with his incredible sense of melody.
Most guitarist's know Rick's channel right? If you don't check it out. He's a huge fan of grunge, Nirvana being responsible for blowing up the music world by introducing us to the Seattle Bands.
Kurt was a badass musician, songwriter and singer ... also a captivating performer ✌️♥️🎸🎶🙏
I always remember an interview with Slipknot's Mike Thompson, for a guitar magazine, in which he is showing his skills beyond Slipknot (dude can really shred btw) and he says something like: I can play notes super fast, and Kurt Cobain probably couldn't, but he wrote Smells Like Teen Spirit and I didn't!
“He’s able to maintain intensity while sounding lazy at the same time.” I love that!
I think it's mandatory to check out Weird Al's version of this song after your analysis. It's called "Smells Like Nirvana." Weird Al has an amazing ability to capture the essence of the original singer's voice and style.
This song single-handedly changed the face of music when it came out. It was more than a vibe, it was a whole culture.
Also, this song is responsible for killing off an entire era of music of '80s hair bands and paving the way to the Grunge era. It's a very important song in music history and "Nevermind" is one of the greatest albums of all time.
Yeah it kinda killed metal, except the hard core non poser metal bands like Testament, Kreator and Death Angel are still going and thank God for bands like Band-Maid and Lovebites to keep metal alive for a new generation.🤘
It's really hard to overstate how big an impact this song had
@@metalmark1214 I think the popular "metal" at the time killed itself. It was becoming a parody of itself.
Whiners came to the forefront
@@metalmark1214 Kamalot Did not die,, AND IN Europ, metal did not die... Within Temptation, Epica, Nightwish, Delain, so many more,,, AND ALL THE DEW GROUPS, like Frozen Crown, and others.... it was USA controlled market lables/producer$ that TRIED to kill metal, for negative SOCIAL THEMES, with most RAP/C-RAP, and Grunge... and girlie-shite-POP... WHICH IS WHY Country realized a re-growth from ~1992 -2000, and Dance-Trance, around 1998 +., IMHO, and that of others.
Kurts sound always feels like it's how anyones exhausted inner self bares it's soul to a best friend, lover or priest.
I’m so glad I was alive for the grunge takeover of culture. It changed so much and was absolutely wild to experience.
Thank you for being the only reaction youtuber to admit its not their first time listening. Respect. None of them make a video without listening first, it would make for a terrible video if they did and they know it.
You react in a more professional analytical way than all of them, its great to watch. You are not just after clicks by putting popular artists names in your video titles., you are worth the watch, you educate and entertain, keep it up. :)
If you were old enough to remember what dominated radio at the time then you remember what a shot of adrenalin this song was. It was a game changer for teens. A bit of punk, a bit of metal, a bit of alternative.
It was a game changer for me and I was 32 at the time.
A bit of genius!! Still love them and I'm in my 40s.
Absolutely--this song came out when chart-topping tracks included Michael Jackson and Right Said Fred. The world was changed.
@@kevsta67 I saw the Foo Fighters on their first tour (think it was their 10th show ever) back in 1995...and I couldn't have been more disappointed. Nirvana had an edge; FF are pop.
@@mizzlepizzle9769FF are great now days. Awesome entertainers and live presence.
I remember when this song came out, I was in Germany, and one of my buddies from Seattle started playing this, and I remember it being like nothing I've ever heard in my life. So much raw power in the song. There wasn't a bad song on the whole Nevermind album. This group was a game changer compared to what was out then.
mudhoney , green river , pearl jam and the melvins were doing this before nirvana , as were other bands from the bay area .
@@muncheesuppar But Nirvana did it best, and created the worldwide appreciation for the aspects of the style which opened doors for the other bands.
@@harrr53 i always thought mudhoney and soundgarden did it best , but all 3 were very good , having seen all 3 live multiple times mudhoney wins that one for me .
@@muncheesuppar yeah they are one of the reason why there is nirvana, but nirvana is the reason why they became known too.
@@InfinityDejavu everyone i know was listening to all those bands well before nirvana came along and we had seen most of them live too , i got to see nirvana live 6 times , they were awesome live as were the others , the best live band i have ever seen is JINJER and second is BAD BRAINS and third is SPLATTERHEADS . go see them if you ever get a chance .
Tbf, Smells Like Teen Spirit has never been a song I frantically listened to back in the day. My go-to's on the Nevermind album were In Bloom and Something in the Way. But I do remember when this song came out and the impact it had on people. And while I do agree the song is pretty simplistic, that's exactly what the whole appeal is. All Nirvana songs are fairly simple. It was the combination of that and the ability to get lodged in your mind that made it so good. And I love the raw edge to Kurt's voice. Have never heard a similar edge since.
I love how Dave Grohl uses the high hat on this tune. Listen to the song and focus on the high hat. There's a lot of emotion in just that one sound. The transition from closed high hat to open at the end of the first verse is one of the things I'm talking about. He hits it and lets it ring while the chorus comes in.
What about supporting metal genre in general by doing a reaction video "Lord of the Lost“, who are participating at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool with their song „Blood and Glitter“?!
Lord of the Lost:
Dark rock meets goth meets glam metal meets synths including a perfect mixture of clean and harsh vocals down to growls. They are a rabbit hole with so many different styles and moods.
They recently supported Iron Maiden across Europe and will do so this year again. So they they definitely know how to play a huge stage. They are great musicians and released beside their regular albums three acoustic „Swan Songs“ longplayer with a classic ensemble.
Their newest album „Blood and Glitter“ was surprisingly released end of last year with only one week of preselling and hit #1 of the German album charts.
The „Eurovision Song Contest (ESC)“ is probably the largest music contest in the world, with 37 countries participating in 2023. I’s to the largest extend dominated by pop music, folk music and other softer music genres. There are about 200 million people watching the final show. Maneskin had their international breakthrough due to winning Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
Representing Germany, there is now a metal band participating and it would be great to activate metal fans from around the globe to support a metal band at this contest by voting for them on May 13th or by sharing the news of them participating and by playing their song: Metal heads and fans unite!
Lord of the Lost did win the German preliminary selection due to a landslide win at the public voting. They perfomred the song twice that evening, the second time after winning the selection. Here is the link to that performance:
ua-cam.com/video/SsfAWzQiA44/v-deo.html
Greetz from the German-Dutch LotL-loving concert photographer
I also would love to see you reacting to them. This band is really amazing ❤
My thoughts 😅 Would love to see a reaction to Blood and Glitter! It's a Banger, isn't it? ❤
Oh yes please!!!!❤❤❤❤
A reaction to Lord Of The Lost would be really great! I love this wounderful band so much❤ and you can listen to a big varity of ways of singing😉
We all want to see a reaction to LORD OF THE LOST's awesome banger "Blood & Glitter"!!!✨️🖤🩸 Especially now before Eurovision 2023, the band and the metal/goth community need any support in the world, but even apart from that Lord of the Lost are a special band that absolutely deserves all love and attention they can get, as they are working so hard and being so incredibly creative since 2007! Chris Harms' lead vocals are just out of this world and "Blood & Glitter" comes up with a chorus that energizes you like amphetamine - well, that would be an epic reaction video to remember forevermore! Lord of the Lost & GERMANY for the win at Eurovision 2023!!!🫶🇩🇪💥
Kurt singing Lake of Fire off the Live in New York album is really good and you would probably appreciate it. It shows how good he was both live and in studio.
I felt vindicated when they covered the Meat Puppets and performed with them - such an odd but great band.
My favorite track besides where did you sleep last night
This song hit the music industry like an earthquake and a tsunami all at once. It was absolutely amazing to experience. We needed it, and it is amongst my favorite memories as a youth.
I love when you do a deep dive into songs we’ve heard for years. I often get used to hearing the overall sound and forget to actively listen, so my ears gloss over nuances like Cobain’s voice “crack”.
His angst comes through so clear to me.
In the recorded version it was actually two recordings of Kurt’s voice layered over each other. So amazing.
Saw them live on a festival (Pukkelpop 1991) as a last minute replacement at 11am... Never heard of them, stuck around, loved it. 2 months later this single explodes on the radio. I witnessed greatness without fully knowing it ..
You're so lucky bro
This band, and this era, formed my life! I was an angsty teen when this came out. I saw them in a venue with about 700 people when this album was out but before they hit it big. Life changing!
Thank you for your deep dive Elizabeth. This song and "In Bloom" takes me back.
Even as a so-so Nirvana fan, this song has meaning to me generationally. As Gen X, the first few chords of this song are no different than the horn that sounds at the beginning of Heilung's Krigsgaldr; the sound of intergenerational warfare.
I don't know anything about Heilung's Krigsgaldr, but "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was definitely a battle cry for those of us who were teens or early 20's when it came out.
I love Heilung! I can totally see what you're saying.
I was 21 and wanted something else in music other than parites and women. This described how i was feeling. Transformative in every way on how we looked at things.
Duuuude. Did you just connect two of my top 5 bands, even songs, in a way I hadn't even considered? This actually makes so much sense in my brain now that you mention it. Beautifully put.
I'm with ya. As a Gen X metalhead, this song brought me forward to modern rock.
I was in high school when this song came out. I don't know exactly why it brings such strong emotions when I listen to it. I love it. I got teary eyed watching this. RIP Kurt.
Shannon Hoon's singing in Sleepy House by Blind Melon would be a great episode for the grunge list. His voice was so unique and powerful.
Shannon…another one gone way too soon. :(
Yup!
Mouthful of Cavities would be a good one.
Love him. So miss him.
You're reflections inspire me.
Thank you.
I think "drain you" is the best song vocally, perhaps the "live at the paramount" version. It hits his natural range
i really like Somethings In The Way, the way he wrote and recorded it is a fascinating bit of music history
Drain You is my favourite Nirvana song. Kurt's best scream.
One of my favorite songs next to Come As You Are.
Bit on the short side but I love the way he throws his voice around in Lake of Fire
The “underwater” sound on the guitar solo is created using chorus, Kurt had an Electro Harmonix Small Clone pedal at this point if I’m not mistaken. It can also be heard on the ringing guitar notes in the verses.
I replied about the Chorus effect, also. It was definitely an EHX pedal, but I'm under the impression it was a Poly Chorus rather than a Small Clone. But I could definitely be wrong. Cheers!
I think even the vocals in the "hello - how low" part have a chorus effect.
It was an EHX Small Clone, used during the verse, pre-chorus and solo. It was also essential for the "Come As You Are" sound.
@@falsemcnuggethope The vocals on the pre-chorus were double-tracked (producer Butch Vig had Kurt sing the same part twice), which creates this phasing effect when mixed together.
I've seen a lot of live rock concerts, and whenever they're playing their own songs the crowd is rocking out, but any time one of them do a Nirvana cover, the crowd goes absolutely nuts. Nirvana just rocks. the raw sound. if you took a Nirvana song and released it each era as a new band/song it'd easily take number 1 each time.
You nailed it at the beginning, his vocals weren't great but back then it hit me hard because of the fact he didn't sound like a trained singer, it almost sounded like something I would sing and I loved it. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song. and it will forever be the song of my teen angst. Thank you for this flashback to a simpler time. Love San Diego teen me!
There's an audio clip out there of Kurt doing vocal warm-ups, which is basically very specific screaming so he was comfortable knowing he'd hit the right notes/sound in a performance without his voice breaking. It's really something.
Butch Vig (Nirvana producer) said Kurt Cobain never wanted to do more than 1-2 takes on songs because he would blow his voice out. So doing too many takes would mean he couldn't record for the rest of the day. I'm sure Cobain learned technique to be able to sustain touring, but what you hear on this album is pretty raw screaming and often that iconic scratchy sound in his voice is actually a very real consequence of it. Rick Beato's interview with Butch concerning Nirvana was pretty enlightening.
Yeah, I mean, you can hear Kurt blowing his voice out at the end of "Territorial Pissings." I remember hearing that for the first time back in the day and thinking, "Well, they're done recording for the day after this one" and "You'd have to save that one for the end of a show." And if you go dive into various live clips, you can hear him really shredding his cords a lot. Dude was def not a trained singer and, had he lived, I don't imagine he would've been able to sustain what he was doing for very long (the same thing I've often thought about Janis Joplin).
I love the live version and watching Dave Grohl on the drums
Hi! This was great. I'm 42 and I love to get your take in songs that are so representative of that time.
Also, while you commented on the intention that's behind the "bad singing" of grunge vocalists, it made me realize I haven't seen any reactions to punk lead singers and that would be so interesting to see.
If anyone here reading knows of one, I would appreciate the tip 🙏🏽
One of the most iconic music videos of all time. Most people's introduction to Nirvana. There aren't many times where popular music shifts drastically, but this song/album/era was one of them.
I love to see the struggle you have with music like this, while still being constructive. It's like a landscape painter being asked to analyze Jackson Pollock.
Right? It's a different (but still illuminating) thrill than watching someone confirm my appreciation for Ronny James Dio or Bruce Dickenson.
We've heard this song so many times... and we've forgotten how brilliant it is! Truly masterpiece. Hey Lady, thanks for being here and reminding us why we love our music ❤🤟
2am now, i just listened to you for 4 hours 😮 go through my grunge childhood. You do so good breaking it down. My request is "Silverchair, Tomorrow" or more Eddie Vedder.
Silverchair would be great! Hard to believe that came from a bunch of 15yos from Newcastle, Australia lol
I read an interview with Kurt where he says that he was painting a room with a friend and she told him "You smell like teen spirit". He took this in a poetic way meaning that he was the voice of a generation. It was only after he had written the song and released it that he found out it was a deodorant and the girl was just saying something really mundane.
close.. the lead singer of bikini kill wrote on his wall in sharpie "kurt smells like teen spirit".. she meant it as a playful insult, but as you say, he didnt know what teen spirit was and found it profound
Also, iirc, Kurt didn't interpret that as him being "the voice of a generation." That kind of a sentiment would've made him vomit and, later, when people did say stuff like that about him seriously, he HATED it. He also hated that grunge became a thing. Kurt and friends had a punk rock attitude that rebelled against ideas like considering yourself "the voice of a generation," calling yourself "a poet," or anything that was too pretentious. Also, for most of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he's making fun of himself. There's no "yeah, I'm the voice of a generation" vibe in there at all...
As far as the actual backstory:
The phrase "smells like teen spirit" had been scrawled on the wall of Kurt's apartment by Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of the band Bikini Kill. Hanna wrote this as a joke because her bandmate Tobi Vail, who happened to be Cobain's girlfriend at the time, was a fan of the Teen Spirit deodorant. Teen Spirit was manufactured by the Mennen Corporation, which had developed a line of very popular, somewhat "alternative" deodorants for men in the 1960s.
Because Bikini Kill recorded on the Kill Rock Stars label, and was generally contemptuous of mainstream American society, Cobain mistook the phrase for a seditious catch phrase, like "À Nous La Liberte!" or "El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido." When Cobain found out what Teen Spirit was, he was highly upset and very possibly humiliated.
The reason he grew to hate the song and started refusing to play it in concert and whatnot though? Because it became so popular, which goes back to my original point. A lot of their punk rock attitude believed that if you achieved big success, the Establishment owned you. And that level of fame, money, celebrity, and all that people want to give you with it was the antithesis of what Kurt and those folk were about.
This is the song that changed the music world forever! Dave Grohl said "If you want to have a number 1 song...make a video where you burn down your high school" I'm so glad Beth got around to it. As a fan from the start I don't know where to begin when it comes to Kurt's sense of melody, his complex chord progressions ,his voice was incredible and he was a captivating performer to say the least. You never knew what to expect because he was impossibly unpredictable!
Nirvana as a 3 piece band with Dave's hard hitting style and metronomic timing and harmonies, Chris's playing what fit the songs to a tee ! Together they were as much of a force of nature as any 4 or 5 piece band with such a full sound that you never really felt like felt like you were listening to a trio!
Nice goin' Beth, I hope your falling in love with Nirvana so we can have more from them and the Seattle bands!✌️♥️🎸🎶🙏
I think that Kurt recorded an extra guitar part though, because he would take an extra guitarist to play live.
HANDS DOWN THE BIGGEST MUSIC GAME CHANGER GENX Got to see in real time...
This changed everything.... His unplugged album was another game changer for the next generation 4 years later.
My teens was all about Nirvana and grunge in general. Along side with Metallica and Guns and Roses, they defined my teens so much. I was lucky to see them in 1992 at Roskilde festival, headlining the main Orange stage. At the same time, Denmark won the finals in soccer against Germany. It was indeed a magic day. I remember Kurt grapping the microphone saying” congrats on that sport thing you just won “. Today its my biggest memory. I still get emotional when I see thier old live stuff. RIP Kurt
The really impressive thing about Kurts voice, is: If you listen to the stems and you separate doubled vocals, like in the chorus of this song, all the voice cracks, yodels, and notes that are a little sharp or flat, are exactly the same on both takes. So none of it was accidental. In fact, you often can't even tell that there are two Kurts singing the same line, they match so well. It's only at the end of the song that they go off and do their own things. I can think of several like that, where you get to the last line or held note, where he allows himself more freedom, and suddenly realise it was two takes all along. They match so well that it thickens the sound but without being obviously double tracked unless they're panned differently.
He does the same thing with guitar parts. They're nicely doubled all the way through the song, then each does something different right at the end, like the song isn't concluding; it's falling apart instead.
The man had *ridiculously* good pitch, and although people love to shit all over his guitar playing, his rhythm was unbelievably tight with the drums. It’s hard to believe that they only ever recorded one song using a click track (Lithium, if you’re curious). They were just so locked in with each other that they didn’t need it
A fascinating analysis of the official #1 rock song of all time, by the greatest grunge band EVER. Thank you.
Love your technical breakdown.
“The better a singer's voice, the harder it is to believe what they're saying.”
― David Byrne
So true.
It applies to so many great artists that aren't trained vocalists.
Every song by Stryper: -
John Lydon is a case in point. Remember seeing a Royal Opera Company singing coach critiquing him and she basically said he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket BUT his diction was perfect and every word was crystal clear and totally suited to the music.
Absolutely correct...
Whoa!
Nirvana was my first concert at the ripe age of 11.
"I feel stupid and contagious." - Love that line.
The main riff for this was a modified version of the main riff on Boston’s More Than A Feeling. It was one of Kurt’s favorite songs, and he would often launch into More Than A Feeling at shows.
Did not know that two of my fav bands
Interesting. I always thought it might have been Blue Oyster Cult's, "Godzilla," sped up. 🤔
@@blkPhillip lol well … that mightve played a factor as well, I could see that lol
@@buzzbomb67 Years ago, I sat down to learn "Godzilla" on the guitar, and I was like, "Hey ... wait a minute." 🤣 I think I read somewhere that Kurt was also a fan of The Knack's first record. He was such a gifted (and hardworking) songwriter. RIP, Mr. Cobain🙏
@@blkPhillip its funny how people scoff at Nirvana because its essentially punk… simple, direct music. But Kurt was actually quite a good musician, and had a wide range of tastes and influences!
Yeah!!!! Love this channel this the only person I can watch keep pausing my jams!!! But then telling me why I love it lmao I almost couldn't get thru the first 5 I seen love it keep it up!!! Loved the srv respect I need to to see some jimmi!!!! So awesome hearing you hear out the guitars voice!!!
You Sooooo need to do Weird Al’s Smells Like Nirvana. It is probably his best parody and is the song that I hear whenever Smells Like Teen Spirit play.
I am intrigued to do some Weird Al, though I know he hates reaction videos. ;-)
Internet legend has it that Weird Al hired several of the original actors for his video.
@@dotar9586 He has talked about that on videos on UA-cam. Worth a watch, he's a funny guy, always entertaining to see him interviewed :)
@The Charismatic Voice I think Al wouldn't mind you analyzing and reacting to his cover. And adding commentary on how it matches or differs from the original. Either do it and ask forgiveness or contact Al and ask permission.
@@dotar9586 same Soundstage and as many of the extras that were in the original are in Al's cover. Kurt gave his blessings to do the cover.
I've been awaiting your analysis of this song ever since I discovered your channel, I knew it would eventually happen. Thank you for it. *high-fives*
If you want to know how good Kurt was just listen to anyone trying to cover this in the same grngy style. Only he can combine intensity, angst and dgaf smoothly together. I heard an analysis of his isolated vocals and you can hear the absolute geniuus of it.
The vocals on the end of the song are what make this song so powerful. It builds up and that ending is what separates him from other singers. The feeling in it, you can just tell there is so much going on underneath. It’s like Janis Joplin. Rick Beato talked about this with Kurt’s voice.
This video just EXPLODED. It truly put them on the map. I have heard this song probably 1000 times but I still get hyped by the song, AND the video. It just changed EVERYTHING.
they werent even necessarily the biggest fans of the song, which was sped up Louie Louie
I'd been waiting for this one! I hope Smashing Pumpkins Bullet with Butterfly Wings makes it onto the list sometime. You've done most of the other ones that can transport me instantly back to a time and place.
I’m so glad you covered this song. This song to me was my teen years. It changed the industry in an instant, in one fell swoop, It transformed MTV, it transformed our culture, and transformed everything we thought we knew about music.
If you weren’t alive yet when this song exploded it’s Rea hard to imagine the impact it had on literally everything.
I'll never forget my brother bringing Nevermind home in '91 on its release -- I just sat there in awe as it played. Thanks Kurt, Kris and Dave (and the rest of the Seattle music scene) for saving music from the dull death of late-80s/early 90s "music".
It's awesome that the more she does a deep dive into Kurt's voice, the more she can appreciate the nuance of it!
I would love for her to do a deep dive into Dave Grohl's voice and I'd be interested if she can pick up on any influence that Dave brought with him from his time in Nirvana!
I so appreciate your analysis with the lyric “entertain us” because it always blew my mind how this song fits so perfectly in the movie Moulin Rouge and I never understood how until now.
He’s speaking for a generation of kids who were raised to be seen and not heard, to put up with all the crap choices and decisions forced upon us when we see and hear and want a say in our future!!
He is screaming, listen up and let us speak!!!
It’s exactly why his music and message is still on point now, so much angst and fear still in the hands of our youth to try make the future brighter, with equality and diversity
Butch Vig is a genius musician and great sound engineer mixing this song the way he did. Every aspect of this track and album is excellent. 👌🏼🔥
Great video. I am more of a metal kind of guy, but always loved this song. There is something about the melody which I find very haunting. I love the way Kurt screams in this. It sounds like he feels it from the depths of his soul.